André Viegas is a Porto native and diehard Dragões fan – not to mention a designer here at Champions Journal. Here he gives his top tips on how to spend a matchday in his city, even if Inter’s round of 16 victory means we’ll now have to wait at least until next season to experience it for ourselves
Matchday begins at Praça de Francisco Sá Carneiro, commonly known as Praça Velasquez. It’s a beautiful crescent-shaped park with loads of little cafés and bars dotted around. It’s only ten minutes from the stadium and is the perfect place to meet for a beer and a chat before heading to the game. The cafés are packed and when the weather’s nice, everyone’s outside. Even if you don’t have a ticket, it’s the place to be because later you’ll hear the roar of the crowd from here.
The Estádio do Dragão was built at the end of the nearby tree-lined avenue Alameda das Antas, named after Porto’s old stadium. No cars are allowed on game day, so there’s just a massive throng of people singing and shouting as they make their way to the stadium, which is a terrific sight all lit up in the distance. Get yourself a Bifana (marinated pork sandwich) and a beer from one of the many kerbside vendors and follow the crowd.
Porto moved to the Dragão in 2003, right next to where the old Das Antas stadium had stood. My dad and granddad remember Das Antas well – it was more their era. But Porto were already at the Dragão when I got my first season ticket and started going to games. In our first year there we won the Champions League under José Mourinho in 2004, so the new stadium was blessed with success from the start. Mourinho was amazing, truly the Special One, but our biggest hero is our president, Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa. Not a coach, not a player, but the president. He has held that position since 1982 and has given us so much to celebrate since then, including two European Cups, two UEFA Cup/Europa Leagues and 23 league titles. He is 85 and I wasn’t even born when he took over. He’s an institution. There are no statues outside the stadium but if there ever are, I’m sure his will be the first.
Our Porto guide André Viegas, with his dad, both looking up (left); and his home from home, the Estádio do Dragão (right)
We’ve had so many great coaches and players down the years, but if you’re talking about Porto born and bred then André Villas-Boas is my favourite. He won the Europa League in 2011 and we even clinched the Primeira Liga that season without losing a game. In terms of Porto-born players, my grandpa talks about João Pinto and Fernando Gomes, both legends who started out in the academy and played hundreds of games for the club. But from my era the man we all look up to is Jorge Costa. He was immense, a man of steel. Blood, sweat and tears: that’s what I remember as a kid watching him play. That guy was like an iron wall, scared of nothing, always going in headfirst. He was captain when we won the Champions League under Mourinho in 2004. If you talk about Paolo Maldini and defenders like that, you have to mention Jorge Costa.
Plus, the great man was a sworn enemy of our Lisbon rivals Benfica and Sporting – although our rivalry with the city of Lisbon is older than the teams themselves. Rumour has it that it began in 1886, when King Luís I didn’t make the journey from the capital for the inauguration of the great bridge named after him that spans the river Douro.
Snub or no snub, Ponte de Dom Luís I is one of Porto’s great sights and if you’re in town for a game, find time to spend a few hours down by the river at Cais da Ribeira. Go for a stroll, sit back and have a coffee and watch the boats, then walk across the bridge to Gaia and visit the port cellars, such as Sandeman and Taylor’s, and savour our famous wine. Learn how port is made at WOW (the World of Wine museums), then head back up over the bridge and visit some of the sites in the centre of town.
“Our new Stadium was blessed with success right from the start”
One of the great things about Porto is that you can pretty much get around the city centre on foot. Start off at the train station, São Bento, which is a UNESCO heritage site and famous for its stunning azulejo wall tiles. From there it’s a short walk to Bolhão Market, Sé do Porto (the cathedral), Torre dos Clérigos, or Palácio da Bolsa; there are so many great historical sites to visit.
The market building itself is beautiful, so it’s a good spot to just watch the world go by. This is where the city’s restaurants come for their fish, meat and vegetables (and it’s also just opposite the official Dragões shop). Climb the 75-metre Torre dos Clérigos for the best view of Porto; the bell tower of the Clérigos Church is on top of a hill so you can pretty much see everything from up there. The beautiful Livraria Lello bookshop – made famous by JK Rowling’s time in Porto and the Harry Potter films – is just down the road, but sadly is now so overrun with tourists that you have to pay to get in, unless you buy a book.
