Next Away Game

FC PORTO - CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

WEDNESDAY 17TH FEBRUARY 2010, KICK-OFF 7.45PM GMT

ESTÁDIO DO DRAGÃO

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Travel advice from Football Supporters' Federation - www.fsf.org.uk.
 

By Air

The main airport serving Porto is Francisco Sá Carniero International Airport, located approximately 20 km northwest of the city centre. There are several airlines which fly direct from the UK, including TAP - www.flytap.com flying from Heathrow & Gatwick, KLM - www.klm.com from London and Ryanair - www.ryanair.com and Air Berlin - www.airberlin.com both from Stansted.

The airport is linked to the city centre by metro line E and by Aerobus which runs from the airport to the town centre every 30 minutes. There are also STCP buses which run from the airport to the city centre. Taxis are available just outside the arrivals lounge.

If you are on a day trip, it is worth noting that there are no facilities for left luggage at the airport.

An alternative would be to fly to Lisbon and then get the train or a coach to Porto.
 

By Train

If you aren’t pushed for time, there’s always the rail option via Eurostar from London to Paris then on to Madrid and finally on towards Lisbon alighting at Pampilhosa and taking a local train on to Porto.

The price for this option will set you back at least £240 return and will take around 25, yes, 25 hours. Facilities at all these stations are good and similar to what you may expect at international airports.

A more realistic option might be to fly into Lisbon and then travel to Porto by train, taking a slightly more comfortable 4½ hrs and costing €11 by conventional train with 2 trains a day or taking 3½ hours and costing €15 by IC train with four trains running daily.

For details of journeys to Portugal by train, have a look at the Rail Europe - /www.raileurope.co.uk or Seat 61 - www.seat61.com websites.
 

By Bus

If you’re flying into Lisbon, the bus journey to Porto costs approx €13 each way on a Redex bus. Tickets can be purchased on the bus or before boarding.
 

By Ferry

It is also possible to travel to Portugal via the UK to Spain and then take the coach or train from Spain.

Brittany Ferries - www.brittanyferries.co.uk sail twice weekly from Plymouth making the crossing to Santander in approx 21hrs.

P & O Ferries - www.poferries.com sail from Portsmouth to Bilbao in around 30-35hrs, twice a week.

Prices vary depending on when you’re travelling with tickets booked via the internet or by phone.

From Bilbao and Santander it is approx 800 Km to Porto.

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Eating & Drinking advice from Football Supporters' Federation - www.fsf.org.uk.
 

General Info

So, as far as drinking is concerned, Port wine is what you should go for seeing as you'll be staying in its birthplace. For instance, start by drinking yourself through at least of the plenthora of Port wine cellars around the harbour area...?
 

Local Foods & Beverages

Anyone who made it to Portugal for Euro 2004 can vouch for the type of food generally found in restaurants: lots of seafood, meat and vegetables.

The local delicacy is tripe -Tripas à moda do Porto being the famous local dish - a thick tripe stew with sausages and meat fat or chicken fat, eaten with dark bread! If that doesn't tickle your fancy, perhaps look for some of the other local delicacies, which include Caldo Verde (cabbage & potato soup); Broa (Bread made of yellow corn); or Cabrito Assado (Roasted lamb).
 

Main Drinking Areas

The main drinking area in Porto is theRua de Santa Catarina where you can go from bar to bar all the way down the street and then up the other side mingling with the locals along the way and sampling a drink or two as you do so!

Alternatively, there are plenty of bars down by the river (the Duoro), and from personal experience there's little better than supping a large, cold Superbock in the sunshine and watching the world go by in this lovely setting.
 

Irish & English Pubs

The token Irish pub is Ryan’s Irish Pub on Rua do Infante Dom Henrique 18.
 

Fast Food Outlets

There are plenty of outlets selling local food and European food including kebabs, pizza etc.

McDonalds can be found at: Avenida das Descobertas 549; Avenida dos Escultores; Centro Comercial Shopping Centre 224 and Rua Santos Pousada 200 – so never too far away!
 

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