A cheap tour (2.50 euros, or $3.35 at $1.34 to the euro) of Porto (also known as Oporto) awaits on tram line No. 1, which starts near Praça do Infante square and heads west to the Atlantic coast. Outfitted with old leather seats and wood paneling, the hourly (or half-hourly, depending on the season) tram cars clatter on their rails alongside the Douro River, past city squares, churches and port wine houses. The 20-minute journey drops you in the seaside district of Foz do Douro, where you can easily stop at Shis (Praia do Ourigo, Esplanada do Castelo; 351-22-618-9593; shisrestaurante.com), a stylish beachfront restaurant-bar. The terrace is great for sunset views and Super Bock beer (2.50 euros).  9 p.m.2. NOT FOR DIETERS  The Francesinha is a cardiologist-unapproved local sandwich of ham, beef, sausage and cheese with a warm tomato-beer sauce. At Restaurante DOP (Palácio das Artes, Largo Santo Domingos 18; 351-22-201-4313; ruipaula.com), a crisp minimalist space opened last year by the celebrity chef Rui Paula, the working man’s snack is elevated to an epicure’s ambrosia, with ingredients like tenderloin beef, artisanal sausage, mozzarella and a bit of lobster in the meat gravy. Also first-rate are moist John Dory filets with a delicate triple-cheese sauce. The 60-page wine list features vintages from the Douro region, including a medium-bodied silky and acidic 2005 Quinta de Roriz red (8 euros a glass). Dinner for two, without wine: around 80 euros.  11 p.m.3. A MARKET REBORN  Nearby, the venerable Beaux-Arts-style covered market known as Mercado Ferreira Borges was reborn this year as Hard Club (Praça do Infante 95; 351-70-710-0021; hard-club.com). Four years in the making, the renovated glass-and-steel structure houses a bookstore, an art exhibition area, a restaurant, a patio, bars and concert halls. The hardest thing about Hard Club is simply deciding among all the events, from indie rock concerts to crafts fairs. For weekend club nights, crowds arrive after 2 a.m. and don’t leave before sunrise. The cover charge varies.  10 a.m.4. SOME LIKE IT OLD  Unlike Mercado Ferreira Borges, the still-functioning Mercado do Bolhão (corner of Rua Formosa and Rua de Sá da Bandeira) seems untouched since it was opened in 1914. Majestic and dilapidated, the huge indoor-outdoor space recalls a classic European rail station thanks to acres of wrought iron, grand staircases, white tile walls and pointed domes. Inside, the aging vendors gossip amid chestnuts, octopus, sardines, dangling pigs’ hooves and live roosters. Upstairs, in the northeast corner, a stall called Manteigaria do Bolhão stocks enough cured meat to feed a corporate picnic (or spark a PETA protest): chourico (2.40 euros per kilo), presunto (9.50 per kilo), salpicao sausage (6 per kilo) and much more.  12:30 p.m.5. BEEF, BUNS AND BEYOND  To the many paintings, sculptures and installations showcased in the galleries along Rua Miguel Bombarda, we can add two new types of creative endeavors: beef and fish preparations. In the airy confines of Bugo Art Burgers (Rua Miguel Bombarda 598; 351-22-606-2179; bugo.com.pt), the burgers are culinary collages of local materials. The Porto e Serra Burger is beef soaked in port and topped with serra da estrela cheese. The Cod Burger transforms bacalhau into a patty served with classic acorda (bread purée and coriander). And if you like to eat your burger with chopsticks, the Oriental Assortment is a three-meat medley — grass-fed beef, Azores tuna, free-range chicken — with noodles. An excellent panna cotta comes with a port-raspberry-black-currant sauce. Lunch for two: 35 euros.  2 p.m.6. SATURDAY AT THE MALL  Hip and innovative aren’t words that normally describe shopping malls. But Centro Comercial Bombarda (Rua Miguel Bombarda 283-285; ccbombarda.blogspot.com) is an exception. Devoted largely to independent Portuguese designers, the complex houses cult brands like Storytailors (351-22-201-7409; storytailors.pt), known for their fairy tale-inspired fashions for women, and Piurra (351-22-201-6012; piurra.com), a haven of minimalist cabinetry enlivened with colorful textiles.  