Porto

São Bento tiles, the Dom Luís bridge and Foz in forty-eight hours

Two days covers Porto's essentials. Spend day one on the old town: São Bento station's tiles, the Clérigos tower, the cathedral terrace, lunch at Ribeira and a port lodge tasting across the Dom Luís I bridge in Gaia. On day two, take a river cruise, ride tram 1 to Foz and eat grilled fish in Matosinhos.

Start at São Bento station to see the tiled hall, then climb the Clérigos tower before the queues build. Wander down to the cathedral terrace, which looks out over the rooftops, and on to the Palácio da Bolsa for its guided tour. Lunch on the Ribeira quays, then walk over the upper deck of the Dom Luís I bridge to Gaia for a lodge tour and tasting. Come back across the lower deck at dusk.

On day two, take a 50-minute river cruise under the bridges, then ride tram 1 out to Foz do Douro and walk the seafront. Finish with grilled fish in Matosinhos, reached on metro line A, but look around before you sit down.

A third day belongs to the Douro. Take the regional train from São Bento upriver to Régua or Pinhão, with terraced vineyards sliding past the window for much of the way, and come back in the evening.

Francesinha, tripas and Matosinhos charcoal grills

Order a francesinha, tripas à moda do Porto and grilled fish in Matosinhos. The francesinha is a steak, ham and sausage sandwich under melted cheese and beer-tomato sauce; tripe stewed with white beans dates the locals' tripeiros nickname to 1415. For a lighter lunch, Casa Guedes near Praça dos Poveiros sells slow-roast pork rolls.

The people of Porto are nicknamed tripeiros, tripe eaters, and the story runs back to 1415: the city gave its meat to provision the fleet sailing for Ceuta and kept the offal for itself. Tripas à moda do Porto, tripe stewed with white beans and chouriço, is still on many menus and better than its reputation. The city's modern emblem is the francesinha, a sandwich of steak, ham and sausage under melted cheese and a beer-and-tomato sauce, usually with chips. One is plenty.

For something lighter, the sandes de pernil (slow-roast pork in a roll, often with cheese) at Casa Guedes near Praça dos Poveiros is a lunchtime institution, and the restored Bolhão market in the Baixa is the place for fruit, cured ham and a glass of wine at the counters.

Many locals say the best fish is in Matosinhos, at the end of metro line A, where restaurants on Rua Heróis de França grill sardines, sea bass and squid over charcoal on the pavement. Compare a few before sitting down, as some charge for the décor. Finish across the river in Gaia, where the port lodges run tastings from white and ruby to aged tawny.

Rain, sun and the night of São João

Visit Porto in late spring or September, when highs reach about 20 to 24°C. Summer is mild, with July and August highs of 25 to 26°C, while November and December bring 172 and 181 mm of rain. In June the night of São João fills the streets with crowds and grills.

Porto is wetter than Lisbon by a long way. December averages about 181 mm of rain and November 172 mm, with highs of only 14 to 17°C, so winter visits need a proper umbrella and shoes that cope with wet granite. The payoff is empty lodges and quiet viewpoints. Summer is mild: July and August average highs of 25 to 26°C with around 20 to 33 mm of rain, and Atlantic sea mist sometimes rolls in over Foz in the morning.

Late spring and September are the sweet spots, with highs around 20 to 24°C and long evenings on the quays. October can be lovely but is also one of the wettest months, at about 158 mm.

The night of 23 June is Porto's great party. For São João, the whole city pours into the streets with plastic hammers to bop strangers on the head, leeks and garlic flowers to wave, and grills of sardines on every corner. Paper balloons float over the Douro, fireworks burst over the river at midnight, and many revellers walk on to the beach at Foz to watch the sunrise. Book a room months ahead.