Before heading out for the game, check out Café Goa and its own little piece of history: a set of seats from the old Das Antas stadium, although they are normally reserved for regulars. Local ham, sausage, cheese and steak delicacy Francesinha is the dish to order here. Otherwise head for Café Velasquez, which brings us back to where we began. This Porto institution is the place to meet before a game. Enjoy that beer and a Francesinha while you soak up the atmosphere until kick-off. Only this time, let’s hope Porto win.
Matchday begins at Praça de Francisco Sá Carneiro, commonly known as Praça Velasquez. It’s a beautiful crescent-shaped park with loads of little cafés and bars dotted around. It’s only ten minutes from the stadium and is the perfect place to meet for a beer and a chat before heading to the game. The cafés are packed and when the weather’s nice, everyone’s outside. Even if you don’t have a ticket, it’s the place to be because later you’ll hear the roar of the crowd from here.
The Estádio do Dragão was built at the end of the nearby tree-lined avenue Alameda das Antas, named after Porto’s old stadium. No cars are allowed on game day, so there’s just a massive throng of people singing and shouting as they make their way to the stadium, which is a terrific sight all lit up in the distance. Get yourself a Bifana (marinated pork sandwich) and a beer from one of the many kerbside vendors and follow the crowd.
Porto moved to the Dragão in 2003, right next to where the old Das Antas stadium had stood. My dad and granddad remember Das Antas well – it was more their era. But Porto were already at the Dragão when I got my first season ticket and started going to games. In our first year there we won the Champions League under José Mourinho in 2004, so the new stadium was blessed with success from the start. Mourinho was amazing, truly the Special One, but our biggest hero is our president, Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa. Not a coach, not a player, but the president. He has held that position since 1982 and has given us so much to celebrate since then, including two European Cups, two UEFA Cup/Europa Leagues and 23 league titles. He is 85 and I wasn’t even born when he took over. He’s an institution. There are no statues outside the stadium but if there ever are, I’m sure his will be the first.
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Our Porto guide André Viegas, with his dad, both looking up (left); and his home from home, the Estádio do Dragão (right)
We’ve had so many great coaches and players down the years, but if you’re talking about Porto born and bred then André Villas-Boas is my favourite. He won the Europa League in 2011 and we even clinched the Primeira Liga that season without losing a game. In terms of Porto-born players, my grandpa talks about João Pinto and Fernando Gomes, both legends who started out in the academy and played hundreds of games for the club. But from my era the man we all look up to is Jorge Costa. He was immense, a man of steel. Blood, sweat and tears: that’s what I remember as a kid watching him play. That guy was like an iron wall, scared of nothing, always going in headfirst. He was captain when we won the Champions League under Mourinho in 2004. If you talk about Paolo Maldini and defenders like that, you have to mention Jorge Costa.
Plus, the great man was a sworn enemy of our Lisbon rivals Benfica and Sporting – although our rivalry with the city of Lisbon is older than the teams themselves. Rumour has it that it began in 1886, when King Luís I didn’t make the journey from the capital for the inauguration of the great bridge named after him that spans the river Douro.
Snub or no snub, Ponte de Dom Luís I is one of Porto’s great sights and if you’re in town for a game, find time to spend a few hours down by the river at Cais da Ribeira. Go for a stroll, sit back and have a coffee and watch the boats, then walk across the bridge to Gaia and visit the port cellars, such as Sandeman and Taylor’s, and savour our famous wine. Learn how port is made at WOW (the World of Wine museums), then head back up over the bridge and visit some of the sites in the centre of town.
“Our new Stadium was blessed with success right from the start”
One of the great things about Porto is that you can pretty much get around the city centre on foot. Start off at the train station, São Bento, which is a UNESCO heritage site and famous for its stunning azulejo wall tiles. From there it’s a short walk to Bolhão Market, Sé do Porto (the cathedral), Torre dos Clérigos, or Palácio da Bolsa; there are so many great historical sites to visit.
