Cultural wanderers in Porto and Lisbon

The following text was adapted from a response to an e-mail message dated September 2003 by an USA couple (musicians) that was about to visit Portugal and wanted to meet with the locals in Porto and Lisbon.

The English and Portuguese languages

English is very well understood and fairly well spoken by most city people between 15 and 50 years old, that should not be a problem for you unless you try with obviously "traditionally" looking folks or in villages. Do not forget to approach people with tact yet with naturalness, and you will see that everybody is most willing to help, conversation-enjoying and apt to convey a smooth character, indeed a well-deserved impression that lingers among foreign visitors after visiting the country.

Your knowledge of Portuguese will be of use probably for understanding signs, menus, etc., and else as an emergency with someone who can't understand English, but try not to use Spanish words as if you could not tell the difference, this can cool down the moods here.

Where to look for

I presume that you would like to sit down in cafés or bars and enjoy talking with bystanders. Porto and Lisbon are quite different one from the other in the type of place that you should look for. For example, the old café culture so well preserved in Porto is completely lost in Lisbon, but people in the capital are more cosmopolitan.

Porto

In Porto, the esplanades at both banks by the river Douro in late afternoon and evenings are the most cosmopolitan places. You should have your first try there, I am sure you will enjoy. Then, there are some places that are full of life and history, and during the university season it is even better as students give some extra life to these places (not knowing these is missing a very important slice of Porto):

My first choice is the so-called "Piolho", a café looking on the side of the Faculty of Sciences, near the Clerigos tower; its official name is "Âncora d'Ouro" and is supposed to be lively at all times everyday (closes on sundays, if I remember well). Give also a try at the cafés between the Praça D. João I and the Praça da Liberdade, and also at the pubs and bars on the seashore (in places known to the locals as "Foz" which means the mouth of the river and "Molhe" which I could translate as sea-break — check in your maps "Passeio Alegre" and "Avenida do Brasil", respectively). Finally, the "Capa Negra II" at Rua do Campo Alegre, a short walk West from Praça da Galiza and almost facing the Ipanema Hotel, has a nice atmosphere that could be right for talking with local people. There might be many other suggestions, but I am sure that this will make for a good start, and once you meet the people there you will get many more ideas to explore.

Two further notes:

Except for the left bank and the wine cellars, don't waste your time in Gaia, the city facing Porto from the South
You might not have to turn down a friendly invitation to come with someone to his/her home (most probably it won't happen, but the odds that it conceals a trap are extremely low in Porto -- while in Lisbon you should not trust strangers to that point, definitely).

Lisbon

Three main points of attraction, ordered by increasing interest: the Parque Expo on the extreme NE corner of the city, the "Docas" at Alcântara outlining a recreation harbour almost under the North-South "25 de Abril" bridge, and best of all the Bairro Alto neighbourhood, our version of Paris's Montmartre.

Safety

In Lisbon, do NOT go to Chelas at any time, and avoid Parque Eduardo VII and Monsanto at night. In Porto, the Sé neighbourhood (down from the Cathedral) used to be dangerous, but recently it appears that it was cleaned up. Do not take too many chances, anyway.

Portuguese people in the cities are not hostile to americans, quite the contrary, provided that the above-mentioned tact is not overlooked.

If you are interested in music, cultural events, literature, etc.

You can always take suggestions from the people you talk to, but a visit to the tourist information office at Praça dos Restauradores in Lisbon will be very helpful. Those people work very well. In case you have the opportunity of attending a concert at the Palácio de Queluz (ouside of Lisbon, a version of the Trianon castle at Versailles) or at the Seteais pallace (outside Sintra) you will love it for the location if not for the music!

In Lisbon, the Bairro Alto during the day should be very interesting for you. In Porto, you will have the greatest concentration of shops specialized in old books (we call them "alfarrabistas", pronounced alpha-rubbish-tush), some good ones are around the Rua das Oliveiras, by the Cedofeita-Carlos Alberto neighbourhood (north from the "Piolho").

Paulo de Oliveira