Skip to content
Porto travel guide: What to do in Porto
Porto is the perfect getaway for a weekend trip, with its famous port cellars, colorful houses, and beautiful riverside location. It’s located on a hill, but generally it’s a very walkable city with enough to do, to keep you busy for a couple of days. Stroll past the different viewpoints overlooking the Douro river, while making your way past all the beautiful buildings with the iconic blue tiles. It offers the opportunity to take a beach day or a wine tour if you’re craving some more relaxed activities. There’s something for everyone in this colorful city. Here are my top things to do in Porto!
What to do in Porto?
Igreja do Carmo
One of the most impressive examples of buildings featuring Azulejo tiles is the Igreja do Carmo. The building consists of two churches, with a very narrow house in between. Why was this house sandwiched in between the two churches? Back in the day they thought it was important to keep the nuns and the monks separate.
Spot more Azulejos (blue tiles)
Azulejo is the name for the beautiful blue tiles you see everywhere in Portugal. The tiles are mostly blue, but you can also find them in other colors. You can find the tiles on the inside and outside of churches, palaces, houses, but nowadays also restaurants and train stations. The tiles originally stem from Arabic architecture. The tiles were well loved in Spain and they developed their own techniques. King Manuel I of Portugal was introduced to these techniques when he visited Spain and he then applied them in Portugal.
The following buildings in Porto have some impressive examples of Azulejos:
- Capela das Almas
- Igreja de Santo Ildefonso
- São Bento trainstation
Port tasting in Gaia
One of the things Porto is most famous for is Port wine. All the famous port houses are located in Gaia. We decided to go with the Cockburn’s tour and it was a great choice. They have the only active Cooper workshop in Gaia. This is where they work on the barrels for storing the port wine. There’s only 8 coopers left in all of Gaia. During the tour you learn a lot about the history of Cockburn’s, but also about the process of the Port making. They offer a few different types of tastings at the end of the tour. We chose the one that included some nice chocolates to go with the port.
Tour+Tasting: Classic tasting: €22, premium tasting with chocolate pairing: €32. These tastings can be booked here.
Watch the sunset from Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar/Jardim do Morro
There’s a monastery on a hill that you can see from almost any viewpoint in Porto. This is Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar. It’s one of the best spots in the city to watch the sunset. You can go all the way up to the monastery or sit in the park right below it. I included one photo of the view and one photo of the monastery. As you can see in the photo, hundreds of people climb up to this pot to watch the sunset!
Rent an electric scooter and drive down the coastline
Explore the Douro river flowing into the Atlantic Ocean by renting an electric scooter. There’s a cycling path running all the way down the coast. (see route below) You can cruise down until you find a nice spot on the beach or until you reach the beautiful chapel that’s perched on a rock in the ocean: Capela do Senhor da Pedra. You can find the bird or bolt scooters in several spots in the city. A convenient spot to rent them is in Gaia. On the route I included below you can see where I picked up mine.
Capela do Senhor da Pedra
Cruise down the coast of Porto all the way to the small village of Miramar. There you’ll find this tiny chapel perched on top of a rock known as Capela do Senhor da Pedra. The chapel dates back to 1686. According to a legend, local fisherman found a wooden statue of Christ on the beach, which led them to building the chapel in this spot. The chapel continues to be a destination for Pilgrims. The hexagonal chapel is a great example of traditional Portuguese architecture. Inside you’ll find the classic blue Azulejo tiles.
Personally, I wanted to visit the chapel, because of its unique location. Especially at high tide, its an impressive place to visit! So, check the tides if you want to see the chapel surrounded by water.
Porto Cathedral
The Porto Cathedral or Sé do Porto is located on a pretty square in the historical centre. It sits up on a hill and the square offers some nice views of the Douro river. Visiting the Cathedral itself is free, but to go into the Cloister you need a ticket. The robust exterior is nice enough, but the inside is the most impressive.
Ticket: €3
Get a massage at ‘Massage Tea & Cakes’
This is small local massage shop run by two women. I’m honestly still heartbroken Maria lives in Porto and not Amsterdam , because I would want to book a weekly massage with her. It may just be the best massage I’ve ever had. So if you need a little relaxation after exploring the city, I highly recommend this place!
Try Pastel de Nata from Castro
Pastel de Nata is likely Portugal’s most famous delicacy. The custard filled pastry is something you have to try! According to locals, Castro serves the best one. While waiting in line for my first taste of the pasty, I did notice several locals were there for their fix as well!
