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Exploring Porto: A Comprehensive Travel Guide To Portugal's Second City 🇵🇹



Porto is a coastal city in the northwest of Portugal, Porto is known for its colourful houses and port cellars. A 2 days trip would be perfect to see most things in Porto, but of course if you have more time then you can stay there longer.




16 Top Things To Do In Porto

1. Rio Douro (Douro River) & Cais Da Ribeira (Ribeira Pier)


The riverbanks of Douro in the Ribeira district is the probably the first thing to be done when visiting Porto. You can have breakfast there and start your day from that famous area in Porto. The specific area of Cais da Ribeira is the most visited location in Porto for the best river side view.



The colourful townhouses are great to look at which are lined at the banks of the river. In that area you will find restaurants with terraces to enjoy the view while having a meal. This area is the heart of the city so it will be crowded most of the time. You can take a boat ride through the Douro River and enjoy the beautiful scenery of Porto. This can take you around 30 minutes depending on much time you have, just enjoy the view and wander around.



2. Praça Da Ribeira (Ribeira Square)


The Praça da Ribeira Square is one of the oldest squares in Porto as well as one of the most famous. This location will be crowded most of the time as well so you can visit early in the day before the crowd and also take a walk around the area. This can take you less than 15 minutes.


3. Ponte Dom Luís I (Dom Luís I Bridge)


Dom Luís I Bridge is in the Cais da Ribeira area, it is a double-deck metal arc bridge over the Douro River between the city of Porto and the Vila Nova de Gaia. Take a walk across the bridge and enjoy the views, you can take a walk either under the bridge or over the bridge where you will enjoy the view from the top. The bottom level of the bridge is made for cars but you can still walk along side, and the top level of the bridge is for the tram/metro and pedestrians. This can take you less than 15 minutes to see.



4. Teleférico De Vila Nova De Gaia (Vila Nova De Gaia Cable Car)


I keep mentioning in this blog post the beautiful views in Porto, getting on the cable car is the best thing to do to enjoy the views even more. I enjoyed this ride so much even though I am scared of highs and I was on my own, but still I enjoyed it so much and I would recommend it.


It was opened back in 2011, the route between Vila Nova de Gaia Pier and the upper deck of Dom Luís I Bridge allows to have the best view from a unique angle. This can take between 30 minutes and 1 hour, depending on how busy it is.



5. Escada Dos Guindais (Guindais Staircase)


As I mentioned multiple times in this blog post how amazing the views and the scenery are in Porto, there are plenty of climbs in Porto which allows for better views of the city beside the others I mentioned before. Porto is famous for the availability of street stairs and the most famous one if the Escada Guindais, this is the main staircase which leads aways from the district of Ribeira and walking up those stairs you will get a great view of the city of Porto. On your way up those stairs, you can also enjoy the medieval walls and you can see the Douro River and the Dom Luís I Bridge. This can take less than 30 minutes.



6. Funicular Dos Guindais (Porto Funicular Railway)


Another great way to enjoy the views of Porto is to take a ride on the Porto Funicular Railway. This railways climbs the hill located between the Ribeira district and Batalha district. The railway is open from 8:00 to 22:00 during most days of the week, and on Fridays and Saturdays from 8:00 until 00:00. The ticket costs 2.50€. This can take you less than 30 minutes.



7. Sé Do Porto (Porto Cathedral)


This gothic cathedral marks all the pictures of the city of Porto, it is possible to glimpse the two towers from the entire city and the rosacea that characterises it. Its interior houses the Chapel of St. Vincent, the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament. The Treasure of the Cathedral can still be visited in the room of the Cabido next to the cathedral.

It is free to enter the cathedral, but you will have to pay to enter the cloister where you can find the room of Cabido for 3€. It is open between April and October, from 9:00 to 18:30, and from November to March, from 9:00 to 17:30. This can take you between 30 minutes and 1 hour.



8. Torre Dos Clérigos (Clérigos Tower)


The Clérigos architectural complex, classified national monument since 1910 is for its church and its towers, which is one of the main sights in Porto. The Clérigos Tower is the highest tower in Portugal, with 76 meters of height and also with more that 200 steps to reach the top for the best panoramic view of Porto. This can take you less than 15 minutes.



9. Palácio Da Bolsa (Stock Exchange Palace)


Palácio da Bolsa is located in the historic centre of Porto built in 1842, this national monument is now the headquarters of the Commercial Association of Porto. You can visit the Palace and enjoy the Arabian Hall or the Nations' Patio where the decorative stuccoes and heraldic representations stand out.


