Porto from 30th Dec to 8th Jan any recommendations?

Hello all,

I'm going with two friends to Porto and I wondered if people could recommend places outside of Porto to go and see.
We're interested in historical sites, cultural sites, areas of natural beauty and we'd like to soak in the local culture:)

Are there any day trips from Porto that you would recommend, also which places outside Porto are worth spending 2-3 days in?

What is the best way to get to the center from the airport-are there buses perhaps?

Also this might be a silly question but there are so many youth hostels in Porto-are there are ones you would recommend staying in? I looked at hostel world and there are just so many to choose from...

Thanks for reading this.

There are two buses (nºs 601 and 602), and one metro line (E line) from the Airport to the centre.

"Places outside Porto"

Places outside Porto but still inside the district of Porto - The picturesque Amarante (northeast), Vila Nova de Gaia for the wine (southside), Matosinhos (northside), etc.

Places outside Porto, meaning other districts - Of course if you're into history you shouldn't miss Braga's region. Without the "main force" of Braga, Portugal could never exist. Near Braga there's Guimarães, of course, highly recommended. Our first king supposedly was born there, so you can guess.

Natural beauty is everywhere. You will be closer to the Douro river, and you will be closer to the historic region of Minho (Braga to Viana do Castelo), aka "The Green Province".

Plenty to choose from.

Both Braga and Guimarães make a nice and very easy day trip by suburban train. Another idea is Vila do Conde, a nice little town on the seaside, accessible by a metro line.
As regards places outside Porto to spend 3 days, maybe a quick tour of Tras-os-Montes would be nice. However, you would need a rental car to really appreciate the region with its many little villages. By public transport, you would probably be only able to visit Chaves, Braganca and Vila Real in 3 days, which are still nice but only a small part of what the region has to offer.