The market building itself is beautiful, so it’s a good spot to just watch the world go by. This is where the city’s restaurants come for their fish, meat and vegetables (and it’s also just opposite the official Dragões shop). Climb the 75-metre Torre dos Clérigos for the best view of Porto; the bell tower of the Clérigos Church is on top of a hill so you can pretty much see everything from up there. The beautiful Livraria Lello bookshop – made famous by JK Rowling’s time in Porto and the Harry Potter films – is just down the road, but sadly is now so overrun with tourists that you have to pay to get in, unless you buy a book.
Before heading out for the game, check out Café Goa and its own little piece of history: a set of seats from the old Das Antas stadium, although they are normally reserved for regulars. Local ham, sausage, cheese and steak delicacy Francesinha is the dish to order here. Otherwise head for Café Velasquez, which brings us back to where we began. This Porto institution is the place to meet before a game. Enjoy that beer and a Francesinha while you soak up the atmosphere until kick-off. Only this time, let’s hope Porto win.
Matchday begins at Praça de Francisco Sá Carneiro, commonly known as Praça Velasquez. It’s a beautiful crescent-shaped park with loads of little cafés and bars dotted around. It’s only ten minutes from the stadium and is the perfect place to meet for a beer and a chat before heading to the game. The cafés are packed and when the weather’s nice, everyone’s outside. Even if you don’t have a ticket, it’s the place to be because later you’ll hear the roar of the crowd from here.
The Estádio do Dragão was built at the end of the nearby tree-lined avenue Alameda das Antas, named after Porto’s old stadium. No cars are allowed on game day, so there’s just a massive throng of people singing and shouting as they make their way to the stadium, which is a terrific sight all lit up in the distance. Get yourself a Bifana (marinated pork sandwich) and a beer from one of the many kerbside vendors and follow the crowd.
Porto moved to the Dragão in 2003, right next to where the old Das Antas stadium had stood. My dad and granddad remember Das Antas well – it was more their era. But Porto were already at the Dragão when I got my first season ticket and started going to games. In our first year there we won the Champions League under José Mourinho in 2004, so the new stadium was blessed with success from the start. Mourinho was amazing, truly the Special One, but our biggest hero is our president, Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa. Not a coach, not a player, but the president. He has held that position since 1982 and has given us so much to celebrate since then, including two European Cups, two UEFA Cup/Europa Leagues and 23 league titles. He is 85 and I wasn’t even born when he took over. He’s an institution. There are no statues outside the stadium but if there ever are, I’m sure his will be the first.
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Our Porto guide André Viegas, with his dad, both looking up (left); and his home from home, the Estádio do Dragão (right)
We’ve had so many great coaches and players down the years, but if you’re talking about Porto born and bred then André Villas-Boas is my favourite. He won the Europa League in 2011 and we even clinched the Primeira Liga that season without losing a game. In terms of Porto-born players, my grandpa talks about João Pinto and Fernando Gomes, both legends who started out in the academy and played hundreds of games for the club. But from my era the man we all look up to is Jorge Costa. He was immense, a man of steel. Blood, sweat and tears: that’s what I remember as a kid watching him play. That guy was like an iron wall, scared of nothing, always going in headfirst. He was captain when we won the Champions League under Mourinho in 2004. If you talk about Paolo Maldini and defenders like that, you have to mention Jorge Costa.
Plus, the great man was a sworn enemy of our Lisbon rivals Benfica and Sporting – although our rivalry with the city of Lisbon is older than the teams themselves. Rumour has it that it began in 1886, when King Luís I didn’t make the journey from the capital for the inauguration of the great bridge named after him that spans the river Douro.
Snub or no snub, Ponte de Dom Luís I is one of Porto’s great sights and if you’re in town for a game, find time to spend a few hours down by the river at Cais da Ribeira. Go for a stroll, sit back and have a coffee and watch the boats, then walk across the bridge to Gaia and visit the port cellars, such as Sandeman and Taylor’s, and savour our famous wine. Learn how port is made at WOW (the World of Wine museums), then head back up over the bridge and visit some of the sites in the centre of town.
“Our new Stadium was blessed with success right from the start”
One of the great things about Porto is that you can pretty much get around the city centre on foot. Start off at the train station, São Bento, which is a UNESCO heritage site and famous for its stunning azulejo wall tiles. From there it’s a short walk to Bolhão Market, Sé do Porto (the cathedral), Torre dos Clérigos, or Palácio da Bolsa; there are so many great historical sites to visit.
