Part 10: Before and After the Camino: Amsterdam, Porto, and Paris Adventures

Keith and I wanted to take advantage of our time before and after walking the Camino de Santiago. On the way to Portugal, we booked a flight with a long layover in Amsterdam so we could sightsee. We did this on a prior trip and enjoyed Amsterdam, so this would be a way to see more of the city. Once arriving in Portugal, we spent two nights in Porto to have a full day to explore the city. At the end of the trip, we booked a flight with a layover in Paris to do even more exploring.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

We flew from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Amsterdam on an afternoon flight, which meant we could sleep through the night and arrive in the Netherlands by early afternoon. This gave us several hours to explore the city. We wandered the streets, in awe of all the cyclists, window shopped, and stumbled upon a farmers' market. It was interesting to see what types of street food were being sold, artwork and crafts available, fresh flowers, etc.

After that, we spent some time in a large park and finally booked a canal tour with Blue Sky Boat Tour to see the city from a different viewpoint. It was so much fun being on the boat in the canal. We saw several neighborhoods and historic points of interest. It was exciting to float under the charming bridges and witness the skills of the boat drivers as they maneuvered around corners and convergences. Our boat got into a little fender bender with another smaller boat whose driver insisted they had the right of way. This was super funny because when we were in Amsterdam years ago, we were on a bus tour and our bus hit a light pole, the driver carried on as if it didn’t happen. I do feel it is more likely to be ok in other countries. We’ve seen examples of this with light damage to bikes, mopeds, cars, buses, and boats, and it’s not a big deal.

Lastly, we grabbed these amazing sandwiches from Mezzave. This shop was super cute, the staff were so friendly and high energy. Lots of locals were coming in to get their favorite sandwiches and you could tell this is a busy spot. After filling our bellies, we continued to meander around town until we needed to return to the airport for our flight to Porto. This was a great way to break up the flights, tour the city, and add to our overall trip.

Porto, Portugal

Our flight landed in Porto around 10:00 pm, so it was getting late by the time we took the train and walked to our hotel. We knew a night of good sleep would be needed to start the trip on the right foot.

Waking up in Portugal felt amazing, and we were anxious to explore the city. Our first stop was a lovely breakfast at Do Norte. The food was amazing and my ideal breakfast spot; decor, ambience, quality food, latte, etc. Nearby is the Se Cathedral, so we went to pick up our Camino credentials. This is where we would start the Camino the next morning. The cathedral is located in the historical center of Porto and overlooks the city. It was busy with tourists taking pictures, live music being played, and filled with the excitement of the pilgrims arriving from Lisbon and/or setting out for Santiago de Compostela.

Next, we walked over to the Se Bento Train Station, known for its history and azulejo tile murals. This stop was more impressive than I thought it would be. I mean, I’d seen pictures of it, so I know what it would look like, but standing there looking at the intricacy of the tiles was mesmerizing. There were tour groups there, and hearing some of the facts and historical significance was a great bonus. We continued to wander around with City Hall next on the list. On our way there, we passed by the fanciest McDonald’s we’d ever seen. We walked in to get photos and check out the differences in menu options.

At City Hall, we had a little photo shoot with the Porto letters. We needed to pick up a few last-minute items at Decathon, so we Ubered there and then got empanadas for lunch. We spent some time walking around a park and enjoying the views of the Douro River. Once again, I was in awe of what the towns looked like along the river, views I’d seen online, but being there in person made me so grateful for this opportunity.

We started making our way towards the Ponte Luis I Bridge. I knew we wanted to be there for sunset. On the way, we were a little hungry and needed caffeine. We stopped at what is one of my most memorable moments in Porto, a specialty coffee shop overlooking the bridge. It was the quintessential vacation moment. As if I didn’t know it before, but coffee shops really are my passion, and such a travel experience for me. This one rates at the top!

Next, we descended to the river and crossed the lower bridge for sunset. Again, it felt very “European” as everyone gathered for sunset, complete with oohs and aahs. It was a great ending to a magical day. Lastly, we made our way back across the bridge and got an Uber to the hotel. We were quite tired by this point and couldn’t believe all we had seen in the matter of hours; two international flights, touring Amsterdam, and exploring Porto.

Paris, France

As previously noted, we wanted to take advantage of any layovers that we could use to explore another city. We had a few late-night hours in Paris and decided to see some of the highlights. We took a train to the Notre Dame Cathedral. It was still under construction from a massive fire about 5 years prior. It would be reopening in less than two months from when we were there, so it looked complete from the outside, but was still barricaded.

We walked around the city and towards the Louvre Museum when we decided we were hungry, and it was 11:00 pm. We stopped in what seemed like a local bistro since many other patrons seemed to know each other and the staff. We had a great meal and continued our way to the Louvre Museum. We were surprised at some of the areas being off limits. There was still signage and things from the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, so that felt unique. We even got a photo with the Olympic Rings! Unfortunately, we weren't able to get very close to the iconic pyramid architecture at the Louvre Museum. We knew it would be closed, but thought we could walk up closer for pictures.

We made our way towards the Eiffel Tower, in hopes of seeing it twinkle up close. We’d seen it from the sky in the airplane, and then once from further away. We were nearly running by 1:00 am, and then as the minutes ticked by, we realized that midnight was the last sparkle of the day 😢 We still got our picture, plus we wanted to see it up close anyway. Honestly, I was a little disappointed and confused overall. I’d been to the Eiffel Tower in 2001 and maybe had a much more magical experience in my memory. What I remembered isn’t what I was actually seeing there now. Part of the park around the tower was being completely redone after the Olympics, so there wasn’t any grass around. I also didn’t realize that the base of the tower is behind protective glass since the November 2015 attacks. It just felt off from what I remembered, and I sometimes question my memory about places I’ve been. Especially since some of my travel was before digital cameras, iPhones, etc. I do have some photo albums at my mom’s house in Indiana, but I never take the time to look through them when I’m in town. It was very special to be there with Keith, though, especially since it was his first time in Paris.

Thank you so much for reading!

Thank you so much for taking the time to hear about our Camino de Santiago! It was such a memorable trip for Keith and me.

Have you booked a trip within a trip or used your time around a travel experience to get the most out of an adventure? What are your tips and tricks to make the most of your time while on vacation? Let us know in the comments section below.👇 💬