1 week ago
3
September 9, 2025 — 2:48pm
Most visitors to Porto come with a must-do list – visit a wine cellar, stroll across the Dom Luis Bridge, buy a painted tile. Instead, I’m walking up the steps of a former stock exchange, and despite zero interest in fiscal matters, I couldn’t be happier. In fact, I’m thrilled – dressed-to-the-nines thrilled – to be attending an exclusive event in what is now Porto’s premier cultural centre.
Having visited Vega de Terron, Pinhao and Regua, we’ve now arrived in Porto, the final stop on our nine-day Douro Delights river cruise aboard APT’s 114-passenger MS Estrela, launched in August 2024. Docked on Vila Nova de Gaia for two nights, we’ll sample many of Porto’s signature highlights (I’ll even pick up a tile or two), but we’ll also dig deep into food, architecture and traditional fado music.
Tonight’s fado performance at the Palacio da Bolsa (Stock Exchange Palace) is the second of the itinerary’s signature experiences, a glittering affair arranged just for our group.
The evening begins with a cocktail reception, followed by a private tour of the Palacio’s public spaces. From the glass-domed Hall of Nations to the office once used by Gustave Eiffel while overseeing the 1877 construction of the Maria Pia Bridge, this neoclassical palace is a reminder of Porto’s long history as a trading centre.
Once we are seated in the Arabian Room, the fado singer takes to the floor, her molten-red gown aglow under the Moorish-style lights. There is no swishing of skirts or clapping of hands, just a haunting song that speaks of love, loss and fate.
Between sets, she explains that in the more fiery Spanish flamenco, the message is clear – you left me, I will kill you. “In fado, we think differently. You left me, I will die.”
No such angst the next day, just the option of a cooking class or a port tasting at Taylor’s Wine Cellars. Afterwards, a walking tour leads us along cobbled laneways and past jewel-coloured houses to the waterfront. It’s late October, the summer heat has dropped, and the crowds have thinned, leaving space to explore freely. From the cable car we gain a new perspective. Over the red rooftops we fly, the rabelo boats below looking like wooden toys on a blue ribbon.
On my final afternoon, I set out on my own to visit Livraria Lello, a 119-year-old bookshop that is often touted as the most beautiful in the world. Due to its popularity, tickets must be pre-purchased for a particular time and date. To avoid the selfie-snapping crowds, I’ve splurged on an exclusive platinum ticket. For €50 ($90, redeemable on books) I’m granted access to the rare and precious collection housed in the concealed Gemma Room. To any book-lover, this is the equivalent of a Willy Wonka golden ticket.
I wander amid shelves lined with first editions – Moby Dick, Peter Pan, Oliver Twist and Pride and Prejudice – holding my breath as our white-gloved guide opens a signed copy of The Little Prince. The room has all the moody elegance of a wine cellar, except these are vintages of the literary kind.
When I finally emerge to the streets, I feel slightly disoriented, as if I’m no longer sure which century I’m in. Porto’s cobblestones and tiled facades enhance the illusion, even the locals – a matriarch tending plants on a balcony, an old man sitting in the sun reading the paper – are in on the act.
I pull up a seat at a small bar overlooking the Douro River and order a crisp vinho verde, just as the soulful strains of fado drift from an upstairs window. It’s a fitting end to a spectacular journey, where every day has brought me closer to the lifeblood of this majestic river.
The details
Cruise
APT’s nine-day Douro Delights tour from Madrid to Porto (also operates in reverse) costs from $7295 a person (flights not included). The itinerary is inclusive of one night’s land accommodation and seven nights onboard the MS Estrela. Meals, a wide range of onboard beverages, Wi-Fi, sightseeing tours and experiences are all included. See aptouring.com
Fly
Etihad Airways operates daily flights out of Australia, connecting through Abu Dhabi to Madrid and other European cities. See etihad.com
The writer was a guest of APT.
For more on cruising the Douro, watch Getaway on 9Now.
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