Porto Travel Forum

Can someone tell,if this is at hard place?We have allready booked one hotel,but it seems that this is just renovated,has swimmingpool and balconys at rooms,witc our hotel doesnīt.This has also better reviews,but some people say itīs not so centre.It seems to be in centre to me!Were is area,where most people eat out late?Is it Ribera?Our near the river overall?

http://www.booking.com/hotel/pt/sao-jose-porto.html?aid=304142;sid=3f22940de433347a34fffe30f97c7ce4;checkin=2009-06-27;checkout=2009-07-03

The booking.com site has a map link, which shows you where the hotel is in relation to the river.

But if you want a zoomable map just put 'Hotel São José' into google, click then click on the blue 'maps' link top left of the google page. You can then see exactly where it is in relation to everything else.

I know where it is the map.I mean the area.I mean is it very hard way up to hotel(some reviews said itīs"uphill").

I see.

Hi, this hotel looks fine - I see it's near to the metro station and Market. Walking from the river and Ribeira, it is uphill, but it's ok. There are some steep roads in Porto (and uneven pavements)but unless you have mobility problems or breathing problems that restrict you, you should be OK.

Near to your hotel is Las Caterinas, which is one of Portos main shopping streets, so is quite lively on Saturdays- there's a nice old fashioned cafe -called the Majestic, which I went to for a pot of tea and a pastry.
The Bolhao Market is quite an interesting place to wander around. Opposite the market is one of Portos many churches that are covered in the distinctive blue and white tiles.
Ribeiro seemed to be the main place for eating and drinking. Beware of the couvert when eating out in Portugal - the waiter will bring a tray of 'appetisers' These aren't complimentary-you pay for each item you eat. Also the portions in restaurants in Porto were huge!
If you check out my Porto page you can see more about restaurants, things to do etc.
Have a Great trip, and feel free to contact me for more info.
Best Wishes,
Sue

Hello Turska,

We were in Porto just 3 weeks ago, so I still have a good idea of distances.

I just had a look at the location of your hotel and I think that it is totally fine. A walk to Ribeira will probably take about 20 Minutes. Yes, Ribeira is the area where most tourist go for dinner. And yes, your hotel is probably a bit uphill from there, but don't worry, almost everything is uphill from Ribeira, except you will be sleeping on the ground of the river. Porto is a really steep and big town, so be prepared to walk uphill.

As an option it has excellent and cheap public transportation and even a funiculr to get from the lower part of the town to tho upper part of the town.

I hope this helps

HORSCHECK

Porto is an 'hilly town'
According with
http://www.venere.com/hotels/porto/hotel-sao-jose/#
distances are:
From the nearest metro stop: 70 meters/229 feet.
From the Campanha train station: 2.5 km/1.5 miles.
From the Porto wine cellars: 3 km/1.8 miles.
From the nearest beach: 12 km/7.4 miles.
From the Exponor fairgrounds: 15 km/9.3 miles.
From the Francisco Sá Carneiro International Airport: 15 km/9.3 miles.

that's Venere so you can compare prices.

Thanks for you all!I changed the hotel to this one and canceled the one I had booked two months agoI belive you all,when you say itīs not that hard to get.
I have used Venere a lot,but this time Booking had better price.I really love swimming,but I donīt like beaches,so I was allready wondering,if there is some public pool-now we have a hotel with a pool.It is inside,but anyway.We just go to swim for some time,and then back to wondering on the streets.And donīt need to worry about the cameras and phones,when we can leave them in the room.
I have been reading Porto and Lisbon tips from January,but maybe Iīll check some more.Now I must start checking openingtomes of museums and so on.I have only very little time to do this before we leave.
Is that market open daily?We will stay from saturday to friday.(then we go to Lisbon)
We also found out that there is a carrental at our hotel.We thought not to rent a car,but this would be so easy from the hotel itself,that who knows,if one day only.

Which was the original hotel you booked? Was it Residencial Seculo? I think we discussed about this some weeks ago and it was the place where we stayed.


HORSCHECK

No,it was recidencial universal.We will still go there for the last night-after we come back from Lisbon.We didnīt change it,because it was 7e cheaper,and we will anyway leave around 5 a.m.,so itīs pretty much the same,where we sleep.And it also had good connections to airport.

The location is fine, no doubt about it