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Last week we spent February half term Exploring Porto with Kids. As a family of 5 we flew from Liverpool with Ryanair to Porto for only £220 (yes that price was for all of us) so it was a fabulously cheap thing to do for Half Term.
On our first day we had a fabulous private tour of Porto with Kids with Sara from Portoalities. Sara writes a blog Portoalities, and makes private tours in Porto and Northern Portugal. I found her whilst googling things to do in Porto with Kids and I am so very glad I did. If you decide to travel to Porto after reading this, or any of my upcoming posts, then I can highly recommend you get in touch with Sara to book a tour.
We loved this half day tour for a number of reasons but here are the main 5.
5 main reasons Sara made exploring Porto with Kids accessible
- Sara was warm and engaging and made the history of Porto accessible to the kids as well as to us.
- Sara helped to explain some of the basics of Porto history to us all which we were ashamed to say we knew little of.
- Sara took us to a lovely Portuguese restaurant for lunch we wouldn’t have found on our own.
- Sara gave us top tips for restaurants and cafes and also some Port tips!
- Sara gave us a valuable introduction in how to get around and how all the major sights fit in, it saved us a lot of time.
- Sara gave us top tips about what else to explore and where else to spend our time whilst in Porto!
So what did we do on the tour with Portolalities? How did we explore Porto with Kids?
We met Sara at the Cathedral of Porto where we were introduced to the history of Porto, why the Cathedral was built where is was, and told all about the secret medieval buildings surrounding it. We didn’t go into the Cathedral as part of the tour as Sara suggested we explore it at leisure at a later day and to make sure we explored the catacombs too.
From outside the Cathedral we made our way down towards the river through some winding streets to take in the view from one of the most beautiful viewpoints in the city. Whilst we were at this viewpoint Sara talked us through the rooftops and the skylights and the washing stations. It was fascinating and we would have missed this spot completely had we been on our own and certainly not appreciated the reasons behind some of the things we were seeing.
From there we made our way through windy streets and chatted about the old trades that would have sold their wares in the streets years ago. This meander took us back up towards Sao Bento train station with its more than 20,000 hand painted tiles and frescos. This time we did spend time inside and Sara patiently answered all the girls questions and chatted on different levels to them and my Mother in Law who loves history and art, all about the frescos and what they stood for. We loved this part of the trip and the girls even pointed out things Sara had shown us when we went back to the station later in the week to take a trip to Guimaraes (another recommendation from Sara).
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I like the idea of a private guide and a small family group. Also looking at all the out of the way places that you’d never find on your own! I’ve saved Sara’s website for another time.
Wow, I can’t believe flying to Porto was this cheap! I never even consider flights with my four, simply because I always assume it will be extortionate, so we always end up going somewhere I can drive to. Now the glass of Porto from Sara’s bag sounds just like what I’d love on a tour of the city 🙂
Sara sounds like an absolutely wonderful tour guide and what a great thing for you to be able to do as a family – £220 was a great price for flights. The best tour guides are always local people, because they’re able to show you all the special places that tourists might not necessarily find .
Aw Sara sounds absolutely lovely! It’s great to get insider knowledge when visiting somewhere you don’t know. How lucky that you came across her blog. (£220 for all of your is an absolute bargain btw!)
I think Portugal, in general, is a great destination to travel to with kids. It’s so versatile, yet so child-friendly, that you can simply explore the country without boring your children. I’ve seen more children-orientated guides pop up in bigger cities and I think it’s a gem! Good to know there’s a wonderful one in Porto too (I simply love that city).
#MondayEscapes
This sounds like a great way of getting to know the city #MondayEscapes
Porto is such a colorful city and looks like you had great time. Love the pictures, taking me right back to that beautiful place.
#MondayEscapes
It looks gorgeous and to have weather like that in feb is always lovely. I’m sure we’ll try to get there at some point – to be honest you had me convinced with Roasted Apple Ice Cream! #MondayEscapes
I love booking at tour guide it is a great way to see a city and you find out so much more that way s
Looks like you had a good time! Love the facade/houses shot! #mondayescapes
What a great time to get away for some sun, it looks lovely. We don’t have little kids but I do like the idea of a private guide to tailor a tour around your interests. A personal guide is not something I’ve ever thought of finding out about, such a good idea.
What brilliant value flights! Interesting to hear that your kids would have handled a full day tour, it’s hard to know how much they can take it so that’s good to know! #Mondayescapes
Looks like an amazing trip! And you got there for so cheap! #MondayEscapes
Looks like a great trip. Always good to add a new city to my wish list for city breaks with the kids. Love the idea of a local guide too as a way to engage the kids with the history and culture of a place. #MondayEscapes
Oh sounds like you had a grand old time! I think the guide you get can make the world of difference, huh? Porto looks so lovely though, guess that helps too lol! #Mondayescapes
Beautiful photos! I’ll be visiting Portugal for the first time in May and I’m so excited. Can’t believe what a great deal you got on airfare, that’s amazing!! #mondayescapes
I’ve heard a lot of positive things about Porto…and I can’t believe the bargain flight prices! We’re a large family and I rarely consider flying because of the price but you’ve inspired me to look off the typical tourist track for a bargain! #MondayEscapes
What a great holiday and a good find. Porto looks so wonderful. I would so love to visit Porto. Happy travelling.#mondayescapes
I’ve always wanted to go to Portugal, and I’m so jealous that it was so cheap for your whole family to head out there! Flying within Canada is ridiculously expensive – I wouldn’t be able to do that here! I would happily hop over to Portugal for the roasted apple ice cream!
I love the picture with Sara and the kids – they all look like they’re having fun. Porto looks so beautiful – those tiles!!! #mondayescapes
Loved looking at all your pictures! It really made me want to go to Porto!
Portugal is one of those countries I’ve desperately been wanting to get back to for more exploration (the last being over 10 years ago!). I’m not much for guided tours, but it’s true that a good guide can give you a much better context for what you see and let you in on some local secrets! #mondayescapes
What a great way to explore the city! It looks so vibrant and contrasting – a perfect playground. And that is a SERIOUSLY good bargain you got for half term – wowsers. #MondayEscapes
Wow! What a bargain family trip to such a beautiful destination! And it sounds like you had a fantastic tour guide… always best to see a place through a local’s eyes.
What a fab place to visit in February. The weather you had was certainly warmer than what we had in the UK!
Nice post.Thanks for the post.Keep sharing.
I loved following your trip – your photographs are so vibrant! I still can’t believe how cheap your flights were for a family of five! Porto looks beautiful 🙂