profile

Learners and Makers

Coastal Porto is less crowded than Lisbon and leads to wine country

Published about 2 months ago • 2 min read

Hi from Anthony and Jodie! We are the Learners and Makers. Traveling the world full time since 2022, we empower families and people with mobility disabilities to travel confidently, their way.

We're about to go back to Europe, and that's got us thinking about our first visit to the grand ole continent in 2024.

Our first European country as a family was Portugal (followed by Spain and Italy). On a rainy November afternoon, we made our way to a comfy apartment across the street from a cafe that would introduce us to the classic Porto gut-buster sandwich experience: the Francesinha.

Coastal forts. Riverside promenades. Warm, fresh, sweet egg tarts. Not to mention, above all, delectable Portuguese wines—and easy-to-access tours of nearby wine country.

While our summer European adventures will be in the Baltic region from Finland to Poland, our time on the Iberian Peninsula got us on the ground with a deep appreciation for Europe. And Porto reinforced to us why we love second cities so much: less crowded, easier to get around, and an inherently slower pace.

​Porto, Portugal travel guide​

If you’re wondering about where to go in Porto, yes, Lisbon is incredible. But second city Porto deserves consideration as your first choice instead.

SPONSORED

​Make more than dumplings​

Laughing while trying to cinch up a soup dumpling with its 18 classic folds in Taiwan.
​

Wandering the grounds of a centuries-old hilltop winery in Portugal.
​

Enjoying the cookies we had just baked while gazing at an ancient medina in Morocco.
​

Many of our family’s favorite travel memories came from classes or small group tours.
​

As much as we love to travel independently, we typically book at least one class, tour, or other organized activity wherever we go. We can engage with our guide or teacher. By getting hands-on with a class or exploring an area with someone who knows it deeply, we gain so much more understanding from the activity at hand, and from the destination’s broader culture.
​

Whether a trip this summer or the travel you’re still dreaming of, Viator brings together activities from all over the world, for any interest and any traveler.

As for us? We have a long way to go on our dumpling folds. But our cooking class was a fun way to spend a rainy morning.

Thank you for using our links! Using our links supports our work, keeps us traveling, and helps us put together advice and stories for you.​
​

​

More about Porto

Visiting Porto with kids: 7 tips for families in Portugal’s second city

Yes, include a Douro River wine tour during your visit to Porto

5 reasons to tuk tuk Porto, Portugal

Thanks for reading! See you next time, and happy travels

Anthony & Jodie

P.S. Before you go, check off your trip to-do list here

✔︎ Stays Booking | VRBO | Expedia | Airbnb | Agoda | More

✔︎ Tours, activities & more Find experiences​

✔︎ Services & gear for your trips All our fave travel resources​

What travel questions or ideas are on your mind? Hit reply and let us know!

Learners and Makers

Travel every month

Cozy, family, nomad, and mobility travel tips, twice a month

Read more from Learners and Makers
Here’s how our family keeps our phones online all over the world

Hi from Anthony and Jodie! We are the Learners and Makers. Traveling the world full time since 2022, we empower families and people with mobility disabilities to travel confidently, their way. Hello from Poland! Our family is in Gdansk, on the Baltic Coast, the finale for our 2026 Baltic Summer. We’re still savoring the gnocchi-style potato dumplings, mushroom sauce, and seared wild boar from the walking food tour we took throughout the pedestrian Old Town last night. Spending more time in...

3 days ago • 3 min read
Public art abounds in Dublin, Ohio, like this like orange snail

Hi from Anthony and Jodie! We are the Learners and Makers. Traveling the world full time since 2022, we empower families and people with mobility disabilities to travel confidently, their way. Greetings from Warsaw, Poland! We are on the last legs of our Baltic Summer tour of Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland—but our thoughts this week are turning somewhere else. A couple of summers ago, we were seeking a place to break up a bigger road trip. With many plans afoot for Illinois,...

10 days ago • 2 min read
New friends, fresh mango smoothies, incredible coffee, and more await

Hi from Anthony and Jodie! We are the Learners and Makers. Traveling the world full time since 2022, we empower families and people with mobility disabilities to travel confidently, their way. When you travel full time, you also plan travel full time. That’s a reality we’ve gotten used to over the almost-four-years that we’ve been traveling as a family. Day trips, a sightseeing afternoon, a weekend away, where we might find a vacation rental for a month’s stay in a new-to-us country: that’s...

17 days ago • 2 min read