Feng Shui Consultant in Porto. Feng Shui of Porto, Portugal

Feng shui consultant in Porto

I’m visiting Porto, Portugal, for the first time, and I’m most curious about the feng shui of this city. Porto is Portugal’s second-biggest city. My feng shui highlights are the bridges with spectacular vistas, the most beautiful bookshop in the world, fat sandwiches, pastries and some amazing views of Porto, as well as the wealth of ancient churches and contemporary museums. Portugal actually took its name from Porto, which was given by the Romans, meaning Porto’s cow.

Bridges – connections

There are six major bridges in Porto over the river Douro, and that’s why Porto is sometimes called ‘the city of six bridges’. Porto is frequently referred to as Cidade das Pontes (City of the Bridges). Other Porto’s nicknames are ‘Cidade Invicta’ (Unconquered/ Invincible City) and ‘Capital do Norte’ (Capital of the North).

The most famous bridge, the Dom Luis I Bridge, was built in 1886 by a disciple of the famous Gustave Eiffel.

The Ponte Arrabida is the only bridge in Europe which you can legally climb (262 steps to climb – 65 metres above the river at its highest point). It was designed by the renowned Portuguese engineer Edgar Cardoso as the largest concrete arch bridge in the world at the time of construction (between 1953 and 1963). The bridge offers a spectacular view of Porto and the sea when the mist isn’t too thick.

The most beautiful bookshop in the world is in Porto, Portugal – the inspiration behind Harry Potter

Porto is home to one of the oldest and most beautiful bookshops (once ranked by the Guardian as the most beautiful in the world), Livraria Lello, designed by architect Francisco Xavier Esteves. Charging 10 euros for the entry to a bookshop might sound extravagant, but that doesn’t deter 5000 visitors a day – some of them come primed for Harry Potter. JK Rowling lived in Porto for a bit and was inspired by the architecture of the bookshop, which is evident in her bestselling Harry Potter books (see Hogwarts). A very beautiful staircase is made of the first concrete that was used in Portugal in 1906. (The biggest bookshop in Europe is in London – Waterstones in Piccadilly.) JK Rowling wrote, “I fell in love with Porto, and I love it still. I was enchanted by Porto, the melancholy folk music that reflects the Portuguese themselves, who, in my experience, had a quietness and gentleness unique among Latin peoples I’d encountered so far. The city’s spectacular bridges, its vertiginous river-banks, steep with ancient buildings, the old port houses, and the wide squares. I was entranced by them all.”

If you like Livraria Lello, you may like another famous bookshop that is in Paris, called Shakespeare and Company – which has unusually good feng shui.

If charging for the entry to a bookshop sounds unusual – they could glue all the books to the shelves – how about one of the oldest stationery shops that was turned into a hotel (Hotel A.S. 1829). Porto has some unusual, quirky habits.

Travelling in Porto – energy flow

Porto is a small place, and walking is probably the best way to see this recognised global city (besides Lisbon). You can also hire an electric bike or scooter (Monkey Rider) if you’re brave enough to face the cobble roads. The medieval part of Porto is charming and full of nice restaurants.

You’ve seen the Tube in London, the Metro in Paris or the Subway in New York, but Porto’s metro is something else. The stations are really big and come in two varieties – modern (Faria Guimarães) and a kind of old/vintage (19th-century São Bento).

The train stations

São Bento station was built on the site of the former Benedictine monastery.  It was inaugurated in 1916, and it took 11 years to build. The interior is beautifully decorated with scenes from Portuguese history painted by Jorge Calaco. The second train station, Campanh, is where you get off if you want to take a two-hour train to Lisbon.

A holistic and panoramic view of Porto

Clerigos Tower is the highest point in Porto and the 3rd-most-visited monument in Portugal. I love to start my visit to any new city with an overview, just to get my bearings and build a mental map so I can orient myself when visiting different parts. From the tower, you can see the square where the statue of the king, also known as ‘The Soldier King’, stands. He was king for only two months, reigning from March 1826 to May 1826.

