4242 Views
Porto presents among the high rooftop bars in all of Portugal if not all of Europe. That is thanks partially to town being overloaded with breathtaking views of the Douro River in addition to architectural wonders just like the Dom Luis I Bridge and the Clérigos Tower.
But it’s not simply the incredible views that make the rooftop bars so engaging. The metropolis of Porto can be dwelling to most of the most interesting wine cellars in Western Europe. This has drawn oenophiles and grasp mixologists to the realm, who supply their elevated takes on traditional cocktails in Porto’s eating places and bars.
Should you’re planning a Porto meals stroll. I strongly recommend trying out a couple of of the next rooftop bars.
Our Guides’ Favourite Skyline Views
We’ve got climbed the hills of town to search out the terraces that provide probably the most trustworthy perspective of our terracotta rooftops. These bars have been chosen as a result of they pair distinctive views with a curated collection of native wines and spirits. We love these spots for his or her potential to offer a peaceable retreat above the bustling slender streets under. Guide a meals tour with us to study extra.
Douro Sky Lounge
Picture credit score: Glenda
The Douro Sky Lounge sits atop the Vincci Porto Lodge, providing up gorgeous river views with the Ponte da Arrábida within the background. It’s identified for being fashionable with locals in addition to vacationers.
The outside décor is an eclectic mixture of bar stools and couch lounges. With spots the place you may sit again to take pleasure in a quiet dialog with a pal or stand out in a busy throng of individuals.
The Douro Sky Lounge maintains a busy schedule with stay music and a number of other particular occasions. Together with watch events timed round huge match days.
They provide a tasty appetizer menu with loads of fascinating tapas, and elevated burgers. It’s an ideal place to get a lightweight chunk to eat or have a full meal whereas having fun with one in all their fastidiously crafted cocktails.
Once I was there, I ordered a refreshing Cattier Blanc sangria, made with white wine, triple sec, watermelon, and strawberry. Strawberries had been in season on the time, and it gave the sangria a beautiful summertime aroma.
Whereas it has an indoor part that is still open all 12 months lengthy, the outside terrace is the place to be from April to October.
Douro Sky Lounge (€€€) – Rua Alameda Basilio Teles, 29-33 Lodge Vincci Porto, Porto, Protugal 4150-127 – Open every single day from 1:00 PM to 11:30 PM.
Rooftop Flores
Picture credit score: Rooftop Flores
Rooftop Flores is the proper place to take pleasure in a delicate glass of wine or a spritzer after having fun with a day touring the Misericórdia Museum. It’s arguably not the type of place that’s going to attract a large crowd, which makes it fitted to slowly having fun with a glass of port wine as you ease into your night.
The ambiance is relaxed with natural components that mimic a rooftop backyard. The entire time you’re surrounded by a panoramic view of the guts of Porto, the Luís I Bridge, and the Porto Cathedral.
Rooftop Flores additionally has a comfortable inside space, which may come in useful if the climate takes a flip for the more severe. It’s accessible year-round, whereas the rooftop bar is often solely open from April to October.
The rooftop bar presents a wide array of Portuguese wines, port wine, and inventive cocktails that use fortified port wine as the bottom. I had a port wine spritzer that was surprisingly full of life. Its effervescence added a refreshing lightness to the wealthy, candy port, making it a crisp and invigorating drink.
The way in which the port is fortified with grape spirits kills the lively yeast earlier than fermentation is full, whereas additionally boosting the alcohol content material. The pure grape sugars left within the port carried over in a method that gave the spritzer extra sweetness and fuller physique than a spritzer constituted of an unfortified wine like French burgundy.
Rooftop Flores (€€€) – Rua da Vitória 177, 4050-634 Porto, Portugal – Open every single day from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM.
LIFT Rooftop By way of Catarina
Picture credit score: Marcelo Oliveira
The LIFT rooftop bar on the 14th ground of the By way of Catarina boasts among the biggest views of Porto. It’s an ideal place to chill out after a day of buying exploring the Bolhão Market, or By way of Catarina.
