Things to Do in Mercado Do Bolhão

Tasting your way through the ground-floor stalls

The fishmongers and charcuterie counters along the eastern arcade will slice you off a sample of presunto, smoked chouriço, or aged cheese if you look interested. Just ask politely. 'Um bocadinho, por favor' goes a long way. Pair a wedge of Serra da Estrela (runny, sheep's milk, slightly funky) with a hunk of broa and you've got a better lunch than most sit-down places nearby.

Lunch at one of the upstairs tascas

The first-floor mezzanine has a handful of small counter restaurants. They opened with the renovation. Pull up a stool. Order bacalhau à brás, polvo à lagareiro, or a francesinha for what feels like a bargain given the quality. The tile-and-iron sight lines down into the market floor below are part of the meal. You eat watching fishmongers hose down their counters.

Picking up picnic supplies for a Douro day trip

Heading up to the Douro Valley or out to Foz for a beach afternoon? Provision here. The market is the obvious stop. A wedge of cheese, some cured meat, a loaf of broa, a tin of conservas (the sardines in spiced olive oil from the conservas stall are worth the splurge), and a bottle of vinho verde. The whole haul costs less than a sit-down lunch in Ribeira.

Browsing the flower stalls and the upstairs ceramics

Tucked between the produce vendors, a few stalls sell the cobalt-and-white louça from Aveiro and Caldas da Rainha. Proper Portuguese ceramics at honest prices. Not the tourist-tier knockoffs you see in Ribeira souvenir shops. The flower vendors near the western entrance arrange tight bunches of cravos and proteas that locals carry home wrapped in newsprint.

The wine and port counters

Several stalls and the upstairs wine bar pour vinho verde, Douro reds, and tawny port by the glass, for the cost of a cappuccino in most European cities. The merchants here know their producers. Mention you like something on the dry side or fruit-forward and they'll pour you three things to taste before you commit.

Baixa. Walking distance to the market, full of restored 19th-century townhouses turned boutique hotels, the obvious base for first-time visitors.

Cedofeita. An arty neighbourhood just north, with indie galleries and good coffee shops, a 15-minute walk to Bolhão through interesting streets.

Ribeira. The postcard riverside quarter, atmospheric but loud at night, with a steep uphill walk back from the river.

Bonfim. A locals' neighbourhood east of the centre, where rents are still reasonable and the cafés haven't been priced into oblivion.

Foz do Douro. Where the river meets the Atlantic, beachy and quiet, better for a longer stay with a rental car or patience for the bus.

Vila Nova de Gaia. Across the river, port lodges and panoramic views back at central Porto, connected to Bolhão by metro in under 15 minutes.