Things to do in Porto: 30 must-sees and hidden gems

Porto is one of my favourite city breaks in Europe. The historic centre is gorgeous, the food and drink is amazing, and the whole city is packed with things to do.

I’ve put together this guide to the best things to do in Porto based on my experiences on three trips to the city. This post is your one-stop lowdown on everything from the major sights in the historic centre to a port wine cellar tour across the river in Vila Nova de Gaia, a beach afternoon, and one very famous bookshop that’s become a must-see.

Each place has a Google Maps link, and I’ve put together all my recommendations on my things to do in Porto Google map.

I’ve only included places that I’ve visited myself and that I think are worth your time. If you’ve been to Porto and there’s something you think I’ve missed, let me know in the comments!

The must-sees

If you only have a couple of days in Porto, here are the top 5 places you shouldn’t miss.

Walk the Ribeira waterfront

The Ribeira area is one of the best reasons to visit Porto, and once you arrive you’ll understand why immediately. The waterfront stretches along the north bank of the Douro, lined with colourful old buildings – some polished up, some beautifully faded – with the graceful Dom Luís I Bridge rising at one end.

It’s a lovely place to linger, especially in the afternoon when the light softens and the waterfront cafés and restaurants fill up. Grab a seat at one of the waterfront cafés or restaurants, or just walk from end to end taking it all in.

Address: Cais da Ribeira, 4050-511 Porto, Portugal
Cost: Free, but there are loads of cafés, bars, restaurants and market stalls

Cross the Luís I Bridge

The Dom Luís I Bridge is one of Porto’s most iconic sights – a double-decked iron bridge spanning the Douro that connects Porto to Vila Nova de Gaia on the opposite bank.

You can walk across both the upper and lower decks, and each gives a very different view: the lower level puts you right at river height, with boats passing beneath your feet and a fabulous view of the bridge structure above, while the upper level offers sweeping panoramas over the city. The Jardim do Morro on the Gaia side is worth a stop too, particularly at sunset.

If you’re scared of heights, then you might want to avoid the top deck; as well as the height, the Porto Metro trams cross on the upper level, right by pedestrians. The bridge can shake a bit as the trams go past, and unlike the trams we have in Manchester they don’t toot to tell you to get out of the way!

Address: Ponte Dom Luís I, 4000 Porto
Cost: Free

Admire the azulejos at São Bento Station

São Bento railway station is one of the most beautiful train stations in the world. The entrance hall is covered floor-to-ceiling in azulejo tile panels depicting scenes from Portuguese history. There are around 20,000 tiles, all painted in the early twentieth century by Jorge Colaço.

Even if you’re not catching a train, it’s absolutely worth going inside for a look. It’s free to enter and takes only 10 to 15 minutes to take it all in properly, although I recommend visiting as part of a guided tour to get the full explanation of what each scene depicts.

Address: Praça de Almeida Garrett, 4000-069 Porto, Portugal
Cost: Free. No train ticket is needed to visit the entrance hall.

Take a port wine cellar tour

This is one of the highlights of any Porto trip and really shouldn’t be skipped – even if you don’t like port. The port wine lodges line the hillside in Vila Nova de Gaia on the south bank of the Douro, and most of them offer tours and tastings that take you through the production process and finish with two or three glasses of different styles to try.

Some of the best-known names include Graham’s, Taylor’s, Sandeman and Calem, and each one has a slightly different take on the tour experience. I’ve taken a few port tours on my trips to Porto and my favourite is Taylor’s, where you can wander through vast, sweet-smelling warehouses then taste different varieties in their lovely garden with Douro views.

Most lodges offer a basic tour with a couple of tastings from around €20, with more in-depth experiences at higher price points. I did a tasting which included cheese and chocolate pairings at the Calem cellar and I highly recommend paying a little extra for the experience.

Address: The lodges are clustered along the hillside in Vila Nova de Gaia, accessible via the lower deck of the Luís I Bridge. For Taylor’s, you might want to walk down from the top deck.
Cost: From around €20 for a standard tour and tasting
Need to book in advance? Yes, particularly if you want more than a basic visit, or if you’re visiting in high season.