There are three world-class terraces in Porto that offer panoramic views of the city. One terrace and bar is called the Yatman.

If you want a quick overview of Porto, of if you don’t have enough time to see it all, you can go to the 5D cinema (Look at Porto) which shows the highlights of this city while you’re strapped to an aeroplane seat (while 3D dragons flay and brash against your face).

Biophilia of Porto and the area

The area here is sometimes called the Green Coast (Costa Verde) for the verdant vegetation it offers, thanks to the wet weather. Go to Parque de Serralves, a tranquil sculpture park, set around a lake, about four miles west of the centre, with the stunning pink art-deco villa, Casa de Serralves (check out the pink marble bathroom).

Food, wine – the wood element

Desert wine port is delicious (ideally drunk in a chocolate cup). Cafe Santiago serves the Port’s favourite sandwich, the Francesinha, or Frenchie for short (wet-cured ham, smoked sausage, French sausage, steak or roast meat), which was created in the early sixties. Another very popular place to get, probably the best sandwiches in Porto, is Casa Guedes.

Cakes are the cornerstones of Portuguese food. In Porto, you can actually hire a cake connoisseur who will give you an unforgettable cake experience and cake tour (Avant Garde Crew). Top cakes to try are Tarde de Amendoa, Bola de Berlim (filled with creme patisserie), Nata de Chila (filled with jam made from fig leaf gourd), Bispo, Tarde de Maracuja, and Queque de Cenora (carrot cake).

Sardines are on almost every menu, and there are shops devoted to the tinned versions. But if you’re a fish or sardine lover, for the most delicious sardine experience, take the little ferry across the Douro to a sleepy fishing village of Afurada.

Art and architecture

Check it out – Trash animal by Bardalo II. Porto has some good modern architecture worth seeing, such as the Casa da Música, designed by Dutch modernist master Rem Koolhaas for Porto’s designation as European Capital of Culture in 2001. It has a tiny concert hall inside, home to the Porto National Orchestra and famous for its extraordinary acoustics. Have a drink on the terrace of the restaurant, from which you can just about see the Atlantic.

Shopping

Clous Porto is a neat shop that has been selling soap for over 100 years (not recommended for people who obsessively wash their hands). Promesas de cera (wax promises) is a Portuguese Catholic tradition of making wax body parts to offer them on church altars; shops sell them.

Water element

Although Porto is near the sea and has a river, it has only a few fountains, such as the Lions Fountain, built in 1886.

Spiritual feng shui of Porto

Churches in Portugal are very elaborate, and the 18th-century church of the Lady of Carmo / Igreja do Carmo, near an adjacent hospital, is one to go to (to leave your wax promises as an offering on the altar).

Porto is full of baroque churches, and if you’re into gold, some churches are literally dripping in gold. For example, the Igreja de Santa Clara (once a Franciscan convent) stone facade conceals an explosion of 100kg of gold leaf covering what appears to be a fractal idea of Heaven.

The property market in Porto

More and more foreigners are buying properties in Porto, with property prices rising 15-20% each year (although house prices in Porto are about 40% below those in Lisbon). Popular neighbourhoods include the riverfront São Nicolau, Cedofeita, Miragaia, Vitória e São, as well as Foz do Douro, a beach district at the mouth of the Douro River. Wealthy locals prefer west of the centre in Foz, where the Douro meets the Atlantic Ocean, which is convenient for international schools. Because of the tourism boom, buyers and investors are coming. It’s best to check the property according to feng shui criteria so you can purchase the best home or business with a great potential for development and prosperity.

Feng shui consultants in Porto, Portugal

A quick Google search revealed that there are feng shui consultants in Porto. But if you live in Porto and are looking for a feng shui consultant near you, with 45+ years of experience in feng shui and environmental psychology, feel free to call/text me on +44 7956 288574 for a quote for a feng shui consultation for your home or workplace. Although I live in London, I do remote feng shui consultations. Email me

Check my blogs about the feng shui of cities