The market building itself is beautiful, so it’s a good spot to just watch the world go by. This is where the city’s restaurants come for their fish, meat and vegetables (and it’s also just opposite the official Dragões shop). Climb the 75-metre Torre dos Clérigos for the best view of Porto; the bell tower of the Clérigos Church is on top of a hill so you can pretty much see everything from up there. The beautiful Livraria Lello bookshop – made famous by JK Rowling’s time in Porto and the Harry Potter films – is just down the road, but sadly is now so overrun with tourists that you have to pay to get in, unless you buy a book.
Before heading out for the game, check out Café Goa and its own little piece of history: a set of seats from the old Das Antas stadium, although they are normally reserved for regulars. Local ham, sausage, cheese and steak delicacy Francesinha is the dish to order here. Otherwise head for Café Velasquez, which brings us back to where we began. This Porto institution is the place to meet before a game. Enjoy that beer and a Francesinha while you soak up the atmosphere until kick-off. Only this time, let’s hope Porto win.
Join the queue for the original and best pork sandwiches in town. Ask for one with a big slice of Serra da Estrela sheep’s cheese (and don’t skimp on the sauce).
Padaria Ribeiro
Praça Guilherme Gomes Fernandes 21
They’ve been serving up some of the best breakfasts in the city here since 1878. Fill up on the incredible variety of breads, buns, cakes and biscuits; you won’t be disappointed.
Casa D’Oro
Rua do Ouro 797
Make sure you get a table on the top terrace of this Italian pizzeria. The views of the river and the Ponte da Arrábida as the sun is setting over the river are truly sublime.
Museu D’Avó
Tv. de Cedofeita 54-56
It’s called grandma’s museum because of the crazy collection of antiques hanging from the walls and ceiling. However, come for the delicious, good-value tapas. It’s also open well after midnight.
Adega Sports Bar
Rua de José Falcão 180
Scarves and shirts hang from the ceiling and there’s a good view of a screen from every seat. Expect a packed, lively and knowledgeable football crowd.
Cities
Don’t miss
How to eat, drink and be merry like a local
Casa Guedes
Praça dos Poveiros 130
Join the queue for the original and best pork sandwiches in town. Ask for one with a big slice of Serra da Estrela sheep’s cheese (and don’t skimp on the sauce).
Padaria Ribeiro
Praça Guilherme Gomes Fernandes 21
They’ve been serving up some of the best breakfasts in the city here since 1878. Fill up on the incredible variety of breads, buns, cakes and biscuits; you won’t be disappointed.
Casa D’Oro
Rua do Ouro 797
Make sure you get a table on the top terrace of this Italian pizzeria. The views of the river and the Ponte da Arrábida as the sun is setting over the river are truly sublime.
Museu D’Avó
Tv. de Cedofeita 54-56
It’s called grandma’s museum because of the crazy collection of antiques hanging from the walls and ceiling. However, come for the delicious, good-value tapas. It’s also open well after midnight.
Adega Sports Bar
Rua de José Falcão 180
Scarves and shirts hang from the ceiling and there’s a good view of a screen from every seat. Expect a packed, lively and knowledgeable football crowd.
Cities
Don’t miss
How to eat, drink and be merry like a local
Casa Guedes
Praça dos Poveiros 130
Join the queue for the original and best pork sandwiches in town. Ask for one with a big slice of Serra da Estrela sheep’s cheese (and don’t skimp on the sauce).
Padaria Ribeiro
Praça Guilherme Gomes Fernandes 21
They’ve been serving up some of the best breakfasts in the city here since 1878. Fill up on the incredible variety of breads, buns, cakes and biscuits; you won’t be disappointed.
Casa D’Oro
Rua do Ouro 797
Make sure you get a table on the top terrace of this Italian pizzeria. The views of the river and the Ponte da Arrábida as the sun is setting over the river are truly sublime.
Museu D’Avó
Tv. de Cedofeita 54-56
It’s called grandma’s museum because of the crazy collection of antiques hanging from the walls and ceiling. However, come for the delicious, good-value tapas. It’s also open well after midnight.
Adega Sports Bar
Rua de José Falcão 180
Scarves and shirts hang from the ceiling and there’s a good view of a screen from every seat. Expect a packed, lively and knowledgeable football crowd.
