YES Meeting takes place in the city of Porto, elected Best European Destination of 2012, 2014 and 2017 and World's Leading City Break Destination of 2020, 2021 and 2022 and Europe's Leading City Break Destination 2023!! With an Historic center listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996, this city is characterized by its medieval Dom Luis I Bridge (designed by Gustave Eiffel and Teófilo Seyrig), wine and views among so many innumerable others.
The Douro River is an intrinsic part of its scenery, separating it from Vila Nova de Gaia. Port Wine, one of Portugal's internationally famous exports, is named after this city and stored in the cellars across the river. All this wealth of monumental and artistic heritage, open-air leisure spaces and cultural life give this city its known vivacity and joy.
YES Meeting takes place in the city of Porto, elected Best European Destination of 2012, 2014 and 2017! With an Historic centre listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996, this city is characterized by its medieval Dom Luis I Bridge (designed by Gustave Eiffel and Teófilo Seyrig), wine and views among so many innumerable others.
The Douro River is an intrinsic part of its scenery, separating it from Vila Nova de Gaia. Port Wine, one of Portugal's internationally famous exports, is named after this city and stored in the cellars across the river. All this wealth of monumental and artistic heritage, open-air leisure spaces and cultural life give this city its known vivacity and joy.
The 19th YES Meeting has partnered with several companies to provide our participants with the best transportation, making your travel experience truly memorable while you stay in Porto!
Fly with TAP Air Portugal, the 19th YES Meeting’s Official Carrier! We offer you a 10% discount if you book and buy their ticket exclusively through their website.
We have also compiled important information regarding visa acquisition and the Portuguese consular network abroad. If you have any doubts about how to apply for a visa, the required documentation, or which embassy is responsible for issuing your visa, you can find all this information in our Travel Kit.
This is one of the most remarkable traditional festivals in Europe.
During the 23rd and the 24th of June, a feeling of constant festivity invades Porto and brings together thousands of locals, tourists and visitors ready to celebrate!
This academic tradition is a festive week which takes place every year during May.
The Academic Procession is one of the highlights of Queima das Fitas and it has also become a real tourist attraction. The finalists carry a top hat, a cane and a briefcase with ribbons; all in the colour of the course they are attending. They parade through the streets, along with other colleagues costumed with gown or the t-shirts of the study programme. All courses have their thematic allegorical car.
This is one of the most remarkable traditional festivals in Europe.
During the 23rd and the 24th of June, a feeling of constant festivity invades Porto and brings together thousands of locals, tourists and visitors ready to celebrate!
This academic tradition is a festive week which takes place every year during May.
The Academic Procession is one of the highlights of Queima das Fitas and it has also become a real tourist attraction. The finalists carry a top hat, a cane and a briefcase with ribbons; all in the colour of the course they are attending. They parade through the streets, along with other colleagues costumed with gown or the t-shirts of the study programme. All courses have their thematic allegorical car.
In Porto you can try the best of the country's traditional cuisine. There is a clear emphasis on the seafood and fish specialties and locals have developed a genuine cult of tripe stew, which gave them the justified nickname of "tripe eaters".
Francesinha (meaning Little French) is a Portuguese sandwich, original from Porto. It is made with bread, wet-cured ham, linguiça, fresh sausage like chipolata and steak or roast meat. Besides, it is covered with melted cheese and a hot thick tomato and beer sauce, with french fries on the side.
Francesinha
It is a very popular dish in Porto and is associated with the city, although it can be found elsewhere in Portugal. Downtown you can try Francesinha at Café Santiago, Cervejaria Brasão, Bufete Fase, Al Forno, Lado B and Yuko.Académico Café and Tappas Caffé are close to FMUP (and Hospital S.João). However, if you'd rather eat near Ribeira, there are nice restaurants such as Ar d'Rio.
Tripas is an icon of the local cuisine. It consists of a stew or soup made of tripe and sundry other ingredients (vegetables – beans in particular – sausages, spices).This dish gives its name to the inhabitants of this city (Tripeiros) and it has a long history. The most popular reports that, at the time of the Discoveries, Infante D. Henrique, ‘the Navigator’, who was born Oporto, will have asked the people for help to get enough food to supply their caravels. In response, the people got together and gave all the meat they had so that they could leave for the conquest of Ceuta, leaving only the animal guts. With what was left, they made a dish that is history and is a must in the menus of local restaurants.
Tripa
If you are wondering where you could try this historic dish, we suggest you go to Casa Inês, A Cozinha do Manel, O Pombeiro or O Gaveto.
Cod fish is ever-present on locals' tables. Bacalhau is a specialty consisting basically of dried salted cod fish, and the authenticity of the dish is guaranteed by the centuries-old traditional recipes.
Cod
You will find countless recipes using cod fish, you just have to find your favourite! Cozinha do Manel and Abadia do Porto are some of the restaurants where you can start!
Codfish Cakes
Pastéis de Bacalhau or codfish cakes are a popular appetizer at many snack-bars and restaurants here in Portugal. They are popular for good reason, a deep fried combination of potatoes and cod that can be eaten at any time of day.
Jesuítas Jesuítas are delicious puff pastries in triangular shapes that are filled with egg jam and have a meringue topping, super crispy and tasty!
