Sardine City: Fish Tales and Tradition in the Porto Docks

On this full day tour, we’ll explore Matosinhos, a fascinating seaside town on the outskirts of Porto, and its fishing traditions, visiting bustling markets, neighborhood grill spots, and a spectacular sardine cannery which has been in business since 1920.

• Culinary walking tour
• Market Visit - Mercado de Matosinhos
• Harborside lunch
• Visit to residential neighborhoods
• Local fish auction

To refer to Matosinhos as “Sardine City” is not a stretch. For part of the 20th century, this small municipality – essentially a suburb of Porto – was the largest sardine fishing port in the world and home to 54 canneries working around the clock. While only three remain open, Matosinhos is still deep in the fishing business and even seeing a revival. Thanks to its access to some of the best fish and seafood to be had worldwide, the town is packed with restaurants, making for one of the liveliest and rewarding dining scenes in Portugal.

On this full day tour, we’ll use the local connection to the sea – past, present, and future – as the backdrop for exploring a unique town whose motto seems to be “Yes, we (still) can.” We’ll begin our day as the locals do, with coffee and a sweet breakfast pastry at an old-school bakery, before making our way to the boisterous local fish auction, where we’ll be competing for space with early birds looking for a deal and seagulls looking for a steal. After taking a peek at some of the fishing boats moored in the harbor, we’ll stop into one of the living links to Matosinhos’s golden past, the workshop of craftsmen devoted to the art of mending sardine nets. Continuing through town, we’ll sit down with local workers at a neighborhood tasca for a fortifying late breakfast of salt cod fritters paired with a sparking vinho verde, and then get a taste of what’s new in Matosinhos by visiting a bakery where a former architect is now turning out spectacular sourdough breads using strictly Portuguese ingredients. Our next stop is one of Matosinhos’s most important landmarks, its municipal market, which along with its aisles of impeccably fresh fish and local produce, is also known for its stunning modernist architecture. Having worked our way through the market, the time has come for, what else, a taste of grilled fish. We’ll do this at a tiny restaurant run by a former stevedore who worked on the local docks, where we’ll dine on the seasonal catch of the day accompanied by boiled potatoes and a salad – a classic Matosinhos harborside lunch. For a sweet note, we’ll next visit a beloved local pastry shop for a taste of Jesuita, an exceptionally crunchy traditional local sweet made of custard-filled puff pastry. We’ll end our day, appropriately, with an epic tour and tasting at one of the last remaining canneries in town – open since 1920 – where the thrilling nautical tale of Matosinhos continues to be written.

• Matosinhos Beach, Praia de Matosinhos, Av. Gen. Norton de Matos, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal
• Passadiço das Ondas, Timor, 4150-516 Porto, Portugal
• Castelo do Queijo, Praça de Gonçalves Zarco 20, 4100-274 Porto, Portugal
• Piscina das Marés, Av. Liberdade, 4450-716 Leça da Palmeira, Portugal
• Sanctuary of Bom Jesus de Matosinhos, Praça do Santuário, S/n - Centro, Congonhas - MG, 36415-000, Brazil
• Casa Museu Abel Salazar, 4465 São Mamede de Infesta, Portugal
• Tragedy at Sea, Av. da República 47, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal
• Casa de Chá da Boa Nova, Av. Liberdade 1681, 4450-718 Leça da Palmeira, Portugal
• Farol de Leça Faro, R. Cel. Helder Ribeiro, 4450-686 Matosinhos, Portugal
• Porto Leixões Cruise Terminal, 57GW+XF, 4450 Matosinhos, Portugal

Liability Waiver

By completing the reservation you acknowledge the following:

If you have food allergies, you are ultimately responsible to ensure your own health and safety. If you share information about your allergies, we can provide you with some guidance about the food purveyors on your tour, but we are not responsible for any allergic reactions that you may have. We are not responsible for any damages or losses incurred as result of acts by entities beyond our control, including but not limited to restaurants, shops, market stalls, eateries and food carts. We are not responsible for acts beyond our control, including but not limited to acts of God, act of nature, acts of war, or other unrest caused by state or non-state actors. If you are disruptive, we have the right to ask you to leave the tour without refunding you or providing you with a credit for your tour. You are aware of and responsible for all damages or losses that may arise during the course of the tour resulting from:

Risks associated with food, water or other drinks, including alcoholic beverages; physical accidents during the tour or at any of the locations visited; transportation failures; forces of nature; criminal activity; damage, loss or misplaced property; or accident or illness without means of rapid evacuation or availability of medical supplies or services. You agree that any claims that may arise will first go to arbitration and only if not resolved in that manner shall be heard in court. In both cases, grievances shall be heard in the jurisdiction of Washington, DC. You further agree to be responsible for your own welfare and property and accept any and all risks of delay, unanticipated events, inconvenience, illness, injury, emotional trauma or death. You further acknowledge that participation in Culinary Backstreets tours is based upon execution of this Liability Waiver. By completing the reservation process you release and discharge forever Culinary Backstreets, its employees, owners, affiliates, officers, directors, successors, agents, and assigns, from and against any liability arising from participating in this tour. You further agree that this release shall be legally binding upon you personally, all members of your family, all minors traveling with you, your heirs, successors, assigns, and legal representatives, to the maximum extent of the law.

I am aware that while on or traveling to or from my activity with Culinary Backstreets, I might be exposed to COVID-19 from other people, animals or objects. I assume all risk of any such contacts, including sickness, incapacity or death and agree to hold harmless Culinary Backstreets from any such developments. In addition, I recognize that the World Health Organization, U.S. Department of State as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may have warnings concerning same and am choosing to travel and assume all risk myself.