One of the most beautiful and ideal holiday destinations is of course Portugal, a splendind and warm place to enjoy unforgettable moments with your dear ones, a country rich in history and traditions, which will definitely amaze you.

The beloved holiday traditions of Portugal always include time with loved ones. But even if your family is far away – as so often happens in expat life – the country is definitely filled with the Christmas spirit.
Embrace a few Portuguese Christmas traditions, and definitely get out to see some of the holiday events around the country. You’ll start to feel more at home in no time!

Porto builds a massive Christmas tree in front of the Câmara Municipal (city hall) at the top of Avenida dos Aliados. The tree is one of the biggest in Europe, although it’s not a real tree but rather a towering assembly of scaffolding and tubes illuminated with strands of dazzling lights.
Every year, the circus comes to the Coliseu do Porto to delight the city’s inhabitants. This is an annual Christmas event.

Celebrated on December 8th, the Immaculate Conception Day, a national holiday in Portugal, it’s the official start of the Christmas season and it represents the honour of Mary, mother of Jesus. It’s after Immaculate Conception Day that Portuguese start setting up their presépios (nativity scenes), along with Christmas trees and other familiar Christmas decor.

The weeks leading up to Christmas, the main present traditions all over Portugal is the Presépio.
While Christmas trees are fairly common now, they haven’t been the fundamental Christmas decoration that they are in the US or UK. Instead, just about every house in Portugal displays a traditional presépio.
The presépio is the centerpiece of holiday decorations in Portugal, a family’s presépio being often lovingly handed down from generation to generation.
Kids in Portugal often get into the Christmas spirit by collecting moss or small stones to help decorate their family’s manger scene and lots of towns in Portugal create live nativity scenes, with people in costume (and animals) recreating the Christmas story for an adoring public.

Portuguese families gather on the night of December 24th for dinner, where Consoada is the traditional Portuguese dinner on Christmas Eve. Nearly every house will feature Portugal’s national dish, bacalhãu (dried, salted cod), as part of Consoada. Bacalhãu de Consoada is a relatively simple recipe of cod with cabbage, potatoes, boiled eggs, and a hearty amount of olive oil.

After December 24th dinner, it is customary to attend a midnight mass called ”Missa do Galo”, celebrated at midnight to mark the birth of Jesus Christ. It’s still one of the most important traditions of this season celebrations. After Mass, the tradition is to return home, place the image of the baby Jesus in the crib and begin the exchange of Christmas gifts.

On December 25th, the tradition is to have stuffed turkey. For dessert, you can not miss the ”Bolo Rei” (King Cake), and other traditional pastries such as ”Filhós”, ”Sonhos” (dreams) and Rabanadas (french toasts).
The King cake is present on every table at Christmas and symbolizes the gifts offered by the Magi to the Baby Jesus. The crust symbolizes the gold, the dried and crystallized fruits the myrrh and the aroma of the cake the incense.
Each cake has a dry fava bean inside. According to tradition, the person who got the slice of cake with the fava bean has to pay the cake the following year.

Enjoy the most beautiful holidays of the year in Porto, always counting on Porto Airport Transfer, surrounded by special moments with your family and friends and unforgettable memories!

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Porto is a historic city, with a beautiful uniqueness and special spirit, which carries business and trade written into its very name. The centre is a World Heritage site, and you’ll be struck by its richness and variety. There are medieval walls, gleaming Baroque churches, the compact streets of the Ribeira district, the Romanesque Cathedral and that’s just the beginning.
There are a lot of things to do in this beautiful fascinating city and definitely lots of amazing places to see and to spend a good time with your dear ones.

The art and culture lovers will definitely spend a wonderful and quality time while visiting the Serralves Museum. Serralves Museum is the foremost museum for contemporary art in Portugal, uniquely sited in the grounds of the Serralves Estate, which also comprises a Park and a Villa. Admire the Art Deco architecture of the museum and appreciate the remarkable collection of contemporary art with the Museum & Park entrance ticket. Then take a stroll in the gardens, see exotic plants and a diversity of trees.

The Nacional Museum Soares dos Reis, the former Museu Portuense and Portugal’s first art museum, was founded in 1833 when Pedro IV decided to establish a Museum of Painting and Prints in Oporto. A lot of these pieces are still on display, while much of the earlier art was taken from followers of the deposed King Miguel I. It is named for António Soares dos Reis, a 19th century sculptor from Vila Nova de Gaia on the south bank of the Douro. There are a few pieces by Soares dos Reis here as well as other vaunted Portuguese painters and sculptors like Silva Porto, Vieira Portuense, Domingos Sequeira and Miguel Ângelo Lupi.

