One weekend while I was studying in Europe, a friend and I decided to go to Portugal.  We didn’t know much about the city but when we arrived we were pleasantly surprised.  The main Porto area is split by the famous Douro River; one side is more historic, located on a steep hill, and the other is the Vila Nova de Gaia municipality.  After picking up a little map of the area, we got to exploring.  Some of the historical highlights of the weekend were the Porto Cathedral, the gothic-style Church of Saint Francis and the old Stock Exchange Palace.

The charming little roads and alleyways are lined with apartments, shops, restaurants and little cafés and you can really get lost—but in a good way!  During the day, make sure to stop into the cafés for a beverage and one of the famous little Porto sandwiches.  At night, head down towards the Ribeira which is the area alongside the Douro River.  One of our favorite restaurants overlooked the water and had the freshest fish, seafood and meat dishes.

Read the full blog on: http://www.aluxurytravelblog.com/2012/02/21/exploring-porto-portugal/