Things to Do in Porto Portugal – Your Complete Travel Guide

Porto, a magnificent city in Portugal along the Douro River, offers countless things to do that will captivate every traveler. The iconic Dom Luís I Bridge and the riverside promenade along the Douro are places you’ll likely visit more than once during your stay. After several visits, I still find new corners of this city worth wandering into. Here’s my honest, practical guide to Porto: what to see, where to stay, and what you should know before you go.

During your visit, you’ll quickly learn that Porto is renowned for its port wine. But did you know the city was once called Portucale, and that Portugal’s name derives from this? I didn’t know that before my first visit.

How Many Days Do You Need in Porto?

Porto deserves your attention. You can easily spend 2 to 3 days exploring its highlights, and I’ve returned several times to deepen my understanding of the city. If you also want to fit in a day trip or a wine workshop, 3 to 4 days is a safer bet

Things to Do in Porto: Top Attractions

The Colorful Ribeira District

In the colorful Ribeira district, you’ll find a living painting full of history along the banks of the Douro. Every alley and stone whispers stories of centuries-old trade routes and maritime adventures. This is the most touristy part of the city, and for good reason.

As you wander, take the narrow streets behind the riverfront. That’s where the history of the city drips from every stone. I can completely lose myself there.

The woman on the balcon there? That’s one of those typical images I associate with Portugal.

As I continued wandering, I began to appreciate the Ribeira district more. Many traditional buildings, colorful houses, and plenty of charming little shops. When exploring Ribeira, take those narrow streets – that’s where the history of this city drips from every stone.

These are the wonderful glimpses I love when wandering through a city like Porto!

Clérigos Tower

From many angles in Porto, you can see this Clérigos tower. I had walked past it several times without noticing. I had even sat in front of it once, eating the delicious famous pastel de Bacalhau in 2016.

To get a beautiful view over Porto, you must climb the Clérigos tower, but the Clérigos church is also worth visiting. It’s a beautiful old baroque church with enormous amounts of gold and, as befits a Catholic church: statues.

Book your ticket for Clerigo Tower

The old church behind the tower is a great church still, a lot of decoration and statues. The building underneath the tower is a museum and interesting to walk through and see the history of Porto and the church itself.

Find a Beautiful Miradouro Overlooking Porto

Porto has many beautiful viewpoints, or as they’re called here: miradouros. One of the most famous is Miradouro do Jardim do Morro, lively and crowded every evening, which naturally attracts street musicians while you sit on the grass and watch the sunset over the Douro.

Other miradouros to visit include Miradouro da Vitoria, Miradouro das Fontainhas, Miradouro do Infante, or Miradouro do Rua das Aldas.

Looking for a quieter spot to watch the sunset? Walk a little further toward Miradouro das Fontainhas, where you can descend into small community gardens. A local recommended this to me. It was very quiet when I walked there, which was welcome, though the sunset itself was hiding behind clouds that day.

Capela das Almas

Another beautiful chapel, tiled in azulejos. From a distance, you can already see the blue shimmering on the facade. The chapel is a popular backdrop for photos, and rightly so. Inside, it’s well worth a look too, with statues and gold detailing.

The street Rua Santa Catarina where Capela das Almas is located is a nice street to browse for potential souvenirs.

Igreja do Carmo / Carmelitas

A pair of churches worth visiting together: Carmelitas (for nuns) on one side, Carmo (for monks) on the other. When these were built, the two orders weren’t allowed contact with each other, so a tiny house with several floors was squeezed between them. Standing in front, you’d barely notice it’s there.

This is Porto’s narrowest house, just one meter wide at the front. Each floor holds a single room: kitchen, bedroom, and a top floor that wasn’t accessible. The house served various purposes over the centuries, including secret meetings during the French invasion of 1807 to 1811. Something that really sparks my imagination.

What to Eat in Porto

Pastel de Bacalhau

A local specialty worth trying: a deliciously crispy ball of potato, cod, and parsley. The shop is usually busy, but the wait gives you time to see how it’s made.

Something you definitely must try is this local specialty, a deliciously crispy oval ball of potato, cod, and seasoned with parsley, among other things. The shop is extremely busy, but while waiting in line, you have plenty to see. The entire history is explained to you like in a museum. Super fun to peek inside even if you don’t want to try this delicious ball.

Sé Cathedral / Porto Cathedral

From the Dom Luis I Bridge, I walked uphill and after crossing several streets, I arrived at the Cathedral. But I didn’t want to deprive you of this view of the bridge with a beautiful street.

The streets along the way are worth slowing down for, laundry strung between buildings and all.