Visit the famous Livraria Lello bookshop

Livraria Lello is regularly listed among the most beautiful bookshops in the world, and it definitely lives up to that title. The Art Nouveau interior is gorgeous, with carved wooden shelves, a sweeping red staircase, gargoyles and a stained glass ceiling.

It’s often called the ‘Harry Potter bookshop’, as JK Rowling lived in Porto for a while and it looks so magical inside, but Rowling has said she never visited. It was classified as a Portuguese National Monument in February 2026.

While Livraria Lello is stunning, it’s the closest thing Porto has to a tourist trap. You need to book a timed slot to visit, and even then, you’ll queue to get in, queue to take a photo on the famous staircase, queue to get upstairs and then queue to buy your book.

That said, it’s still one of the top attractions in Porto, and if you’re at all intrigued, you should probably see it. Book your ticket in advance and try to get one of the first or last slots of the day to minimise the crowds.

Address: R. das Carmelitas 144, 4050-161 Porto, Portugal
Cost: From €12 (redeemable against book purchase)
Need to book in advance? Yes, essential

If you have a bit more time in Porto

Already ticked off the top 5 things to do in Porto? Here’s where to go next.

Get a photo in front of the tiles at the Chapel of Souls

The Chapel of Souls (Capela das Almas) is one of the most striking (and Insta-famous) buildings in Porto and yet somehow flies slightly under the radar compared to the bigger sights.

The entire exterior facade is covered in over 15,000 azulejo tile panels depicting the lives of Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Catherine of Alexandria. The side of the church is a popular Porto photo spot.

It sits on a busy corner of Rua de Santa Catarina, Porto’s main shopping street, and just along from Mercado do Bolhão, so it’s easy to combine with other nearby sights. Entry is free and takes just a few minutes.

Address: R. de Santa Catarina 428, 4000-124 Porto, Portugal

Climb Clérigos Tower

Clérigos Tower (Torre dos Clérigos) is Porto’s most recognisable landmark; the tall baroque tower appears on the skyline from nearly every vantage point in the city.

Climbing it is tough but worth the effort. There are 225 steps, and the staircase is really narrow, so be prepared to squeeze past people going the other way – I highly recommend leaving any bags in the luggage store!

Once you’re up there, the view from the top over the rooftops and the river is brilliant, and you can see all the way to the Atlantic in the distance.

Address: R. de São Filipe de Nery, 4050-546 Porto, Portugal
Cost: Combined tickets for the tower, church and museum cost €8
Need to book in advance? No

Visit Porto Cathedral (Sé do Porto)

The Sé do Porto stands on one of the city’s highest points; there’s been a cathedral on this site since the twelfth century. The current building is a mix of Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque elements, each layer added across different centuries, which gives it a pleasingly intriguing look.

The Gothic cloisters are covered in beautiful azulejo panels, as is the terrace on the cloister roof. You can climb the tower, which has lovely views over the Ribeira waterfront and Dom Luís I Bridge. It’s 121 steps from the ground floor to the top of the tower (I counted!), so while it’s still strenuous, it’s a much easier climb than the Clérigos Tower!

Address: Terreiro da Sé, 4050-573 Porto, Portugal
Cost: €4, which includes the cloisters and tower climb
Need to book in advance? No, but the ticket queue can take a while

See the golden interior of Igreja de São Francisco

The exterior of Igreja de São Francisco is fairly plain stonework, which makes the interior all the more extraordinary. Every surface appears to be covered in carved wood gilded with gold; reportedly around 300kg of it was applied during the Baroque renovations of the 17th and 18th centuries. When the light hits it through the windows, the whole place glows.

There are also catacombs beneath the church, included as part of the same ticket. The catacombs hold the bodies of Franciscan monks, along with tombs of Porto’s wealthiest families. Underneath the catacombs there’s an ossary with thousands of human bones, visible through a little area of glass floor in the farthest corner of the catacombs.

