Lisbon and Oporto

[dizedean]

Hello Mates,

I am traveling for vacation to Lisbon and then by car to Oporto.

I am looking for recommendations for cigar culture, restaurants, fado establishments and anything must see while I am there.

It is my first time there. Spending 5 days in Lisbon, then two in Oporto and two in an AirBnB in the hills between Coimbra and Serra de Estrela.

Any suggestions and help is greatly appreciated.

 

Dean

[bpm32]

You just can’t go wrong in Lisbon. It’s a great place to wander around in without a destination or a plan. Portugal does have some funky tobacco laws though. If I remember correctly you can’t buy singles unless they’re tubos.

[ChrisMG]

For Cigars I would suggest the Casa Havaneza in Oporto and Cigar world inside the El Corte Ingles located in Gaia.

 

Oporto also has a large grocery store called “Continente”, which has a large selection of Wine and Liquor. Great prices too

 

While in Coimbra I would suggest trying the Leitao (Roast Pig) that area is known for it.

 

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. Ive done a lot of travelling in northern Portugal.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[TheMonk]

I'd say 5 days in Lisbon might be overkill, even if you're thinking of going to Sintra and such, and 2 days in Porto definitely not enough, specially if you're thinking of seeing the Douro - a pretty much unique wine landscape, and where the Port wine grapes come from. Porto is a much smaller town then Lisbon, but the city itself, as well as the people (and the food) are by far better IMO.

In terms of tobacco shops, your best bet is pretty much always the Casa Havaneza shops (3 in Lisbon and 1 in Porto), as they're the shops of the official importer of HSA in Portugal. As @ChrisMG said, there are also cigar shops inside the El Corte Ingles shopping malls, located in Gaia (the other side of the river from Porto) and Lisbon.

In terms of restaurants, there are loads and loads of them, as gastronomy really plays a huge part in Portuguese culture, as does wine. It really depends on what you're interested in trying. In Lisbon your best bet is probably seafood, usually better at the "Cervejarias" type restaurants, and in Porto definitely go for a more traditional gastronomy, which has to include the city's dish, Francesinha - a type of grilled meats sandwich with a spicy sauce.

Feel free to PM with any questions, happy to help.

[BrightonCorgi]

In Porto, check out the Fladgate hotel and stop in at PORTOLOGIA - La Maison des Port on 552, R. de São João 28.  Amazing selection of port wine by the glass and bottle.