Palácio da Bolsa
Palacio da Bolsa is one of Porto’s most important historical buildings. You can only enter with a tour, because the building is still in use. The tour takes you past several rooms, all with different purposes. Among them is a courtroom, offices of the former presidents of the chamber of commerce and their most impressive room: the Arabian Room. The Arabian room is Porto’s most important hall for official acts and has also staged many concerts and prestigious events. When you enter, you can see why they use this room for special events as it really has that wow factor!
Entrance fee: €12 or €9 with the porto card.
Visit golden church Igreja de São Francisco
The Igreja de São Francisco, also called the golden church is likely Porto’s most famous church. When you enter, you’ll see why. They used around 200 kilos of gold leaf. All the most important families of Porto are buried in the catacomb of the church.
Ticket: Adult: €7,50, Student/Porto card:25% discount
Museum de Arte Comtemporânea de Serralves
If you’re into contemporary art this museum has to be on your list. While I was there, they had an impressive exhibition by Yayoi Kusama. With the ticket you can enter the museum, but everything on the ‘Serralves’ grounds, which includes two more museum and the park next-door.
Ticket: €24
Parque de Serralves/Treetop walk
After visiting the comtemporary art museum, it’s worth taking a walk through the park that’s right next to it. It has two more museums on the grounds and a treetop walk that takes you on a little jungle tour.
Daytrip to Braga
There’s a lot to see in Porto, but if you have the time Braga is an absolutely wonderful city for a daytrip. There’s is the famous Bom Jesus church, but the city is packed with beautiful churches and historical buildings. It takes a little over 1 hour to get there by train.
(Maybe skip) Bookstore Livraria Lello
Livraria Lello is famous for its beautiful interior and for having inspired Harry Potter. So why would I think it may be better to skip it? Let’s start with the positives. Yes, it’s beautiful. It has an iconic red staircase, gothic exterior and art nouveau interior with beautiful stained glass. However, it has a very limited collections of books and it’s always packed with people. I imagined myself browsing the shelves, but besides some pretty classics, they didn’t have a lot of contemporary books and people are constantly bumping into you and taking photos. I did think the store was beautiful, but in hindsight I didn’t think it was special enough to warrant the queues and entrance ticket to get in. Nowadays you can only enter with a ticket (which you can use as credit to purchase a book).
Ticket voucher: €8 valid for entrance and deductible on the purchase of a book
Visit a Foodmarket: Mercado do Bolhâo or Mercado Beira-Rio
Restaurants in Porto, Portugal
Rosi. Café & more: This super cute cafe can be found in the gallery district. They have the most incredible brunch dishes and I could have eaten here every day! There’s a cute little garden in the back. I personally love sitting outside, so I was very happy to have brunch here and read a book in their garden. 
Eleven Lab: You enter through a store, which can be a bit confusing. This brunch place is however well worth a visit. It has lots of healthy options, besides the more well known brunch options.
Vintu – Wine Bar: New wine bar with lovely staff that can give you some great recommendations.
Genuíno – Vinho Natural e Boa Comida: Fresh and interesting dishes, combined with a Wonderfull vibe makes this a place you have to visit.
CA Downtown – Brunch & Specialty Coffee: Brunch place with options for everyone. Wether you are gluten free or vegetarian.
Honest Greens José Falcão: Healthy brunch restaurant. You ‘build’ your meal by choosing your protein and side dishes. I had the salmon and it was super tasty!
Aduela: A classic Portuguese cafe, great for a glass of wine and a snack.
Espécie – Restaurante Vegetariano: Amazing veggie food. Try the KFC (Korean Fried Cauliflower)
Kind kitchen: Great option if you’re looking for a quick vegan dinner.
Places to stay in Porto
Ribeira is right by the riverside and is lively in the evening, but the other side of the river is more quiet and you’ll still be in Porto Center within 10 minutes. If you’d like to have a bit more of a view, somewhere near Igreja do Carmo might be nice as you’ll be close to many good restaurants.
7 Bridges Estúdios- Porto-houses and suites: Why is this one of the best places to stay? You get your own studio in a great location (near Sé do Porto, Ponte Luis) and it’s clean and quiet despite being in the center.
Zero Box Lodge Porto: Looking for something unique and affordable? My friend stayed here while she was looking for a place to live in Porto and she loved this hotel. It’s clean, beds are good and the bar is very nice. Only thing she wouldn’t recommend was the food. But as you’ll be in the center near many restaurants that shouldn’t be an issue.
Chic & Basic Gravity: I love the location of this hotel. It’s very central, but also close to an up and coming neighborhood with in my opinion the very best restaurants. They have a great breakfast and very nice looking rooms.