Address: R. do Infante Dom Henrique, 4050-297 Porto, Portugal
Cost: €7
Need to book in advance? No

Check out the street art

Porto is one of the best cities in Europe for street art, with huge murals and tiny pieces all over both the historic centre and on the other side of the river in Vila Nova de Gaia.

The most famous is probably the ‘Half Rabbit‘ in Vila Nova de Gaia, but I also loved the giant blue cat ‘Perspéntico’ just off Rua das Flores and the painted houses with funny characters at Escadaria da Tv. de Cândido dos Reis.

Keep your eyes open as you walk around the city or take a street art tour to make sure you hit the best pieces.

Address: All over the city
Cost: Free
Need to book in advance? Yes, if you want to take a tour.

Explore the little streets leading down from the Sé

The narrow streets and staircases leading down towards the Ribeira waterfront are some of the prettiest parts of the city. They wind past brightly-coloured houses with sleeping cats and laundry blowing in the breeze, all the way down to the river.

I took the Escadas das Verdades (Stairs of Truth) from behind the Bishop’s Palace, which pass through an arch in the old city walls known as the Gate of Lies. From there I wandered downhill through the quiet lanes until I emerged at the river.

Address: I started at the stairs alongside the Capela Nossa Senhora das Verdades, R. de Dom Hugo, 4050-305 Porto, Portugal
Cost: Free

Indoor attractions for a rainy day

Porto is one of the wettest cities in Europe, and I’ve had at least a little rain on each one of my visits. It didn’t last long, but it’s best to have some ideas in advance! Here’s what I’d do in Porto on a rainy day.

Discover the museums, restaurants and shops at WOW Porto

WOW (World of Wine) is a large cultural complex on the hillside in Vila Nova de Gaia, with six museums covering wine, the history of Porto, chocolate, cork, and the art of drinking. You can buy tickets for individual museums or a combo pass. I visited the Pink Palace, which is an immersive museum experience dedicated to rosé wine with lots of very generous tastings!

It’s all housed in a converted warehouse complex with terraces and several restaurants, and the views across the Douro to Porto city are great from up here.

With so much to see and do, plentiful wine and chocolate samples, restaurants on site and short walks between the museums, WOW Porto is one of the best things to do in Porto on rainy days.

Its location in Vila Nova de Gaia means it’s easy to pair with a visit to one of the port wine lodges; the Taylor’s port tour is right behind WOW and you can buy a combined ticket for the two attractions. You might need rolling back to your hotel after all that wine and chocolate though!

Address: The official address is Rua do Choupelo 39, 4400-088 Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal, but it’s a huge site. The closest entrance to the Vila Nova de Gaia riverfront is on R. de Guilherme Braga. Taxis may drop you off on Rua do Choupelo.
Cost: Individual museum and attraction tickets cost €12-25; various combination tickets are available.
Need to book in advance? No

Explore Neonia Porto

Neonia calls itself an “antimuseum” and that’s a fair description. Rather than a conventional exhibition, it’s a 1,500m² space across 20 themed rooms, each one themed after a Porto landmark, tradition or moment in the city’s history. Getting between rooms is part of the experience: some passages involve hidden doors you have to find, and at one point there’s even a slide.

Tickets are a bit pricey for Porto, but it’s very interactive, very photogenic and more rooted in Porto’s actual history than you might expect. I loved the Tesla plasma tubes you can conduct electricity through, the ‘lighthouse’ and all the quirky ways of getting into the different rooms – as a mildly claustrophobic person I should have skipped the mirror maze though! It’s a really fun way to spend an hour or two.

Address: R. de Ceuta 116, 4050-190 Porto, Portugal
Cost: €22 adults, €17 children (3-17) and seniors (65+)
Need to book in advance? Probably not. You can book tickets in advance but I just walked straight in.

Foodie things to do in Porto

Porto is such a foodie city, with amazing restaurants hidden behind unassuming exteriors, local specialities and a market that Anthony Bourdain helped save.