Jesuítas
Although there is no consensus on its origin, the most consistent theory places it in the centennial Confeitaria Moura which continues to manufacture the most famous Jesuítas in the country, and which has the original patented recipe. The story says that the delicacy was created in 1892 by a Spanish pastry chef, who had been hired by the said pastry shop, and that he named it this way in honor of the monks for whom he had worked in Bilbao.
Pastel de Nata Everything about a Pastel de Nata is absolutely perfect: the rich, creamy custard and the buttery, flaky pastry which stays firm on the bottom.
Pastel de Nata
Although Pastéis de Nata have its origin in Lisbon, there’s many places in Porto where you can try them, such as Manteigaria, Fábrica do Pastel de Nata, Castro, Natas D’Ouro, Confeitaria do Bolhão and many more!
If you’re coming to Porto in the near future, here are a few things that you really should visit in order to live the best out of this city.
Here you have our favorites viewpoints in the city, we advise you to grab your friends and maybe a camera to enjoy these amazing views over the city.
You can’t visit Porto without exploring Foz, one of the most intriguing areas in Porto’s bounds where the Douro river enters the Atlantic Ocean. The area is famous for having gorgeous beaches, good restaurants and diverse architecture.
Locals will tell you that everyone in Porto should watch the sunset at Jardim do Morro at least once in their lifetime. The truth is the garden is great at any time of the day thanks to its nature and view where you can admire the riverside area of Porto and Gaia, the colorful houses in Ribeira and marvel over Luís I Bridge. Getting there on foot by crossing the upper deck of this bridge is an experience almost as gratifying as lying on the garden’s slopes. You can also climb to Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar, from where you can cherish the same fascinating view from a different angle and take the most beautiful pictures.
Porto is reduced to postcard format at the “Miradouro da Vitória”, perched high and mighty above a mosaic of terracotta rooftops that tumble down to the Douro river. From this superb viewpoint you can see Gaia, the wine cellars, Dom Luis I bridge, the convent, the large glass dome of the Palácio da Bolsa, Sé Catedral and, by night, all the house lights (which light up house staircases). Basically, all of Porto’s life in one fell swoop
This is a really cool green spot, perfect to relax and enjoy the view over the Douro River and the grand Alfândega do Porto building. It is the perfect escape from the fuss of the city, located in its center, where you can be amused either by someone playing the guitar or by reading a book at the sunset or simply having a drink with your peers. From here you can enjoy a privileged insight into the entire Jardim das Virtudes and the picturesque rooftops of Portuguese houses built down the hill. Just let yourself get lost in this view as there is so much to behold, while enjoying your complimentary drink.
If you are looking for great views and pleasant gardens for an afternoon stroll, then these gardens are your cup of tea. Situated on a bluff overlooking the Douro River, not too far from Porto’s historic centre, these gardens offer a break from urban life.
Along with Sé, Ribeira is one of the oldest neighbourhoods of Porto. Here you will have the sense that Porto is a city of layers. Crammed with cobbled streets and balconies adorned with flowerpots, an ideal day in Porto combines both the grandeur of its history and its very up-to-the-minute cool.
If you want to spend a pleasant afternoon, Porto is the ideal city for that, with an endless list of activities you can do. Here are some examples, all you have to do is choose the one most suited for you!
Do you dare to enter Alice’s World? This adventure takes place along a night path. With various luminous sculptures, holograms and visual effects with lights and lasers that highlight some of the garden’s botanical species.
Casa da Música is one of the most popular buildings in Porto, and it’s known for its wide variety of concerts and cultural events that it hosts. Here, not only will you get a cultural shot, but also will be able to experience the unique atmosphere that this building has inside. You sure can’t miss it, right?
It’s a sustainable mean of transport, connecting Gaia riverside promenade to the upper deck of D. Luis I bridge over river Douro nearby Jardim do Morro Metro station and the belvedere of Serra do Pilar convent church. Along the Douro river, Porto pops up as the cablecar rises up. Passengers can enjoy narrow lanes and staircases zigzagging to nowhere as well as Gaia's rustic red roofs of the emblematic wine cellars.
How far would you go to enjoy the best secret view of Porto?
If you dare standing 65 meters above the Douro’s river, this is the programme for you. At Porto Bridge Climb, you can climb to the arch of Arrábida’s Bridge, the last of the bridges before the Douro river meets the sea, connecting Gaia and Porto. From the top, you can gaze across the old city on one side and the river mouth and ocean on the other and savor a delicious surprise.
It is also the only bridge in Europe where the arch can be visited - and worldwide there are only three more! You don´t want to miss this chance!
While staying in Porto, you can not miss what this amazing city has to offer you when the lights go out! If you feel like enjoying a glass of wine in good company, under the contagious spirit of Porto and dancing between bars these are the places you're looking for: Galeria de Paris Bar and Restaurant, Moreclub, Alma Porto, Adega Leonor, Café Piolho D'Ouro, Maus Hábitos, Plano B, Base Porto, Porto Tónico or Flow Restaurant & Bar. If you rather be dancing your heart out in a club, try Boîte, Boulevard Porto, Eskada Porto, Via Rápida or Pitch Club. You should first check on the internet the parties scheduled for each place!
