Porto is my favorite city I visited in Portugal, and in my top 5 of all European cities. It’s smaller than Lisbon, but still big enough to have everything you want from a major city. You can easily walk around the city in a day, although I’d recommend staying for more time.
My favorite thing about Porto is the views of the river Douro. You won’t miss it as there are beautiful views of the river almost everywhere you go. Here are some of my favorite viewpoints plus other things to do in Porto.
1. Drink Port wine.
As you might have guessed, Port wine is from Porto. There are a lot of restaurants and wine cellars where you can do a tasting. I found some where you could try 5 kinds for 5 or 6 euros.
You might also want to try a Port and Tonic, a twist on Gin and Tonic made with white Port wine.
There are also wine cellar tours available if you’d like to learn more about the wine making process.
2. Try Pastel de Nata.
Pastel de nata is a traditional Portuguese custard tart that you’ll find everywhere in Portugal. I found a spot near the river called Natas D’ouro where I got a cup of port wine and a pastel de nata for €3.20. This seemed like a good deal to me, but later my tour guide said you should never pay more than €1.20 for a pastel de nata.
3. Try Portuguese and other foods at Mercado do Bolhão.
Mercado do Bolhão is a large covered market with vendors selling fruit, snacks, sardines, flowers, souvenirs, and more. I went almost every day to try different things. My favorites were the salted cod dumpling and bombocas.
4. Cross the Dom Luís I Bridge to Gaia for the best views of Porto.
Porto is on one side of the Douro river and Gaia is on the other. As one tour guide said, “You know what you can’t see from Porto? Porto!”
The Dom Luís I Bridge is the double decker bridge in the center of the city. After you cross the bridge to Gaia, you’ll have a great view of the colorful buildings in Porto. Gaia is also where most of the wine cellars are.
5. Watch the sunset at Jardim do Morro.
Directly after the top level of the bridge is Jardim do Morro. This is one of the best viewpoints in the city and the best place to watch the sunset. Sometimes it can get very busy, so it might be better to go on a weekday. If the park is too crowded, you can also watch the sunset from the nearby Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar.
6. Get drinks and snacks at Mercado Beira-Rio.
While on the Gaia side, check out Mercado Beira-Rio. This market is smaller than Mercado do Bolhão but still has a lot of great food and drinks. It also has a free public bathroom.
7. Take a 6 bridge river cruise.
When you walk along the river, you’ll see lots of people selling boat tours. The main tour is a 6 bridge river cruise that takes you along the Douro to see all 6 bridges in Porto. I took the Manos do Douro tour because it included a free wine tasting at a nearby cellar. This tour was €15, and most of the tours seemed to be around this price. Boat tours are perfect if you need a break from walking, and you’ll get a unique view of the city from the river.
8. See the view and peacocks at Jardins do Palácio de Cristal.
I went to Jardins do Palácio de Cristal to see the gardens, and was surprised to see a bunch of peacocks roaming around. There were also chickens. I don’t know why they’re there but it was fun to see. There are also great views of the river here.
9. Watch and listen to the street performers.
It felt like there were more street performers in Porto than other cities I’ve visited. They were everywhere in the main areas of the city. I even saw a guy playing music on vegetables he engineered to sound like an organ. Hearing the different musicians as you walk around adds to the city’s charm and makes it feel like a special place. This was one of the many things I loved about Porto.
If you want to take a picture or video of a street performer, it’s polite to leave them a tip.
10. Take a free walking tour.
I recommend a walking tour for most cities, and Porto was one of my favorites. Of course it depends on what guide you get, but my guide had a wealth of entertaining information about Porto and the history of Portugal. The next few things on this list are places I went on the walking tour.
Keep in mind that a free walking tour means you don’t have to pay to sign up, but you are expected to leave a tip. $10 seems to be the average.
11. Visit the famous Livraria Lello bookstore.
Livraria Lello is one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world. To see the inside, you’ll need to buy a ticket and wait in line.
Some people believe Harry Potter was written here. According to my tour guide, it was not written here, but some things in Harry Potter were inspired by Porto. JK Rowling was living here at the time and teaching at the university. The uniforms the students wore allegedly inspired the Hogwarts uniforms. Salazar Slytherin is also said to be named after Portugal’s dictator, António de Oliveira Salazar.
12. Climb Clérigos Tower.
It’s hard to miss Clerigos Tower as you walk around Porto. You can also climb to the top for a 360 view of the city.
13. Visit Sé Catedral do Porto.
The main cathedral in Porto has beautiful gothic architecture and is one of the city’s oldest monuments. It’s also on a hilltop with a gorgeous view.
14. See the tiles in São Bento train station.
The walls inside the entrance to São Bento train station are covered in traditional blue tiles depicting scenes from Portuguese history. They’re stunning and even more impressive when you realize someone had to put them up by hand. If you look closely, you might see a few spots where they made a mistake.
15. Visit the “most beautiful McDonald’s in the world.”
The McDonald’s near São Bento train station is said to be the most beautiful in the world. According to my tour guide, it used to be a fancy cafe. When the owners sold it to McDonald’s, there was a condition that they couldn’t change any of the decor. It has beautiful art deco and chandeliers. It’s worth walking inside even if you don’t want to buy anything there.
Outside the McDonald’s, you might see a handler with a Harris Hawk. McDonald’s hires the hawk to scare away pigeons.
Other tips for visiting Porto.
1. Learn a few Portuguese words.
In my experience, most people in Porto speak English. But you will make a better impression if you learn some basic Portuguese words.
Ola is hello, and it’s also polite to say “bom dia” (good day) or “boa tarde” (good evening) when greeting someone. You should also say “obrigada” (thank you). You say obrigrada if you are a woman and obrigado if you are a man. (I looked for a non-binary version and didn’t find a clear answer. Some people said obrigadão, but it would be better to ask someone local.)
“Desculpe” (sorry/excuse me) is also good to know.
“Sem” (without) and “Com” (with) are useful to know for grocery stores and restaurants. I accidentally bought “soup without potatoes” because I saw the word for potatoes and didn’t read the rest.
This video is helpful for learning basic words and how to pronounce them. Some people drop the first and last syllable. For example, “obrigada” becomes “brigad”
2. Don’t confuse Portuguese with Spanish.
Don’t say “gracias” or talk about siestas. Locals might be offended as if you think Portugal and Spain are the same thing. If you are fluent in Spanish, they will probably be able to understand you. But if you’re not, it’s better to use English instead of Spanish.
3. Bring your umbrella.
The weather in Porto is almost always a mild temperature, but it can rain a lot. When I was there in May it rained about half the time during my 10-day trip. On a sunny day after a few days of rain, the parks and other places were extra busy with people wanting to enjoy the nice weather.
4. Transportation in Porto.
Using the metro in Porto.
The metro in Porto is very easy to use. The lines are color coded and each station has clear signs in English. The metro came around every ten minutes for the lines I used. When you buy a ticket, it will ask you how many zones. This was confusing to me at first, but the ticket machine has a sign right next to it that tells you how many zones your stop is. You tap your ticket on the machines before you enter the train, and again if you transfer.
How to get to Porto from the airport.
The metro goes to the Porto airport and runs frequently. You’ll see signs at the airport for the metro and machines to buy tickets.
How to get to Lisbon from Porto.
I went to Lisbon after Porto and took a Flixbus there. This was the cheapest option at the time. You can also take the train.