Graze at Time Out Market Porto

Time Out Market Porto opened in 2019, following the format of the Lisbon original: a large food hall in a historic building bringing together some of the best restaurants and chefs in the city under one roof.

The Porto incarnation is housed in refurbished railway warehouses right next to the platforms at São Bento station, so the location’s really convenient for the other top sights around Porto.

It’s a good option for lunch or dinner if you can’t decide what you’re in the mood for, or if you’re in a group with different appetites. The quality is really high across the stalls (five Michelin-starred chefs have restaurants here!) and it’s an airy, unpressured place to eat.

Address: Ala Sul da Estação Ferroviária de São Bento, Praça de Almeida Garrett, 4000-069 Porto, Portugal
Cost: Free to enter; food and drinks priced individually per stall
Need to book in advance? No

Stuff your face with pasteis de nata

A fresh pastel de nata (Portuguese custard tart) is one of the great pleasures of visiting Portugal, and Porto has loads of excellent places to find them. They’re best eaten warm from the oven, with a dusting of cinnamon and powdered sugar.

At around €1.50 each, there’s really no excuse not to make them a major part of your diet in Porto, and with all those hills you’ll be climbing you’ll definitely need the sustenance.

Address: Literally everywhere! The Manteigaria chain has three shops in Porto city centre and you can watch the lovely little pasteis de nata being made
Cost: Around €1.50-2 each

Try a Francesinha

The Francesinha is Porto’s most famous local dish, and it’s not for the faint-hearted. It’s a ham, sausage and steak sandwich, covered in melted cheese and then smothered in a spiced beer-and-tomato sauce. If that wasn’t filling enough, it’s sometimes served with a fried egg on top and accompanied by a plate of matchstick fries.

The original is super meaty, but a few cafés have started to do vegetarian alternatives. Francesinhas Al Forno da Baixa even has a vegan version.

Address: All over the city; Café Santiago (Google Maps link) is meant to serve the best Francesinha in Porto.
Cost: Around €12-15
Need to book in advance? Depends on the restaurant.

Browse the Mercado do Bolhão

Mercado do Bolhão is Porto’s main covered market. The market went through a major renovation and reopened in 2022 (thanks at least in part to Anthony Bourdain), and the result is wonderful.

On the ground floor you’ll find stalls selling fish, meat, cheese, fruit, flowers, olives and all kinds of Portuguese deli items, including little plates designed for snacking. There are several wine shops where you can buy a glass of wine to enjoy as you browse. Upstairs, there are a few restaurants, with more opening soon.

Address: R. Formosa 322, 4000-248 Porto, Portugal
Cost: Free to enter

Join a food walking tour

A food walking tour is one of the best introductions to Porto’s food culture, and one of the most enjoyable ways to explore some of the city’s neighbourhoods at the same time.

I took a food tour with Filipe from Do Eat Better which took around 3.5 hours and included stops at a pastel de nata shop, Mercado do Bolhao for cheese and wine, Conga for a bifana pork sandwich, and a traditional restaurant for cod fritters, sausage-flavoured rice and a spinach dish with an inexplicably naughty name, before finishing with a port tasting.

I’m vegetarian, and I’d never actually done a food tour before as I’d always assumed that there wouldn’t be anything I could eat, but Filipe was really kind and managed to find something I could eat at each stop. He managed to weave in the history and culture of Porto while telling us about the food, and the whole tour was so fun and interesting! I definitely recommend this tour if you’re looking for things to do in Porto.

Cost: Typically from around €70 per person, but that included lots of food and drink on my tour – we didn’t need lunch!
Need to book in advance? Yes. Make sure you tell your guide in advance if you have dietary requirements like I do.

Visit (one of) the world’s most beautiful McDonald’s

Porto claims to have the world’s most beautiful McDonalds. I’m not so sure, as I think the one in Budapest is grander, but Porto’s Maccies is definitely worth a look.

Located on Praça da Liberdade, the Porto McDonalds is housed in the former Imperial Café, an Art Deco building from 1936 complete with chandeliers, stained glass, marble columns and ornate painted ceiling panels. It still operates as a standard McDonald’s, which creates a slightly surreal dining experience!

