Porto with a full stop
Or how we like to call it the "Invicta Cidade do Porto". It became one of the main tourist destinations in Portugal. Why? Because Porto is unique. The full stop at end of Porto means that there is no other city like Porto, and that is a fact.
We are proud of who we are, of our accent and our food.
Porto is suitable for solo travellers, families, hen/stag dos, romantic escapes, etc. No matter who you’re going with or when, we will welcome you as if you were part of the family.
There are plenty of things you can do, but when time is not our best friend, we get lost on what's most important to see. From my local perspective, here’s a small route and points of interest you can write down for your trip.
Buy a Porto.Card, valid for 1-4days it gives you over 170 discounts and benefits all over the city in restaurants, Porto wine cellars, shopping, Fado restaurant shows, parking, etc. includes free access to 11 museums and a free visit to a Porto Wine Cellar. You can buy it online or in one of the official tourism offices. More info here.
Start at Avenida dos Aliados, the heart of the city. It's a grandiose boulevard lined up with amazing buildings and a central promenade where you can also see the Porto Council Chamber, in marble and granite. Towards the end of boulevard you can see the statue of the King Pedro IV. Stop for a second to make a decision, turning left or right...?
Turning left:
📍 You'll arrive to one of the most beautiful train stations ever, the S. Bento station.
It has more than 20,000 tiles that portray some the History of Portugal.
↓ Going down towards the river through Rua das Flores, one of the most beautiful and iconic street in Porto, you’ll arrive to 📍Palácio da Bolsa. Famous for its ballrooms, one of the highlights is the Arabian Hall with +300m2 of splendour.
⬩ Tip: take a peek at the gothic S. Francisco Church ⇢ Then walk towards Ribeira to contemplate 📍D. Luís bridge and enjoy the buzz around this area. If you can, cross the bridge and admire the beautiful view to Porto from the other side of the river, called Vila Nova de Gaia city. Take advantage and visit the famous 📍Porto Wine caves, you can take the cable car (return ticket) to appreciate the magnificent view from the top (Serra do Pilar). ⬩ Tip: with the cable car return ticket there is 3 free Porto Wine samples that you should go as they sometimes have Fado whilst you’re enjoying a very good Port.
There are plenty of things you can do, but when time is not our best friend, we get lost on what's most important to see. From my local perspective, here’s a small route and points of interest you can write down for your trip.
Buy a Porto.Card, valid for 1-4days it gives you over 170 discounts and benefits all over the city in restaurants, Porto wine cellars, shopping, Fado restaurant shows, parking, etc. includes free access to 11 museums and a free visit to a Porto Wine Cellar. You can buy it online or in one of the official tourism offices. More info here.
Start at Avenida dos Aliados, the heart of the city. It's a grandiose boulevard lined up with amazing buildings and a central promenade where you can also see the Porto Council Chamber, in marble and granite. Towards the end of boulevard you can see the statue of the King Pedro IV. Stop for a second to make a decision, turning left or right...?
Turning left:
📍 You'll arrive to one of the most beautiful train stations ever, the S. Bento station.
It has more than 20,000 tiles that portray some the History of Portugal.
⬩ Tip: take a peek at the gothic S. Francisco Church ⇢ Then walk towards Ribeira to contemplate 📍D. Luís bridge and enjoy the buzz around this area. If you can, cross the bridge and admire the beautiful view to Porto from the other side of the river, called Vila Nova de Gaia city. Take advantage and visit the famous 📍Porto Wine caves, you can take the cable car (return ticket) to appreciate the magnificent view from the top (Serra do Pilar). ⬩ Tip: with the cable car return ticket there is 3 free Porto Wine samples that you should go as they sometimes have Fado whilst you’re enjoying a very good Port.
Turning right:
You’ll see 3 of the main points of interest:
📍The Clérigos tower: go for the climb, it costs around €3 and the view is amazing.
📍Lello Bookstore, which inspired J.K. Rowling when she taught English in Porto and it’s considered the 3rd most beautiful bookstore in the world. Entry costs €3 but if you buy any book it’s deducted on your final bill.
📍Praça dos Leões, a promenade to take some pictures or a break. ⬩ Tip: Look for Café Piolho, it’s one of the oldest coffee shops in the city centre. You won’t miss it, it’s normally crowded with locals and tourists. From there, walk through Praça Carlos Alberto towards Rua de Cedofeita to find local stores, bakeries, restaurants and much more. This street will also give you access to one of my favourite streets, a local secret-ish street called Rua de Miguel Bombarda. It's one of the most arty-trendy-contemporary streets in Porto that combines innovation, art, design, creativity and uniqueness in an indescribable harmony.
“But….but…I want to do some shopping!” 🛍
We’ve got you covered ;) Just head towards 📍Santa Catarina Street, a whole shopping street (with a shopping mall) so you can spend some money on really cool things.
We’ve got you covered ;) Just head towards 📍Santa Catarina Street, a whole shopping street (with a shopping mall) so you can spend some money on really cool things.
Another not-so-hidden-gem in Santa Catarina Street is the awesome 📍Majestic Café, considered one of the top 10 most beautiful coffee shops in the world. Opened since the 20’s allows you to enjoy a good coffee in a Belle-Époque environment.
Close to Santa Catarina Street, in Formosa Street, where you can visit the 📍Bolhão Market. It’s a local and historic market in a neoclassical building. I used to go with my Mum to buy flowers and fruits and loved it (opens until 5pm).
Doing all of this will probably take you 2 or 3 days, however if you still have spare time and/or more days, here are some more points of interest:
📍Sé do Porto, it's our cathedral recognised as a National Monument.
📍The Gardens of the Crystal Palace, it's a magical botanic garden with 8 hectares of beauty. See the peacocks, the rose gardens, the fountains, olive trees, giant magnolias and... the most breathtaking views over Porto and the river.
