Travel

Flight

Getting to Porto. Porto International Airport (OPO) or Lisbon International Airport (LIS)

You can fly into either airport. Flying into Porto is very easy. Just take a taxi or Uber from the airport to your hotel or Airbnb. If you fly into Lisbon (and we strongly encourage you to check it out!), it is very easy to take a train to Porto. You can book seats on www.cp.pt/passageiros/en/train-times, the official Portuguese rail service website. They have a fast train that is called Alpha Pendular (Noted as "AP") which makes only a few stops and it takes about 2.5 hours. The AP trains depart from Lisboa Santa Apolonia (close to city center) or Lisboa Oriente (outside the city center) and go to Porto Campanha (not far from city center). All seats are reserved. It is best to book as far in advance as you can. Booking early also lets you select the best seats!!! You can also fly from Lisbon to Porto on TAP Air Portugal. TAP just announced Nonstop to Lisbon from DC starting on June 16 with new wide-body jets.

Travel Note

A bit about orientation. Porto is really two cities.

The Douro River divides two cities: Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia. The Porto side of the river is the main city and contains the highest concentration of restaurants, sites, accommodations, etc. Vila Nova de Gaia, on the other side of the Douro, is where all the port cellars (or port "lodges" as they are known) are located. It is very easy to get back and forth by walking across the Pont Luis I bridge at the river's edge. Most people stay on the Porto side of the river. Our wedding will be on the Gaia side at Graham's Port Lodge. Other festivities will take place both on the Porto and Gaia sides. It is often the case that you cross back and forth on the bridge multiple times in a day.

Travel Note

Airbnb

Airbnb is a great option in Portugal. We have used it both in Lisbon and Porto. Our experiences have been excellent. Our various Airbnb hosts have been so accommodating and the apartments have been clean and well appointed. You absolutely cannot beat the affordability. Since we will all be there in July (high tourist season), we recommend you research and book early.

Travel Note

Uber

Both Porto and Lisbon have an abundance of taxis, but we have almost exclusively used Uber in both cities. The rides (especially in Porto) are short and the Ubers are efficient and very cost effective. We recommend using Uber as your main mode of vehicle transportation.

Hotel

Pestana Vintage Porto Hotel

Very nice boutique hotel on the Porto side of the river right at the river's edge.

Hotel

InterContinental Porto - Palacio das Cardosas

Very nice hotel. Great location. Porto side of the river.

Hotel

The Yeatman Hotel

Beautiful. Luxury hotel. Amazing views of Porto. Located on the Gaia side.

Hotel

Porto A.S. 1829 Hotel

In a really great location. Beautiful little square. Very quaint. Great restaurants all around. Easy walk to river. Located on the Porto side.

Hotel

Hotel Carrís Porto Ribeira-Porto

Highly recommended. Close walk to the river on the Porto side.