Address: Praça da Liberdade 126, 4000-322 Porto, Portugal
Cost: Free to enter; food at standard McDonald’s prices
Need to book in advance? No, it’s literally just McDonalds!

Visit some of the world’s best cocktail bars

You might be thinking by now that your trip is going to be a bit boozy, thanks to all the alcohol-related things to do in Porto, but it’s all very classy (or as classy as you want it to be!). There are lots of bars in the streets north of Clérigos church and west of Avenida dos Aliados, including the Royal Cocktail Club, which has been named in several lists of the world’s best cocktail bars.

On my last trip, I spent an evening at Apotecario Speakeasy. This intimate basement bar is hidden behind a wall of chemist shop-style drawers, and has a menu where you choose your drink based on vibes, not ingredients.

For my first drink I chose one that was described as ‘fruity, mineral and vibrant’ and for my second one that’s ‘herbal, fresh and bright’, and both were delicious. The bar has a sustainable, organic, farm-to-glass ethos, using ingredients like grapes deemed too tart for wine that would otherwise have gone to waste.

Address: There are great bars across the city. The Royal Cocktail Club is on Rua da Fábrica 105, 4050-247 Porto, Portugal. Apotecario Speakeasy is on R. de Ferreira Borges 60, 4050-253 Porto, Portugal
Cost: Varies. Cocktails at The Royal Cocktail Club start from around €7.
Need to book in advance? Booking is essential for Apotecario Speakeasy

Experiences

Deepen your connection to Porto by booking an experience. These were my personal highlights, and they’re all worth booking before you go.

Take a walking tour

A walking tour is one of the best ways to get oriented when you first arrive in Porto, especially if you don’t have much background on the city’s history. I took a tour with On the Road with Elena, and Elena was so knowledgeable, enthusiastic and lovely – as well as being a great photographer for our group!

The tour took a couple of hours and covered sights like the Dom Luís bridge, São Bento station, the town hall and the Chapel of Souls church.

Cost: Varies – I was on a private tour but a 3-hour group tour costs €15-30
Need to book in advance? Yes

Paint your own azulejo tile

Azulejo tile painting classes have become one of the most popular things to do in Porto, and they’re such good fun even if you have absolutely no artistic confidence.

You’ll be shown the basic techniques and given a tile to decorate, either in the traditional Portuguese style or with your own design. The class I took used stencil templates to create traditional designs, which was perfect for a novice artist like me!

Most tile painting classes last about two hours – you’ll be able to take your tile home but make sure you leave enough time for it to be fired and to go back to pick it up. It makes a lovely souvenir and memory of Porto.

Cost: From €35 per person
Need to book in advance? Yes

Watch a fado show

Fado – the soulful, mostly melancholic Portuguese music that’s hard to describe and unforgettable once you’ve heard it live – was added to UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2011, and there are lots of options for an evening show in the city.

Most fado venues are intimate, with low lighting and a rapt audience. You’ll often be offered a glass of port while you settle in for the show, and there are some which offer a dinner and fado option.

I saw a show at Ideal Clube de Fado, and it was such a beautiful and captivating experience. Two guitarists playing traditional instruments accompanied first a male, then a female Fado singer, with some instrumental pieces in between during the hour-long show. If you’re looking for an authentic Portuguese experience then I’d highly recommend it as an activity.

Address: There are venues all over the city centre
Cost: Traditional fado shows with a glass of port cost around €20-25. Combined tickets with a port wine cellar tour or dinner are also available.
Need to book in advance? Yes, the shows are intimate and often sell out.

Boat trips and more

The Douro is one of the best things about Porto, and getting out on it, alongside it or above it gives you a completely different perspective on the city.

Ride a vintage tram to the coast

Porto’s historic tram network has been reduced over the years, but a few of the original lines still run. It’s important not to confuse the vintage trams with the modern Metro network, they’re completely separate.