📍Fundação Serralves, a Contemporary Art Museum ⬩ Tip: buy the ticket for Museum and Park it's around €11 and gives you access not only to the exhibitions but also to a beautiful garden. 25% off with your Porto.Card ⬩ Food gem: A Badalhoca, it's one of the oldest taverns in the city and has been open for 120 years! Yes, 1-2-0!! It's famous for the dry smoked ham sandwiches (€1.40) but they also offer other types of delicious sandwiches, you won't regret it.
Porto hidden gems:
🐧 Pinguim Café opened since 1987, they a vast offer of alcoholic drinks and they are experts. So if you don't know what to drink just ask the bar tender. Pinguim is one of the most local-trendy-arty bar and it's opened until 4am. Poetry nights happen on Mondays, try not to miss it, they're amazing. You may find it hard to find, but that's the idea :)
⬩ Tip: Ask for the grilled cheese and if you eat meat don't miss the chorizo.
👉 Vandoma Flea Market: Open from 8am-1pm on Saturdays, it's a second-hand-only market where you can find everything!
🍳 Eat our famous Francesinha at Café Santiago, if you're going for dinner make sure you go around 6:30pm/7pm as it gets crowded.
🌱 Portuguese culture is not very vegetarian friendly, but not to worry, I'm vegetarian so here's some options to eat good vegetarian food in Porto.
In Francesinhas da Baixa, you can try different vegetarian francesinhas.
Da Terra either if you want to seat down or if you want to grab a quick bite, this veggie restaurant is very central so it's a good option.
Another good option is Árvore do mundo.
If you need anymore option, please leave a comment, happy to help.
Nightlife in Porto is amazing but overcrowded. The big buzz happens around Rua das Galerias de Paris, very close to Lello Bookstore. It's a street dedicated to bars and restaurants, where everyone is having a good time.
⬩ Tip: Going on the 23rd of June? Don't miss out our S. João party and buy yourself one of these, you're going to need it :)
For electronic music fans, check out Café Au Lait, Era uma vez em Paris.
Rock fan? You can't miss Radio Bar.
Fancy a good and relaxed glass of wine? Pipa Velha would be my recommendation.
Late night bite? Near Pipa Velha, you have the Museu D'Avó with good food and wine, used to be one of my to-go late night dinners.
Feeling arty? Maus Hábitos is your bar.
💃 Wanna dance, dance, dance? Pitch for house commercial/electronic/a-bit-of-everything, for some rock music Tendinha dos Clérigos, and for electronic music Breyner85 and Plano B.
There are so many things to do and see that it's almost impossible to list all of them.
Let me know if you want more things to do/visit in Porto.
Enjoy Porto.
Doing all of this will probably take you 2 or 3 days, however if you still have spare time and/or more days, here are some more points of interest:
📍Sé do Porto, it's our cathedral recognised as a National Monument.
📍The Gardens of the Crystal Palace, it's a magical botanic garden with 8 hectares of beauty. See the peacocks, the rose gardens, the fountains, olive trees, giant magnolias and... the most breathtaking views over Porto and the river.
📍Fundação Serralves, a Contemporary Art Museum ⬩ Tip: buy the ticket for Museum and Park it's around €11 and gives you access not only to the exhibitions but also to a beautiful garden. 25% off with your Porto.Card ⬩ Food gem: A Badalhoca, it's one of the oldest taverns in the city and has been open for 120 years! Yes, 1-2-0!! It's famous for the dry smoked ham sandwiches (€1.40) but they also offer other types of delicious sandwiches, you won't regret it.
Porto hidden gems:
🐧 Pinguim Café opened since 1987, they a vast offer of alcoholic drinks and they are experts. So if you don't know what to drink just ask the bar tender. Pinguim is one of the most local-trendy-arty bar and it's opened until 4am. Poetry nights happen on Mondays, try not to miss it, they're amazing. You may find it hard to find, but that's the idea :)
⬩ Tip: Ask for the grilled cheese and if you eat meat don't miss the chorizo.
👉 Vandoma Flea Market: Open from 8am-1pm on Saturdays, it's a second-hand-only market where you can find everything!
🍳 Eat our famous Francesinha at Café Santiago, if you're going for dinner make sure you go around 6:30pm/7pm as it gets crowded.
🌱 Portuguese culture is not very vegetarian friendly, but not to worry, I'm vegetarian so here's some options to eat good vegetarian food in Porto.
In Francesinhas da Baixa, you can try different vegetarian francesinhas.
Da Terra either if you want to seat down or if you want to grab a quick bite, this veggie restaurant is very central so it's a good option.
Another good option is Árvore do mundo.
If you need anymore option, please leave a comment, happy to help.
Nightlife in Porto is amazing but overcrowded. The big buzz happens around Rua das Galerias de Paris, very close to Lello Bookstore. It's a street dedicated to bars and restaurants, where everyone is having a good time.
⬩ Tip: Going on the 23rd of June? Don't miss out our S. João party and buy yourself one of these, you're going to need it :)
For electronic music fans, check out Café Au Lait, Era uma vez em Paris.
Rock fan? You can't miss Radio Bar.
Fancy a good and relaxed glass of wine? Pipa Velha would be my recommendation.
Late night bite? Near Pipa Velha, you have the Museu D'Avó with good food and wine, used to be one of my to-go late night dinners.
Feeling arty? Maus Hábitos is your bar.
💃 Wanna dance, dance, dance? Pitch for house commercial/electronic/a-bit-of-everything, for some rock music Tendinha dos Clérigos, and for electronic music Breyner85 and Plano B.
There are so many things to do and see that it's almost impossible to list all of them.
Let me know if you want more things to do/visit in Porto.
Enjoy Porto.
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