Best Time to Visit Porto

April to June, September to October

Months to avoid: July to August (hottest, most crowded, hotel prices peak, Ribeira becomes a bottleneck)

Recommended stay: 3-5 days

Plan Porto for April to June, September to October. Give it 3-5 days. The window to avoid is July to August (hottest, most crowded, hotel prices peak, Ribeira becomes a bottleneck).

What the season gets you

• A full tasting flight at a Gaia wine lodge. Taylor Fladgate or Ramos Pinto, runs €12-18 ($13-20) and includes three ports poured by someone who actually knows what they're talking about
• Francesinha at Café Santiago: a meat-and-egg sandwich drowned in spiced tomato-beer sauce that makes no nutritional sense and tastes extraordinary, €12 ($13) and you won't eat again for hours
• The Douro Valley by train from São Bento station, one of Europe's better rail journeys, two hours each way through terraced vineyards above the river