Stunning seaside city with the world’s most beautiful bookshop and very famous 80p treats

I HAVE always loved a city that can be navigated by foot.

Not only because you can tick off all the sights with ease but burning off the calories means you can gorge on the local grub guilt-free.

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That is something I’d been doing a lot of in Porto, where gooey custard tarts can be picked up on almost every street for around €1.

Portugal’s second largest city is close to the country’s northern coast, with the River Douro cutting through its centre.

It’s not just custard tarts, known here as pastel de nata, that I’d been gobbling.

The region is known for its traditional food which includes bacalhau (salted cod fish) and the Francesinha toasted sandwich layered with assorted hot meats and cheeses then smothered in a rich beer sauce and served with French fries.

The sandwich is a ritual for after a good few inexpensive port cocktails.

After all, if there’s one thing this city is known for other than food, it’s port.

Here, this fortified wine is not just associated with Christmas and to be paired only with your favourite stilton or Stinking Bishop, it’s served year round in all the restaurants and bars.

Never tried it before? Well, think of a vibrant red wine that’s sweet and with depth — just like the Tripeiros (the slang name given to Porto’s charming inhabitants).

The Douro Valley has been making port since Roman times, but it was in the 17th century that port wine as we know it today was born when Brits fortified the booze in order to maintain its quality while transporting it by sea.

And you can learn all about the process at the World of Wine in the historic heart of nearby Gaia.

A short distance from the city centre within an old port warehouse, the attraction is made up of seven museums, 12 restaurants and bars, several shops and even a wine school.

For proper wine enthusiasts, the Wine Experience is a must-do, allowing visitors to get hands-on with tastings and immersive artwork, all while learning the grape-to-bottle process.

Of course, this doesn’t beat a proper tasting. And Sandeman’s Quinta do Seixo winery is the place to do it.

You can sample the good stuff, along with nibbles, on a terrace overlooking the lush valley and river below.

The vineyards are a sight to behold, dazzling in colour, and the wines they produce are seriously good.

If you’re after a more substantial meal to soak up the vino, the Mercado do Bolhao is where to head.

Seriously good

The food hall is packed with various counters selling local produce, from meats, fish, fruit and veg to breads and pastries and is, of course, somewhere to grab a tipple.

Or for something fancier, there’s the DOP restaurant, which does a sensational 14-course tasting menu.

Highlights include a meat-free take on carbonara where the pasta is cleverly crafted from squid.

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Taste buds satisfied, I ventured back to Porto to walk off the indulgence along the hilly and cobbled streets of the Miragaia neighbourhood.

It was there that I discovered Livraria Lello — what can only be described as the world’s most beautiful bookshop, housed in a curious neo-Gothic building.

Set over four floors, it features stained-glass windows, intricate woodwork and a grand, imposing central staircase that takes you up to balconies overlooking the lower levels.

Allegedly, the site was an inspiration for Harry Potter author JK Rowling when she lived and taught in the city.

The store certainly has an otherworldly feel to it, although it’s in the basement that the true magic unfolds, with many rare tomes and first editions adorning the shelves.

Otherworldly feel

Entry to the shop is €8 and this can be redeemed against a book purchase, although make sure to get there early to avoid the long queues that form around the block.

Luckily, I’d been staying at the 5H Editory Boulevard Hotel, which is a seven-minute walk from the store, so the early rise wasn’t a problem.

The hotel serves a sensational breakfast that can’t be missed.

That is if you have any room left in your stomach.

It’s safe to say, you won’t go at all hungry or thirsty while in Porto.