Gaia to Praia da Sereia | Porto on Foot | Porto Basecamp | Portugal

Route:: Gaia → Jardim do Morro → Praia de Lavadores (Lavadores Beach) → Cafetaria do Mercado da Afurada (Afurada Market Cafeteria) → Praia da Sereia (Sereia Beach) → back the same way (stopped at Mercado Beira-Rio and Arco e Meio);
Steps:: ~23,000;
Distance:: ~18.4km;
Total ascent:: ~150m;
Time:: ~2 hours one way (without stops)

We set off at around 9am, starting near Jardim do Morro and heading down the staircase by Rua do Pilar. We walked past some Gaia landmarks, Sandeman Wine Cellars, Igreja Paroquial de Santa Marinha, and the WOW museum, then down towards the waterfront and out in the direction of Cabedelo do Douro and Praia de Lavadores.

It was a beautiful day. The walkway along the Douro is nicely done, and we even said we should come out running as a training routine. You can probably guess what happened. It never happened.

Ponte da Arrábida. Bridge view over the Douro from Gaia — Ponte da Arrábida, and the beautiful Douro.

We carried on walking, taking in the Douro, the bridges crossing it, and the general life happening across Porto. We just let our minds wander and took it all in.

We stopped at Cafetaria do Mercado da Afurada for a quick brunch. Between us, we had yoghurt with granola and fruit, toast with jam, a brioche croissant pressed hot with ham and cheese, a lemonade, and a cappuccino. The food was actually pretty good.

Brunch at Cafetaria do Mercado da Afurada — Cafetaria do Mercado da Afurada, yogurt, brioche croissant, lemonade, cappuccino.

The owner and the two ladies working there were lovely. One small thing we noticed was how the lemonade was served. She took a bottle of water, a lemon, and a bowl of sugar out of the fridge, made it fresh, served the lemonade, and then gave us the leftover water too. Next time, we would ask for no sugar.

After we had refuelled, we set off again. A bunch of birds flew past at one point, and then we hit the coastal stretch where the sea looks a bit rougher up close. The waves were smashing into the rocks. The path stays well paved all the way along, which makes the walk feel easy and relaxing. We stopped for a while and just watched the sea.

Praia de Lavadores. Rocky Atlantic coast on the walk to Praia da Sereia — Praia de Lavadores, the rocky Atlantic coast.

There were also loads of building works around the beach areas. It looked like the property market was still booming, or at least trying to.

Wide sands near Praia da Sereia — The wide sands of Praia da Sereia.

We turned around near Praia da Sereia and walked all the way back. On the return, we stopped at Mercado Beira-Rio for a couple of pints and a glass of green wine (Vinho Verde), then went to Arco e Meio for a pork sandwich (bifana) and a biscuit cake (bolo da bolacha). They were okay.

Mercado Beira-Rio in Gaia — Mercado Beira-Rio, food, drinks.

Arco e Meio in Gaia — Arco e Meio, classic pork sandwich (bifana) and biscuit cake (bolo da bolacha).

Then we headed home and cooked pork, feeling very pleased with ourselves.