For this reason, taking those stairs is really worth it, I think!

I enjoyed the view from outside more than the cathedral’s interior, if I’m honest.

I had just finished walking the full Camino Francés, about 800 km in 35 days, when I arrived here. Stepping out of Sé Cathedral, I caught myself looking for yellow arrows out of habit.

The Yellow Camino Arrow!

São Bento Station

Something you also shouldn’t miss in Porto is São Bento station. Throughout the city, you see what we call “Delfts blue.” Here it’s naturally called Azulejos and is a typical Portuguese product. One of the highlights is definitely São Bento Station. With many of these beautiful buildings and churches, you can see it from far away… but that’s not the case here.

The entire hall is tiled floor to ceiling, telling Portuguese history in pictures. You can look at it for a long time and keep finding new scenes.

Currently, in 2025, the 20,000 azulejos that the station is rich in are covered with a layer of white dust to protect the azulejos. There’s construction work for the station; the entire street is torn up.

Dom Luís I Bridge

This bridge is iconic for all of Porto. There are naturally many more bridges that can take you to the other side of the Douro, but this one is unique. The bridge is no less than 395 meters long and 45 meters high. At the time of the bridge’s construction (1880), this was the longest bridge in the world.

In the first video, you can see it briefly. The Dom Luís I Bridge. This is iconic when you take beautiful photos from the city’s lovely viewpoints. This way, you get the beautiful houses, the Douro River, and naturally that beautiful bridge!

And when I came to watch the sunset, Brazilian Fernando suddenly appeared in my lens. I arrived with him in Santiago de Compostela after 35 days of walking. That evening we had a lovely dinner together on Porto’s waterfront!

Vila Nova de Gaia

When you cross the beautiful Ponte Luis I, you arrive in this new city of Gaia. Also very interesting to visit. Here you’ll find most port houses and delightful restaurants along the Douro waterfront. These port houses are naturally open for visits.

Why I went to Vila Nova de Gaia was for this next masterpiece by Bordalo II. It’s called Half Rabbit, and this can be admired in the streets of Vila Nova de Gaia. I had also visited many of his artworks in Lisbon, and I find them beautiful.

Gaia is also home to the WOW museum, a cultural center covering the history of port wine, cork, and chocolate, surrounded by good restaurants.

Want to take the cable car over Gaia? Do you see the gondola in the photo above? You get fantastic views over Gaia but naturally also Porto and the Douro River. A one-way trip costs 7 euros and return 10. For children, you pay half that amount.

Street Art in Porto

Porto also has beautiful street art! I find it a fun way to discover a city lately. During my visit to Porto, I searched for beautiful street art. It takes you to completely different places and through different streets than you would otherwise visit. I had naturally already been to the Half Rabbit in Vila Nova de Gaia that I shared above.

But this way, I also found this beautiful cat in a super narrow alley. I walked past it and caught a glimpse of the 18-meter-high Cat in the Alley. I tried in multiple ways to capture the cat properly, but the entirety of 10 meters wide by 18 meters high was impossible for me to photograph well.

I also went looking for “Look at Porto” by Vhils, eventually finding it on Rua de Miragaia, near the World of Discoveries museum. The artwork itself is striking, even if the location wasn’t quite as memorable.

Walk around with open eyes during your visit and you’ll keep finding more.

Livraria Lello

But I still didn’t stand in line again. The line is always so long that I prefer not to spend my time on that. While I also think it’s magical to see… but when you have to share that image with so many people, I skip it.

There are different tickets available to visit Lello bookstore. It is the case that if you buy a ticket just for sightseeing Livraria Lello, this amount (10 euros in 2025) is deducted from the purchase of a book.

Are you a Harry Potter fan? Then you can’t miss Livraria Lello, naturally. The interior of this bookstore, but also the clothing of students in Porto, inspired JK Rowling when she lived in Porto. I can certainly imagine that when you stand in that bookstore, see the beautiful staircase, and have the Harry Potter films in the back of your mind, you make associations with them.

Escadas dos Guindais

Do you prefer the stairs or the funicular for the climb up from the riverfront? I’m team stairs, but if you’re traveling with family or it’s a hot day, the Funicular dos Guindais is a perfectly good alternative with a view thrown in.

Vegetarian Tips for Porto

I had some wonderful meals at several places during my visit to Porto. For once, it wasn’t difficult to eat vegetarian, and that really made me happy. The first one I want to recommend is an Indian restaurant:

Flavour Fusion Indian Restaurant

I went there twice and had an Aloo Tiki Chat and Samosa Chat. Really so delicious! I naturally love Indian food, and the chats here brought me back to India for a moment. They serve the chat as an appetizer, but for me, especially the Samosa Chat, was a whole meal.