Line 1 of the vintage tram follows the Douro riverfront from the Infante tram stop in front of São Francisco church, all the way west to the Passeio Alegre gardens near the seaside in Foz do Douro, and it’s a lovely way to get to the coast. It’s a very popular tourist attraction in Porto so it does get busy; aim for an early or late ride and you’ll have a much better time.

There’s another route (line 18) which currently leaves from outside Clérigos Tower and is a little less busy. You might see online that there’s a third vintage tram line, line 22, but that one’s not running at the moment due to construction work going on in the centre for a new metro line.

Address: Line 1 departs from the Infante tram stop. Line 18 is currently operating on a reduced route and leaves from the Clérigos stop.
Cost: €6 for a single journey, €8 for a return

Take a Six Bridges boat tour

A boat tour along the Douro is one of the most relaxing and enjoyable things to do in Porto, and taking a Six Bridges tour gives you a completely different perspective on the city from the water.

The tour passes under all six of the bridges that cross the Douro between Porto and Gaia, including the Maria Pia railway bridge which looks a lot like the Dom Luís I bridge but might actually have been designed by Eiffel. I did this boat trip on my first visit to Porto; it’s a lovely, 50 minute journey and you get excellent views of both riverbanks, the wine lodges and the historic centre.

Boats depart from the Ribeira waterfront throughout the day, and there are sunset cruises, party boat options and even a pirate ship.

Address: Most tours leave from the Cais da Ribeira waterfront
Cost: From €15 for a basic tour, up to around €50 for a more luxurious experience or a trip which includes port wine tasting.
Need to book in advance? Yes, to make sure you get the experience you want at a time that suits you.

Ride the Teleférico de Gaia cable car

The Teleférico de Gaia is a cable car on the Vila Nova de Gaia side of the river, running between the lower waterfront area and the top of the hillside near the Jardim do Morro viewpoint.

I rode on the cable car on my second trip to Porto, and while it’s a short ride – only a few minutes – the views across the Douro to Porto are spectacular. It’s also a slightly extravagant but easy and leg-saving way to get from the lower riverside up to the top deck of the Dom Luís Bridge. The cable car runs from 10am to 6pm in winter, 7pm in spring and autumn and 8pm in summer.

If you do take the cable car, make sure you pause at the Jardim do Morro station to take a look at the view; it’s one of the most beautiful viewpoints in Porto.

Address: There are two stations. The riverfront station is at Av. de Ramos Pinto 331, 4430-233 Vila Nova de Gaia, while the upper station is at R. Rocha Leão 236, 4430-210 Vila Nova de Gaia.
Cost: €7 one way, €10 return

Save your legs on the Funicular dos Guindais

If you’re at the bottom deck of the bridge and you want to go up to the cathedral or Sao Bento area, you can save yourself a steep uphill hike by taking the Funicular dos Guindais.

The bottom station of the Funicular dos Guindais is just behind the bridge on the Porto side, while the top station is a few minutes’ level(ish) walk from the Cathedral. It runs from 8am to 10pm Sunday to Thursday, finishing at midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

As well as being a very handy transport link for tired legs, the funicular is a really scenic ride. The view is better going down, as you start by the old city walls with the Dom Luís bridge appearing in front of you, but it’s still pretty nice heading uphill.

Address: The lower station is right behind the bridge at Av. Gustavo Eiffel 314, 4000-173 Porto, Portugal, while the upper station is underground at the Batalha tram stop on R. de Augusto Rosa, 4000-098 Porto, Portugal.
Cost: €4 for a single ride

Beyond Porto city centre

Explore the pink palace and treetop walks at the Serralves Foundation

The Serralves Foundation sits in a leafy residential area a little outside the historic centre, and the star of the show is my dream house, the Casa de Serralves.

The Casa de Serralves is a gorgeous pink Art Deco villa from the 1930s set in 18 hectares of gardens and parkland. If I ever win the lottery, I’m moving in.

The park also has a treetop walk above the canopy, which opened after my visit but the grounds are lovely so this must be wonderful. If art is your thing, there’s also the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Álvaro Siza Vieira, on the same site.

