Travel can be stressful, with planes, trains, or even ships that must be caught, unfamiliar roads to follow, schedules to be met and new languages to learn. It’s nice to be able to slow down from time to time and to stop at a café for a coffee or a glass of wine. We experienced a lot of interesting cafés and we took advantage of them to stop and relax for a few minutes on our journey. Here are just a few.
Aveiro is home to one of our favorite cafés, A Mulata. It’s a tiny place on Avenida Santa Joana and a block from the Museu do Aveiro. A Mulata has a nice breakfast and fresh baked goods with a lot of vegetarian options. It was also a quiet place to sit and enjoy a glass of wine or beer. We like quiet.
Porto’s most famous café is Café Majestic. Opened in 1921, this art nouveau café was a favorite of British author J.K. Rowlings, who is rumored to have worked on the first Harry Potter book here. The notoriety that comes with being associated with anything Harry Potter means that the café is always crowded with tourists. We were looking for a nice quiet atmosphere where we could sit and enjoy breakfast and coffee, and Majestic was not the place for us.
Fortunately, Porto has another iconic café just a short walk from Majestic. Named for a Brazilian indigenous people, Café Guarany has been a popular gathering place for Portuenses since 1933. It’s a beautiful restaurant. Renovated in 2003, the interior’s centerpiece are two paintings, “The Lords of Amazonia” by University of Porto alum Graça Morais. We had a wonderful breakfast at Guarany and, later, stopped there again for dessert and coffee.
Braga has a pair of nice cafés in the Arcada at Praça da República, Café Astória and Café Vianna. We chose to have breakfast at Café Vianna. In operation for over 150 years, the café is supposedly where the 28 May 1926 coup d’etat began. Portuguese novelists Eça de Queriós and Camilo Castelo Branco are said to have been visitors to the café during its long history. We enjoyed a relaxing breakfast while we planned our day. Located at the end of Praça da República, it proved to be a nice place to people watch.
Coimbra is home to another interesting historic café. Located in what was once an auxiliary chapel, Café Santa Cruz has a wonderful interior, with vaulted ceilings and stained glass. Opened in 1923, it’s another great place for coffee and a snack. It’s location on Praça 8 de Maio and next door to Igreja de Santa Cruz make the café a good place for people watching.
Mostly True 