4:30 p.m.7. WHORLS AND ANGLES  Resembling a jagged white meteorite, the futuristic Casa da Música (Avenida da Boavista 604-610; 351-22-012-0220) is both Porto’s architectural masterpiece and music mecca. Daily tours in English at 4:30 p.m. (3 euros) take visitors through the whorls of the angular 17-sided building, designed by the Dutch star architect Rem Koolhaas and opened in 2005. Treats include the VIP Room, an angled salon covered with blue ceramic tiles, and the so-called Orange Room, whose floor gives off wild sounds — bird chirps, percussion — as you step on it. But the highlight is the main hall, decorated with gold tiger-stripe designs. Be sure to check the roster of concerts and monthly D.J. parties.  8 p.m.8. FEED BETWEEN THE LINES  Books abound — holding the menus, lining the walls — at Book (Rua de Aviz 10; 351-91-795-3387; restaurante-book.com), a cozy, candlelit and self-consciously literary restaurant that opened this fall. Thanks to nouveau Portuguese cuisine that burnishes prosaic ingredients into poetic dishes (witness pork cheeks with tripe or veal steak in Torres wine sauce), the restaurant is already a best seller. Fish soup has a zesty tomato base, chunky texture, crunchy croutons and nuggets of local shrimp. The rack of lamb is also fine, thanks to a port wine reduction with hints of vanilla and spice. Sponge cake, a Porto obsession, arrives as a lush mush with orange and kiwi slices. The smooth house wine, a Terras do Grifo red, is additional proof that Porto can do more than just port. Dinner for two, without wine: about 55 euros.  10 p.m.9. JOIN THE CONGREGATION  Formerly a haven of dowdy fabric shops, the neighborhood of Clérigos (Clergymen) now bursts with bars and a Mardi Gras-like crush of partiers — college kids, young professionals, 50-something socialites — who pack the streets by night. Galeria de Paris (Rua Galeria de Paris 56; galeriadeparis.com) is filled to its soaring rafters with vintage radios, old sewing machines and other retro finds. Even the pump that pours the Sagres beer (1 euro) is Jules Verne-ish. More contemporary is the low-lighted Baixa bar (Rua Cândido dos Reis 52; baixa.pt), where a boulder-size disco ball hangs over the dance floor, and cocktails like the Cosmo Porto (Cointreau, port wine, red fruit; 6 euros) are featured on the menu.  10 a.m.10. A SOLID FOUNDATION  Art is everywhere at the Fundação Serralves (Rua Dom João de Castro 210; 351-80-820-0543; serralves.pt): in the gardens, where oversize outdoor works like Claes Oldenberg’s trowel sculpture loom; in the exceptional bookshop, lined with tomes covering Art Nouveau jewelry, to modern photography. And it’s abundant in the foundation’s museum, which hosts contemporary art exhibitions. Lasting until Feb. 5, “From Page to Space: Published Paper Sculptures” displays cutouts, pop-ups and other paper creations by artists like Marcel Duchamp, Keith Haring and Barbara Kruger.  Why do most port wines — Graham’s, Cockburn, Taylor — have British names? What’s the difference between a white, a tawny and a ruby port? The answers come pouring out during guided tours (4.50 euros) of the cellars of Sandeman (Largo Miguel Bombarda 3, Vila Nova de Gaia; 351-22-374-0534; sandeman.eu). If you don’t have enough money for a bottle of 40-year-old tawny (127 euros), a box of chocolates made with port wine is a more affordable Porto souvenir (10 euros).  You can’t pop a cork at The Yeatman (Rua do Choupelo, Vila Nova de Gaia; 351-22-013-3100; the-yeatman-hotel.com) without hitting something wine-related. Billed as a “luxury wine hotel,” this year-old 82-room establishment has a wine cellar, wine bar, wine restaurant, special wine dinners and even a wine spa. Doubles in December from 139 euros (about $184).  And you can’t accuse the owners of the new Gallery Hostel (Rua Miguel Bombarda 222; 351-22-496-4313; gallery-hostel.com) of skimping. The town-house-style space features a bar, a cinema lounge, a library, a garden, a winter garden, karaoke nights, wine tastings, exhibitions and city tours. Dorm beds from 20 euros; double rooms, 50.
With a new night-life district and a blossoming creative scene, Portugalâs second-largest city no longer needs to coast on its famous digestif.