We mapped ourselves out a route and set off round 9am to begin our exploration of Porto’s key sights on foot.

First on the agenda was L.ivraria Lello – or the Lello Bookshop – apparently one of the worlds most famous bookshops, most recently because it is purported to have been the inspiration for the Hogwarts Library (JK Rowling lived in Porto for a while). Google informed us we needed to be there by 9.30 with pre-purchased tickets to avoid the crowds, and this was an understatement. We managed to get tickets for the 10am entry – yes you actually have to pay for the privilege of entering this bookshop, but who wouldn’t pay for a piece of Harry Potter- so we only needed to queue for half an hour. Although crowded it was pretty impressive (and yes, quite Hogwartish). The stairs we pretty perilous, made more so by the youngsters (and not so youngsters) vying for position for the best selfie.

We staggered out in dire need of espresso and found a cute little shop serving only coffee and wine (even at 10.30am). We opted for coffee- yes, we do have a minimum standard.

From there we explored some of the amazing tiled buildings that are so characteristic of Porto – first Igreja Do Carmo – one of the many churches sporting the blue hand-painted tile murals, and then Sao Bento train station – equally impressive, and unlike its Christian counterpart didn’t charge for entry..

Did a quick trip to the Porto Cathedral to suss out the Camino starting point. No idea how we will get our bikes up there to get started, but that’s a problem for another day.

Food was all about outdoor dining today and immersing ourselves in the vibes of the city. The street musicians are amazing, so we chose our lunch and dinner spots strategically near the best ones. We were entertained by a piano accordionist (or whatever the right term is) for lunch and at dinner a guitarist who sang a mix of Pink Floyd, Beatles, Led Zepplin, and even a rendition of Adele’s ‘someone like you’ in full falsetto – and pulled it off! We finished our culinary delights with the not to be missed desserts at the historic and very posh Majestic Cafe .

Stroll through the streets and back to our hotel 17,000 steps later and exhausted.