Address: R. Dom João de Castro 210, 4150-417 Porto, Portugal
Cost: You can buy a full ticket covering everything for €24, or park only tickets for €15 if you just want to see the outside of the pink villa, the treetop walk and the park.

Walk (or take the vintage tram) to the lighthouse at Foz do Douro

The Felgueiras Lighthouse stands at the point where the Douro meets the Atlantic, in the Foz do Douro neighbourhood at the western edge of the city. It’s one of the most scenic spots in the Porto area.

On a sunny day it’s very picturesque, but there are two sides to this part of the coast. I visited on a moderately windy day in October and the waves crashing against the sea walls were very dramatic; on stormy days it’s actually dangerous to visit.

Assuming the weather is nice, you can get there by walking along the riverside – it’s 4 miles from Ribeira – or you can take Line 1 of the vintage tram most of the way.

Foz do Douro is really nice to explore in its own right, with beaches, good restaurants, and a quieter, more residential feel compared to the historic centre.

Address: R. Alegre, Porto, Portugal

Spend an afternoon at Matosinhos beach

Matosinhos is a working fishing town immediately north of Porto, with two massive draws for visitors – the beach and the seafood restaurants.

Matosinhos beach is long, wide and sandy, with surf schools and beach bars. Behind the working port (sadly, it’s not very photogenic), there’s a street lined with excellent seafood restaurants where you can eat very fresh fish at reasonable prices – our taxi driver from the airport recommended the O Valentim restaurant over anywhere in Porto city centre.

I stayed in Matosinhos on my second trip to Porto (I was visiting for the Primavera Sound music festival which is held there) and had great vegetarian food at Cafetaria Terrárea and Thamel.

Matosinhos is 30 minutes from Porto city centre on the Metro (the most convenient stop in the centre is Trinidade), or around 15 minutes by taxi.

Address: The fish restaurants in Matosinhos are on R. Heróis de França, 4450-158 Matosinhos, Portugal

Planning your trip to Porto

How long to spend in Porto

I had three full days in Porto on my last trip to the city, and I think that’s just about perfect. It’s long enough to see the city highlights without rushing too much or missing out on the joy of a lazy evening by the river.

There’s no shortage of things to do in Porto – I’ve now spent a total of nearly two weeks in Porto and still haven’t seen everything or done all the day trips I want to do!

Getting around Porto

The historic centre is mostly walkable, though be prepared for hills. Porto is built on steep terrain on both sides of the river and the cobbled streets can be tough on the legs, especially in summer.

For longer distances, Porto has a metro system, buses and taxis/Uber. The Metro is the most practical option for the airport (Line E) and Matosinhos (Line A). The line 1 vintage tram is useful and enjoyable for the riverside stretch. It’s easy to get to the port wine lodges in Gaia by crossing the Dom Luís bridge.

Where to stay in Porto

I’ve stayed on Rua das Flores twice; once in an Airbnb and once at the Pousada Porto Rua das Flores hotel, and I’d highly recommend looking around this area. It’s a really convenient base as you’re close to all the main sights, and São Bento station is a few minutes’ walk away at the top of the street.

While the hills in Porto are unavoidable, if you stay in this part of the city then you’re about halfway up the hill between the river and the Clérigos area, so it doesn’t feel quite such a slog to get home!

Day trips from Porto

Porto is an excellent base for day trips. The Douro Valley (terraced vineyards, wine quintas and some of the most spectacular scenery in Portugal) is one of the most popular options, and it’s definitely on my list for my next trip.

Aveiro – sometimes called the Venice of Portugal for its canals – is about an hour away by train and is a very easy day out from Porto. I particularly loved the independent shops and tasting the traditional ovos moles sweets. Guimarães and Braga are both easily reached by train and make great day trips for history.

And that’s it! Your complete, tried and tested guide to the very best things to do in Porto. If you have any questions, let me know in the comments, and if you’ve already visited, I’d love to hear about your favourite places!

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