Remember when I visited Lisbon back in February 2025? Well, this time Patrick had his chance to visit Portugal! Although he did not visit Lisbon, he visited two other must-see places: Terceira in the Azores and Porto.
This article will cover the best of those two places while also covering similarities and differences between those and Lisbon. To sum it up, I wish I had followed Patrick to Terceira and Porto, he wishes he knew me when I visited Lisbon! Let’s take a look at the big picture.
Terceira
Patrick spent the bulk of his trip on this island in the Azores, and it was his first trip to Europe. Here is everything he said visitors should know before taking a trip out there.
It’s a small island, meaning there are limited flights to the island
Patrick’s flight itinerary was literally Boise-Chicago-Lisbon-Terceira, meaning it is almost a guarantee you will have to fly to mainland Portugal first. However, the good news about Terceira being a small island is that it is fairly easy to get around.
Guided Tours are a great way to see the island
Patrick and his family relied on guided tours the entire time, and ended up enjoying them! With guided tours, they also saw the main town of Terceira that is the epicenter of everything. Hotels, restaurants, shops, hostels, and events. There are also a lot of good beaches on the island and great lookout points!
The island is very lush
Everything is so much better when it’s green, am I right! The nice thing about both Europe and Canada is that they do a very good job taking care of their environment. If this were not true, it would not have been so green!
June might be too cold for swimming
Patrick was so excited to swim and be sunkissed, but little did he know, it would be in the mid 60’s and cloudy during his trip! If you get luckier than he did on your trip to the Azores, make sure you take advantage of the nice beaches and boating tours!
There is a copycat Christ the Redeemer statue on the island
As mentioned in my Lisbon article, there is one there as well! Again, the original statue is in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, but Portugal has borrowed some things from Brazil, even though PORTUGAL colonized BRAZIL. I saw the one in Lisbon, Patrick saw the one in Terceira, now we want to see the real one together in Rio!
Porto
After three days in Terceira, Patrick and his family made a last minute decision to travel to Porto. I may or may not have influenced this decision, ha! I knew he didn’t have time to visit Lisbon, so Porto was the next best thing in my opinion. Here is everything that was observed about Porto.
Much like Lisbon, Porto is very hilly. So bring comfortable walking shoes!
If Patrick had gone to Lisbon I would have warned him, but little did I know that Porto was the same way. His feet quickly got exhausted from walking up and down so many hills, and he took some time off from working out for a couple days when he returned home. Even if that’s the case, walking around a beautiful city will burn enough calories itself.
Porto is home to one of the world’s fanciest McDonald’s
I’m probably the only person that cares about this, but Patrick was generous enough to send me photos! This location has been on many lists of the world’s weirdest McDonald’s locations, and of course it was busy and even included a security guard. He didn’t eat there but from what we both remember about the Portuguese McDonald’s, they have soup!
There is a lot of rich history to Porto
Another thing Porto has in common with Lisbon, the amount of African and Moorish influence that used to be present. Lisbon’s architecture and stories are however, more in touch with their historical influence than Porto is.
Under the Roman Empire, Porto became a significant hub for trade among other cities in Portugal. Later, Porto came under Muslim control following the Umayyad Conquest of Hispania, and then was conquered by Christian forces.
Nowadays, Porto is now designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site with the Porto Cathedral being the oldest surviving structure along with other Romanesque architecture in the city.
Port Wine is named after Porto
Fittingly, port wine is one of Porto’s most famous exports. This type of wine was produced in the Douro Valley of northern Portugal and is often served with dessert. I never had any in Lisbon but Patrick was lucky to experience the wonderful taste in Porto!
Porto is where the Francesinha originated
Also known as the sandwich of Portugal, I indulged in this meal in Lisbon and begged Patrick to have the same experience in Porto. He listened and is glad he did! Attached is an Instagram story I created to compare the two.
Porto is also home to one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world
It is called, “Livraria Lello”, and boasts floor to ceiling bookshelves, vivid colors, a stained glass skylight for a ceiling, and a stellar staircase. This place is also called the “Harry Potter Bookstore”. The reason is because the staircase inside allegedly inspired the one at Hogwart’s School in the Harry Potter Series. This isn’t a proven fact, though! Whether you like books or not, this bookstore is worth it!
Also like Lisbon, the people of Porto are very friendly and welcoming towards tourists
Patrick said he heard a lot of people asking each other, “where are you from?” This is the case for ANY popular touristy area but locals in Porto especially enjoy conversing with tourists. Lisbon was the same way, and in both cities, almost everyone speaks English except the elders. All this is just one of the many reasons Portugal is one of my favorite places, and Patrick’s too.
Patrick wishes he had gone to Lisbon as well, and I wish I had gone to Porto along with Lisbon! However, the good news is that either one of us can tell you about the wonderful country of Portugal and have stories from both our individual experiences.
Whether you are in Lisbon, Porto, or the Azores or somewhere we have not visited (like the Algarve), the food is spectacular, it is a safe country and good starting point for solo travelers, and the people are friendly. Portugal is also fairly inexpensive compared to most European countries, totally recommended if you are a budget traveler! This was Patrick’s first trip to Europe and he said he would totally go again, but needed to relax when he got home like we all do.
Questions about Portugal? Feel free to contact me or Patrick!
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