Portugal is a country that will immediately draw you in; a country so diverse with breathtaking and at times rugged landscape, stunning beaches, fascinating history, vibrant cities with lots of color and character, and beautiful wines of course.

I spent last week in the beautiful and dynamic Porto. Together with my son, I had an amazing time uncovering the MAGIC of Porto with help from the Living Tours company!

*** This tour company specializes in Portugal as well as Spain.

Living Tours was first recommended to me by the hotel I was staying at. When I looked into this company in more detail, I saw immediately that their reviews are good, consistent, and most importantly, genuine. They are responsive and engaging with their community, a big plus in my eyes.

Living Tours has a wide selection of tours, attractions, and activities available to visitors in multiple languages, I chose to do three tours.

Essential City Tour In Porto With Port Wine Tasting - Half Day

This wonderful city tour is the perfect introduction to Porto with an expert guide showing the city's must-see sites and most charming monuments. Some of the stops are the Cathedral of Porto, the famous Aliados Avenue that is surrounded by Art Nouveau and Art Deco façades, and the São Bento Railway Station to name a few. After that you will cross the iconic D. Luís I Bridge to Gaia.

Fun fact: Many visitors to Porto think that this iconic bridge was built by Gustav Eiffel responsible for the construction of the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower however, it is his disciple who built it!

On the other side of the Douro river, in Vila Nova de Gaia famous for the Port cellars, you have the opportunity to visit the Cockburn exclusive Port cellars where you get a fascinating guided tour and a tasting at the end. You will not believe the hard work, craftsmanship, and devotion that goes into the making of Port in this region.

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The second tour took us slightly outside of Porto ~

Aveiro & Costa Nova Private Tour With Moliceiro Cruise - Half day

This tour was a wonderful experience! It was fun and filled with surprises. Aveiro is about an hour's drive from Porto. It is also known as “The Venice of Portugal”, a charming and colorful city crossed by four canals. 

The highlights of this town are best seen from the water, while you explore the canals in a traditional Moliceiro boat (1-hour ride) you can see all the fabulous art nouveau buildings and bridges, and the salt mines!

The day ends in Costa Nova where you can chill and admire the stunning and colorful fishermen’s houses along the Costa Nova beach. What's unique about this town is that on the one side you have the river views and on the other, you have the ocean!

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Last but not least, our third tour had to do with football…

Estádio do Dragão ~ The stadium of FC Porto

This tour is for football lovers and everyone else!

By purchasing your tickets with Living Tours you won't just skip the lines for both the FC Porto stadium tour & museum, you will also have access to a priority service point so you don't wait in line to schedule your visit. Especially now with strict Corona rules in place.

FC Porto of one of the biggest clubs of the first Portuguese league, with a national and international history that I dare say leaves no one indifferent. The tour of the stadium was great especially going on the pitch and visiting the locker rooms of the home team.

The museum is done phenomenally! The atmosphere is just crazy, it's like you're living the glory of FC Porto with them through the years. WOW!

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In my experience LIVING TOURS tick all the boxes a tour operator should tick:

• They offer a great local experience.

• The guides are experts in the specific tours they are taking you on. They were like a fountain of information! They offered great tips throughout the day, anywhere from museums to restaurants to walking tours you can do yourself.

• They offer a regular departure schedule throughout the week so you can always find a way to fit it into your plans.

• The prices per tour or activity are fair offering good value for money.

• Their tours are well constructed with a good balance of private time in between, you are not rushing from place to place, it is well thought out down to the smallest of details.

• They keep the time frame, promptly picking you up and returning you to your hotel or another drop-off point you prefer.

Having the right guide will make or break your tour so you want your guide to be knowledgeable, interactive while also bringing fun & good vibes to the table. The perfect guide is someone who is a people's person through and through, such were the guides we've had.

Disclaimer: My tours were provided to me free for my honest, unbiased review. All opinions, words, and images are my own. I only work with quality brands I love and I think you’ll love it too! 

I hope you have a wonderful stay in Porto! You’re invited to share with me your experiences in Porto.

14 X Amazing Things To See And Do In Porto!

Don’t forget to follow me on social for more travel content, tips, and guides ~ @mytrendytrail

Yours,

Diti.