Here in Porto you can phisically touch the romantic nostalgy of the golden old times while visiting the Romantic Museum. The Romantic Museum recreates a nineteenth-century aristocratic house. Its interior has a special charm with its rooms beautifully decorated with painting and antiques. The Museum is housed in a striking mansion, where Charles Albert of Sardinia found refuge after abdicating when he was defeated by the Imperial Austrian army. He spent the last year of his life here until he died in 1849 of tuberculosis. The rooms that visitors explore during a visit of the Romantic Museum have been redecorated in his memory.

You can continue your descovering of the city’s charm by visiting Livraria Lello, an absolutely breathtaking bookstore, one of the most emblematic bookstores in the country — and the world. It is right in the center of Porto and is part of its historical heritage.
The impressive neogothic architecture transforms this historical building in one of the most popular places in town, serving as well as a source of inspiration for those with a vivid and lush imagination. If you are a fan of the Harry Potter saga, know that this bookstore served as an inspiring setting for the author J.K. Rolling, who lived in Porto.

There are only four places in the world where the public can climb the arch of a bridge and Porto is one of them! In 1963, the Arrábida Bridge was the largest concrete arch in the world.
Since 2016, this arch has become the only one in Europe opened to visitors. It is a unique opportunity to have access to this amazing place. In the company of a guide and with all the safety equipment, even those who are dizzy can climb one of the most iconic buildings in Porto.
At the top, 65 meters above the river, you will find a quiet and relaxing place where you can enjoy unique views … and a delicious surprise!

Enjoy these remarkable places, always counting on Porto Airport Transfers!

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There are a lot of things to do in this beautiful fascinating city and definitely lots of amazing places to see and to spend a good time with your dear ones.

Of course, the best way to start your day is to have a delicious breakfast at the one and only “ O Diplomata” where you can enjoy the best pancakes in town.
It’s one of the busiest places in Porto’s Baixa due to its excellent tasty pancakes, which will sweeten your day and your heart. Apart from being tall, fluffy and extremely savory, the customers can choose the batter of his choice. What’s gonna be: simple, chocolate, oatmeal, vegan, blueberry or Oreo cookie batter? Only you can choose once you decide to try this place out.

You can continue your day visiting the city and you definitely can’t miss Livraria Lello, an absolutely breathtaking bookstore, one of the most emblematic bookstores in the country — and the world. It is right in the center of Porto and is part of its historical heritage.
The impressive neogothic architecture transforms this historical building in one of the most popular places in town, serving as well as a source of inspiration for those with a vivid and lush imagination. If you are a fan of the Harry Potter saga, know that this bookstore served as an inspiring setting for the author J.K. Rolling, who lived in Porto.

You have to see and enjoy the wonderful landscape of the city from the top of the grandiose bridge Dom Luis I, one of the most iconic structures in Portugal. An industrial symbol for Porto, this twin-level metal arched bridge opened in 1886. It was conceived by the German engineer Théophile Seyrig who co-founded the Eiffel Company.
Pedestrians can walk across using the narrow pavements set either side of the road, or be really brave and traverse the structure using the 60-meter-high top-tier footpath.

You can continue you day gathering your friends at the Virtudes Garden, developed on a series of steps, which houses the largest Ginkgo Biloba in Portugal, a tree with about 35 meters. Usually, the locals gather in this garden, one of the most sought after in Invicta, for a good time among friends. Come and join people of all ages, playing musical instruments and admiring one of the most beautiful views of the river Douro.

You can end the most interesting day in the most interesting way by enjoying a cold beer at Bonaparte Downtown, one of the most popular and busiest bars in Baixa.
Due to the low light, the antique-furnished walls and the excellent drinks, this is the ideal palce to spend your evening with friends, watching football games, having some snacks and having a good time. If you are a beer lover, there are international beers, such as Erdinger (German) and Guinness (Irish) and there is also a varied whiskey and cocktails menu.

Porto is amazing, isn’t it? You can spend all day long visiting this charming city and not getting bored or tired because it’s quite impossible.
Spend your holidays enjoying the best things and visiting the most vibrating places, always counting on Porto Airport Transfer for easy and safe transfers.

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