The al fresco ambiance feels somewhat bit such as you’re sitting in a fastidiously tended yard backyard. The lounge furnishings and tables are cleverly arrange round residing greenery in a method that’s open sufficient so that you can benefit from the view. But it nonetheless feels personal sufficient to have a heart-to-heart dialog with a detailed pal.
LIFT operates as a rooftop restaurant & bar throughout the heat months of the 12 months. Their menu focuses on mild meals with flavorful açaí bowls, cheese boards, and seasonal salads.
The mixologists at LIFT have a well-earned status for artistic cocktails and refined grownup drinks. I attempted a Hawkins cocktail that had a candy-like sweetness, but it wasn’t so candy that it was cloying.
LIFT Rooftop By way of Catarina (€€€) – Rua Santa Catarina 312 a 350 – 14 piso, Parque de Estacionamento, 4000-443 Porto – Open Monday to Thursday from midday to 11:00 PM. Open Friday and Saturday from midday to midnight. Open Sunday from midday to 10:00 PM.
VINUM Restaurant & Wine Bar
Picture credit score: VINUM
The VINUM restaurant & wine bar is a part of Graham’s Port Lodge which nonetheless maintains its nineteenth century wine cellars. So, I already knew it was an ideal alternative to strive a few of Portugal’s nice vintages. I additionally suppose Vinum’s rooftop bar space presents one of many extra charming terrace areas in Porto with among the most interesting river views of the Douro.
Vinum’s rooftop bar is surrounded by greenery and pure vegetation which provides it an natural really feel throughout the peak of summer time. The tables and lounges are thoughtfully arrayed with inexperienced areas and different décor components to offer a way of privateness.
I used to be impressed with their in depth wine record which has one thing to cater to any second or price range. Should you simply need to take the sting off a protracted day you may get a easy glass of port for as little as 5€. If you would like a very bespoke wine expertise you may get a Nineteen Forties Single Harvest Port.
I used to be there for one thing to tide me over till supper. I had a glass of Muscadet with some oysters from the Ria Formosa lagoon. The Muscadet had a brilliant acidity and minerality that completely complemented the briny taste and seaside aroma of the oysters.
Vinum (€€€) – Rua do Agro 141, 4400-003 Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto – Open every single day from midday to 1:00 AM.
The Auge Porto Palácio Lodge
Picture credit score: Auge
The Auge Lounge serves because the rooftop bar for the Porto Palácio Lodge. It’s additionally a restaurant, with a devoted high-end wine cellar which permits visitors to take pleasure in a glass of wine whereas having fun with views of the metropolis of Porto and the Douro River.
The Auge Lounge can be an extension of Chef André Silva’s Michelin-starred restaurant. Thus, permitting you to style some Portuguese delicacies within the metropolis.
Many of the bar space is enclosed by huge floor-to-ceiling home windows. This offers you the sensation of being outdoors, whereas nonetheless having fun with a climate-controlled atmosphere.
On nice days when the wind is low, they open the wood-decked terrace space. It’s an ideal place to chill out and have a cocktail whereas ready on your desk, or to take pleasure in an after-dinner glass of port wine.
Their in-house mixologist Pedro Paulo is understood for his signature cocktails that use fortified port wine as the bottom. Nonetheless, I selected a Lágrima White which is a considerably unusual fortified white port wine from the Douro Valley. The grape spirits gave it a lightweight floral part. The pure sugars within the wine had been completely candy, with out being too candy.
The Auge Porto Palácio Lodge (€€€€) – Av. da Boavista 1269, 4100-130 Porto, Portugal – Open every single day from midday to midnight.
Go-To Sundown Terraces
The golden hour in Porto is a transformative expertise, particularly when considered with a consultant drink in hand. We’ve got recognized the areas the place the sunshine hits the Douro River good, making a definitive northern ambiance. These choices supply a complicated but genuine option to finish your day of exploration. Guide a meals tour with us to study extra.
