1. Buy a ticket on the City Sightseeing tour bus. This may seem like a crazy tourist thing to do but use it wisely and it can save you a lot of money and help get you up those very steep hills. The trick is to buy your ticket at about 12pm as they last for 48hrs and you can hop on and off wherever you like so use it as a taxi for the next two days. Of course it takes you the scenic route and after two days using this bus you'll know the city like the back of your hand. When we went it also included a free tour and tasting at the Cruz port distillery and a 6 Bridges boat tour. It's a great way to get your bearings.
2. Hire a bike and explore the Atlantic coast. There is a fantastic bike path all the way to Lisbon. Well, I'm not sure it goes that far but it feels like it. We hired bikes from a cheeky chappy at Vieguini Bike and Scooter Hire Brand new bikes and he gave us some good tips on where to go.
3. Eat BBQ fish. If you go North up the coast on your bike (or Route A on the metro), you will reach the busy working port area of Matoshinos. At the weekend the first thing to hit you is the mouthwatering smells of bbq fish. Go exploring through the streets, don't just go to the restaurants near the sea. We went to Nuno Malafala Restaurant, corner of Av Serpa Pinto / r. Sul. First you choose your fresh fish from the ice box and then it gets gutted and cooked to perfection on the bbq in front of you. The BEST fish dish you will ever have.
4. Wander the port district. There are loads to choose from. Just wander in and you can choose from a variety of tours prices start from about €10. Our favourite was Cockburns. At least thats the one I can remember...
5. Party in Rue Galerias Paris just off Rue Carmelitas. Packed full of cool bars although if you even attempt to go there before midnight you will be on your own (unless you are there for lunch, see below). 2am on Saturday would be a good time to try. If you are looking for some Gay nightlife, its few and far between however we enjoyed Café Lusitano if you are lucky, it may be tarot card reading night...
6. Have lunch in Restaurante Bar Galeria De Paris, Rua Galeria de Paris, 56. Quirky, cheap, cafeteria style restaurant with a formidable maître d. She mixes a mean Sangria though. All the food is very home style and delicious.
7. Have dinner Restaurante Zé Bota, Travessa do Carmo 16, 4440-452 Porto. The food is delicious and the atmosphere can be pretty lively. Be warned - they are very generous with the carafe of wine measurements. And the wine is good, and you may need a taxi to take you home. Alternatively try Restaurant Book, Rua do Aviz, 10 , retro style book shop vibe with modern cuisine. Slightly slow service but worth the wait.
8. Visit the Sunday BIRD market. Yes there is a bird market on Sunday morning (R.Campo dos Martires da Patria). It's mesmerising, not just the vast array of budgerigars and cages and bird seed but the people who are actually buying these poor things. They literally take a bird from a cage, pop it in a paper bag and off they go... Not for the feint hearted but compelling people watching nonetheless.
9. DO NOT eat the local dish Francesinha. No matter how they try to photograph it, the camera never lies. It's quite repulsive.
10. Watch the sunset over the Douro from a tiny little local bar on 51 Passeio das Virtudes. If you have just climbed the steps from the river front you are going to need at least Three Super Boc, maybe four. It's thirsty work all this climbing. Did I mention the hills in Porto?