The ticket cost 10€ and it is open from 9:30 to 18:30 from April to October, and from November to March from 9:30 to 13:00 and from 14:00 to 17:30. This can take between 30 minutes and 1 hour.



10. Igreja De Santa Clara (Church Of Santa Clara)


The interior of the Church of Santa Clara is covered with gilded carving which makes this church one of the most visited places in Porto. Anyone who visit this church is always left impressed and mesmerised by its decorative exuberance. This can take less than 30 minutes.



11. Estação De São Bento (São Bento Station)


The São Bento Station was opened back in 1916, and it is considered as one of the most beautiful railway stations in the world. The atrium is covered by 20,000 tiles which would leave anyone impressed. You can also attend a Tile Making Workshop where you can create your own and also learn about the history. This can take less than 10 minutes.



12. Largo Da Pena Ventosa (Pena Ventosa Square)


This is one of the most charming squares in Porto, you will find a lot of beautiful and colourful houses surrounding the square. There are a few cafes there where you sit there and relax. This can take less than 30 minutes, enjoy walking around.



13. Livraria Lello (Lello Library)


If you are a fan of Harry Potter, then you will love this place. This is a beautiful bookstore which was made famous from the Harry Potter stories of JK Rowling, the story is that when JK Rowling used to live in Porto, she had got her inspiration from that bookstore for her novels. Also, this bookstore is known for being the most beautiful bookstore in the world. You can also book a tour at the library to skip the lines as there will always be lines outside as it is very popular, and also because they allow a limited number of people to enter. The best thing to do is to buy tickets in advance through their website or simply book a tour. This can take you between 30 minutes and 1 hour, depending on how busy it is and how much time you have.



14. Igreja Do Carmo (Church Of Carmo)


This is a beautiful church where you can see azulejos tiles of Porto, this building is compromised of two churches that are separated by a narrow house, and this house was put in the middle of these churches by the nuns and the monks. Its huge exterior is beautiful and captivating. This can take you less than 30 minutes.



15. Festas De São João (Festivities Of Saint John)


If you love festivals then you will enjoy this one, the whole city celebrates on the 23rd of June and it is called the festivities of St. John, patron saint of Porto. It is characterised by music, snacks, popular dances, fireworks, plastic hammers, and the liberation of the famous Saint John balloons.


16. Day Trip To Aveiro


If you are traveling through Portugal and make it to Porto, then you have to visit Aveiro. It is known as the "Portuguese Venice" and it is famous for its beautiful canals.




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How To Get To Porto


Porto has an airport with a lot of international flights arriving from different locations, so you can see if there is a flight available from where you are visiting. However most flights go into the capital, Lisbon, so it is also possible to get to Lisbon and then take a direct  train or a bus from there to Porto.


A train ride takes around 3 hours and it cost between 26€ and 60€, take the train from Gare Oriente. A bus ride takes between 4 to 5 hours and it cost between 25€ and 37€, take the bus from either Sete Rios or Gare Oriente. I love to use Omio to book most train or bus rides in Europe in general.




How To Move Around Porto


When you make it Porto, it is easy to explore on foot as most sights are within a walking distance from each other so make sure to wear some good and comfortable walking shoes. Simply make sure to buy tickets for the trams and funicular railway in case you get tired of walking. Also, using Uber to get around Porto is a good idea as well as Uber is not expensive in Portugal in general.




Best Time To Visit Porto


Porto is a beautiful place to visit any time of the year but during the winter it rains a lot there. The best times to visit would be late spring or early autumn as it is sunny and the temperatures are much cooler, and also it won't be as crowded as during the summer as there are less tourists during these times.




Accommodations In Porto


If you want to be by the riverside then stay at Ribeira, but if you prefer the hill and that view then stay near Igreja do Carmo. I stayed at an Airbnb, but you can also find a lot of hotels in those areas.


You can book your accommodation through Booking.com, which is the one I use the most, or if you wan to stay in a hostel you can book through HostelWorld. You can also use Agoda, Trivago, or Vrbo to book your accommodations. I know most people have a favourite website or app to use, so just choose what you prefer best.





Best Cafes & Restaurants In Porto

  • Mesa 325 (Gluten-free options, vegan friendly, European)

  • Hungry Biker (Gluten-free options, vegan friendly, European)

  • Noshi Coffe & Healthy Food (Gluten-free options, vegan friendly)

  • Restaurante Chama (Vegan friendly)


If you wan to find more cafes & restaurants to try, then you can do so through TripAdvisor.



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