Porto is full of incredible places to enjoy a beautiful Picnic and relax outdoors!
Here at #boavistaguesthouse we know some of the best spots for picnics, some more touristic, others more secret but all of them with delicious views.
We will leave here a list of 6 incredible places in Porto - the closest and most accessible from Boavista Guest House:
1 - Cristal Palace Gardens - It is one of the most romantic gardens in the city, with trees full of camellias (so typical here), that create a pink or white walkway with petals throughout the park. It has several different gardens within it, some that are a veranda over the Douro, others more reserved, where you can imagine the court of the maidens of other times...
This park is the perfect place to walk from the Boavista Guest House (10 minutes), lay a towel in one of the beautiful gardens and snack... looking at the #douroriver, the boats, the peacocks and just relax!
2 - Horto/Passeio das Virtudes - 15 minutes away and is one of the favorite places of young people from Porto. It is a smaller place - it has a garden where you can relax, but the ex-libris is the staircase of #passeiodasvirtudes, which makes a kind of audience to observe the true “work of art” - the sunset on the Douro River !
Here it is more difficult to find a place, it is advisable to go early (right before sunset!)
3 - Parque da Cidade - the largest park in Porto! It is the lung of the city, which extends for a few kilometers to the beach. It has lakes, ducks, grass areas, tree areas, sports fields, a dining area with tables and a circular path where you can walk, bike, run...
You can get there by bike - on the bike path down Avenida da Boavista, on foot (it's still a good walk, but pleasant) or by bus - the easiest way! Right on Rua da Boavista Guest House, take line 502 that will drop you off at the park's door.
4 - Beaches - Ah, the northern coast! ... it's so long, beautiful and full of nooks and crannies for a sunny picnic! There are several beaches to choose from, but the closest are Foz - Praia Homem do Leme, Praia do Molhe, Praia dos Ingleses, which are smaller and sheltered, with rocks to explore and great for children to play in the water - or Matosinhos, with a larger beach and a more open sea, very chosen to learn surfing. In all of them the water is cold! We are in the Atlantic: D
But when the goal is to picnic, the important thing is the beauty of the sea and the blue sky, clean sand to lie on and time to enjoy!
In the North there are the famous Nortadas, we suggest a windshield for the windiest days.
For the beach area you can take the 502 bus, which passes in front of Boavista Guest House or by Metro, which goes to Praia de Matosinhos.
5 - Jardim do Passeio Alegre - This garden is right next to the beach, where the Douro River ends and the sea begins, in the so-called Foz Velha. With a unique landscape, here you can relax before, p. ex. a beautiful walk to Ribeira. It is a garden that is in the childhood memories of the people of Porto... where parents took their children to see the fishermen or even to play mini golf. It is a small garden but not very touristy, so you will always have a little space waiting for you.
You can get there by bus number 500, from the Rotunda of Castelo do Queijo, from Matosinhos or even from Ribeira. Also from Boavista Guest House to Rotunda do Castelo on bus number 502 and then on foot, or changing to number 500. There is also tram number 1, which comes from Ribeira.
6 - Jardim do Morro - this garden is already on the other side of the bank, in Vila Nova de Gaia, but it is undoubtedly the one with the best view of all - the Ribeira (the entire Porto city can be seen from here) and its waterfall of typical houses, the most shared image of Porto! It is a garden that is at the top of the hill, next to the Serra do Pilar and the Luís I Bridge, hence the spectacular view. Relax as long as you like, but don't miss the sunset! It's beautiful, beautiful!
It has a picnic area, is in the historic area close to all the monuments and cellars of Port Wine and is super accessible - via the yellow Metro line.
From Boavista Guest House (metro station Carolina Michaelis) you can go on any metro line to Trindade and then change to the yellow line, which crosses the bridge and stops right next to Jardim do Morro.
And with these tips, we only want you to enjoy! Enjoy our picnic in this wonderful city that has so much to offer and remember our sunsets, our smell of nature and our more traditional flavors. I'm sure they will come back, because the #Porto “Faz das Tripas Coração” to mark whoever passes by!