BEST THINGS TO DO IN PORTO

Porto has been on my list for many years. Ryan and I flew directly from New York into Porto for four nights and spent two weeks in Portugal exploring Douro Valley, Lisbon, and Algarve. You can see Porto in 3 days but 4 days was the perfect amount of time to relax and enjoy the city slowly. Porto is such a beautiful city with plenty of opportunities for beautiful photos, I’ll share below all of the Instagrammable photo spots in Porto too! Here are all the best things to do in Porto!

WHERE TO STAY

We stayed at Pestana Porto a Brasileira in the city center and it was in the best location! We were able to walk to every single location within 10-15 minutes. The hotel is budget-friendly, clean, and in a great location.

WHAT TO DO

Porto has beautiful blue and white tiles all over the city making them Instagrammable. Most places don’t get crowded at all and you can easily get photos.

Capela das Almas (Chapel of Souls)

Chapel of Souls dates back to the 18th century and is one of the prettiest churches I’ve seen.

Church of Saint Ildefonso

Church of Saint Ildefonso is only a few steps from Chapel of Souls so definitely make your way to both of these on the same day.

Igreja do Carmo

Igreja do Carmo is one of the oldest buildings in the historic part of Porto. It combines two buildings dating from the 1600s and the other from the 1700s. This is right around the corner from the famous Livra Rialello Bookstore.

Sao Bento Railway Station

I had no idea how beautiful this train station was! The staff at the hotel told us we should walk inside and it’s only a few minutes walk from the hotel along the main street in Porto.

Se do Porto (Porto Cathedral)

Porto Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church located in the historical center of the city. I loved visiting this church, it’s beautiful and you will want to take lots of photos here.

Largo da Pena Ventosa

Largo da Pena Ventosa is a cute little colorful area just a few minutes walk from Porto Cathedral.

Livra Rialello Bookstore

Livra Rialello Bookstore has become super popular as it is considered to be the Harry Potter bookstore of Porto and is also named one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world. The line gets very long, I do recommend purchasing advance tickets with the skip-the-line option for 16 euros and you also get a book with the ticket. We purchased the 9 am tickets and were 7th in line 5 minutes until opening.

Gaia Cable Car and Wine Shops

I had a few people recommend going on the Gaia Cable Car to get beautiful views of the river, Dom Luis I Bridge, and the Ribeira district. Once across spend a few hours exploring the wine shops and enjoy port wine tastings.

Adult ticket: 6€ single / 9€ round trip.
Children’s ticket (from 5 to 12 years old): 3€ single / 4.50 € round trip.
Family ticket (two adults and two children / round trip): 22.50€.

Dom Luis I Bridge

Instead of riding the Cable Car, you can also walk across the Dom Luis I Bridge. The views are beautiful but on a hot day, it can be quite hot.

Ribeira District

Ribeira District is so fun to walk around. I highly recommend exploring this area around sunset for drinks and dinner. This area is full of bars and is lined with colorful 18th-century townhouses.

Watch The Sunset

These are great options to watch the sunset. We did not visit this but heard it has great viewpoints for sunset: Gardens of the Crystal Palace. Riberia District is also a great spot for sunset.

WHERE TO EAT

Pastel de Natas at Castro and Manteigaria is next to the Chapel of Souls. These are my favorite two spots for pastel de natas!

Majestic Cafe is ranked one of the most beautiful cafes in the world.

Nectar is a great option for breakfast or brunch. We stopped by here for pancakes after visiting the Livra Rialello Bookstore.

Mito Restaurant was highly rated and it was delicious. Make sure to make reservations.

Meia-Nau for seafood. We did not get a chance to visit but we heard it has some of the best seafood. They also have a location at the Matosinhos Seafood Market.

Cafe Santiago is a famous cafe known for the Francesinha. A Portuguese sandwich originated from Porto! It’s made with layers of toasted bread, assorted meats, ham, cheese, and egg. I gave this a 6 out of 10.

Tasco is one of our favorite meals in Porto! The staff was so friendly and the food was great! Make sure to make reservations.

Matosinhos Seafood Market is a major port and fishing town so they would have the best seafood! We did not get a chance to go but if you go here try Olhinhos de Polvo, Esquina do Avesso, and Meia-Nau. I found this blog post that has a great guide on visiting the market.

Porto was such a fun city to visit, I highly recommend a stop here if you can! From Porto, we took a taxi to Douro Valley, it’s an hour and a half to Lamego Hotel & Life where we spent three nights.