Honest Green on Rua Santa Catarina

I also had a delicious vegetarian meal at Honest Green. The plate wasn’t super filled, and for an evening meal, I had just enough. Note that I’m not a super big eater. But the taste and concept of Honest Green make me recommend it. They also have meat options here but guarantee that it’s good quality regarding the animal’s life.

Kind Kitchen

At Kind Kitchen, I had a delicious sandwich with fries. I found it really super tasty and can heartily recommend it to you. The entire menu is simply vegan with a vegetarian exception, and that’s clearly indicated. How wonderful that such restaurants exist in a country that’s still so meat-oriented.

Is Porto Safe? Honest Tips From Experience

I spent twenty years as a police officer before I started traveling full time, so safety is something I notice automatically, wherever I go. Here’s the honest picture for Porto. Porto is a safe city for tourists. Violent crime against visitors is rare, and Portugal consistently ranks among the safest countries in Europe. The real risk is much smaller and much more familiar: pickpocketing in crowded places.

A few things worth knowing:

• Ribeira, São Bento station, and Tram 1 are the spots where opportunistic theft happens most. Crowds, street performers, and tour groups create the kind of distraction pickpockets rely on. Keep your bag zipped and in front of you, not slung over one shoulder.
• The petition scam. Someone approaches with a clipboard, sometimes claiming to be deaf, asking you to sign something. While you’re distracted, an accomplice goes for your bag or pocket. Decline politely and keep walking; don’t stop to read it.
• Taxis. Agree on a price upfront if the meter isn’t running, especially from the airport. Uber and Bolt are widely used in Porto and tend to be a more predictable option.
• Restaurant pricing in Ribeira. A handful of tourist-facing restaurants here quote one price outside and charge another at the table. Check reviews first and confirm prices verbally if anything feels off.
• Neighborhoods to be a little more alert in after dark: areas like Pasteleira, away from the main tourist routes. You’re unlikely to end up there by accident, but it’s worth knowing the name.

Emergency numbers: 112 (police, medical, fire)

My honest take: I’ve walked through Ribeira late in the evening more than once and never felt unsafe. Stay aware in crowds, keep your bag closed, and Porto gives you very little to worry about.

When to Visit Porto

• Spring (March to May): mild weather, fewer crowds, ideal for walking the hills.
• Summer (June to August): warm and busy, especially during São João in late June.
• Autumn (September to November): my favorite season here, pleasant temperatures and a calmer pace.
• Winter (December to February): quiet and atmospheric, with the Douro often wrapped in morning mist.

Where to Stay in Porto

Ribeira: the postcard neighborhood, right on the river. Everything is walkable from here, and you’re in the middle of the action, though it’s also the busiest and liveliest part of town, even at night.

Cedofeita and Boavista: a calmer, more residential choice a short walk or tram ride from the center. Good for travelers who want some distance from the evening crowds while staying close enough to walk in.

Foz do Douro: quieter, closer to the beach, a bit further from the historic center. A good fit if you want some peace in the evenings and don’t mind a short tram ride into town. I can recommend Casa da Marechal here, which also has its own pool.

Vila Nova de Gaia: on the south side of the river, right among the port houses. Some of the best views of Porto’s skyline are actually from this side, looking back across the water.

Worth Knowing: The Porto Card

If you’re planning to visit several museums, note that since the end of March 2026, the Porto.CARD no longer includes public transport. There’s now a transport-only version (the Andante Tour Card) and a separate Porto.CARD Walker for sightseeing discounts. If you want both, you’ll need to buy them separately.

Final Tips for Your Porto Adventure

Porto is incredibly colorful, in every sense of the word. I keep thinking about going back, maybe combining it with Lisbon for a longer trip through Portugal.

This guide covers the essential things to do in Porto, from historic sites and viewpoints to where to stay and how to keep your trip safe. Whether you’re here for the port wine, the azulejo tiles, or just wandering the riverside, Porto rewards travelers who take their time.

Read more:

• Viana do Castelo Travel Guide: Hidden Gem on Portugal’s Camino Portuguese Route
• Discovering Lisbon Street Art by Bordalo II
• Lagos Portugal Travel Guide
• Fishermen’s Trail in Portugal – Hiking along the Atlantic Ocean
• Rota Vicentina – Historical Way Portugal – Stage 1, 2 & 3

This article contains affiliate links. If you book or purchase something through one of these links, we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.