The Yeatman
Picture credit score: Yeatman
The Yeatman is arguably the preferred lodge and restaurant in Vila Nova de Gaia. It additionally hosts a bespoke rooftop bar with a status for providing luxurious wines from among the high wine cellars in Portugal. Whereas it’s meant to cater to the Yeatman’s visitors, individuals who aren’t staying on the lodge are welcome to benefit from the rooftop bar and restaurant.
The rooftop bar and outside pool space are usually open from April to October. Even within the colder months, there’s an indoor bar and lounge that provides the identical high-end wines, and cocktails.
I ordered a wood-aged classic port wine sourced from a Douro Valley winery. The fortified aguardiente brandy used to fortify the port gave it a sturdy physique and heady aroma. It put me completely within the temper to drink within the beautiful sundown on the finish of a protracted day.
The Yeatman (€€€€) – Rua do Choupelo, Vila Nova de Gaia, 4400-088, Portugal – Open Sunday to Thursday from 10:00 AM to Midnight. Open Friday and Saturday from 10:00 AM to 1:00 AM.
Chew Rooftop Gaia
Nestled within the Ribeira neighborhood of Porto, Chew Rooftop Gaia is my favourite rooftop bar for watching the sundown. It’s not a very talked-about bar, which makes it nice for getting away from all of the crowds.
The outside bar space is cozy, with pure crops that give every seating space somewhat little bit of a personal really feel. If you would like a late supper with a sundown view, you may order meals from the Chew Restaurant menu. Even when the formal kitchen is closed, the rooftop bar nonetheless presents an ideal collection of snacks. Most pair properly with their in-house collection of wines and curated cocktails.
The final time I used to be at Chew Rooftop Gaia, I timed it to have the ability to take pleasure in a drink on a transparent night to look at the sundown with a pal. We ordered a bottle of Carvalhais Encruzado from the Dão area of Portugal to sip and catch up.
The Encruzado grapes it’s constituted of gave the wine a brilliant citrus taste and acidity. It went completely with the salty, fragrant rosemary fries I ordered as a sundown snack.
Chew Rooftop Gaia (€€) – Rua De Cabo Simão 10, Vila Nova de Gaia 4430-033, Porto Portugal – Open every single day from 1:00 PM to 10:00 PM.
The Structure of the Ribeira
We discover that viewing Porto from above reveals the intricate puzzle of the Ribeira’s medieval structure and its transition into trendy occasions. Lots of the rooftop bars we advocate are located atop fastidiously restored historic buildings, mixing outdated stone with trendy consolation. You possibly can see the layers of historical past within the various heights and types of the chimneys and balconies seen from these heights. This angle helps you respect the preservation efforts required to maintain our metropolis’s UNESCO standing.
Sustainable Tourism at Top in Porto
We’re inspired by the rising variety of rooftop venues that use their platforms to advertise native environmental consciousness and zero-waste mixology. Lots of the bars we function keep away from single-use plastics and concentrate on seasonal fruit for his or her signature cocktails and infusions. This dedication to the atmosphere ensures that our metropolis’s magnificence stays protected for the following era of holiday makers. Supporting these accountable companies is a good way to benefit from the view with a transparent conscience.
Conclusion
There are some nice rooftop bars to think about including to your subsequent Porto meals tour. The Douro Sky Lounge is a good place to begin. You possibly can take pleasure in a cocktail, and perhaps even catch an enormous match day crowd to get you into the power of town.
Should you’re searching for one thing extra relaxed, the LIFT Rooftop By way of Catarina or the Chew Rooftop Gaia may be the proper rooftop bar to fit your tastes. Should you’re an oenophile, otherwise you’d identical to to discover the complete spectrum of Portuguese wine, VINUM restaurant & wine bar in Graham’s Port Lodge is a rooftop wine bar worthy of a go to.
