Flight time
2h 15m
Best season
April–June & September
Budget
Budget to mid-range
Best for
Port wine, food, architecture, riverside
Overview
Why Porto for a city break?
Porto is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe — a hillside city of azulejo-tiled churches, crumbling baroque facades, medieval lanes dropping steeply to the Douro river, and the port wine lodges of Vila Nova de Gaia on the south bank. It's smaller, quieter and more intimate than Lisbon, with a fiercer local pride and a slightly weathered character that feels more authentic for it. The food is extraordinary — bacalhau prepared 365 different ways (one for each day of the year, locals claim), francesinha sandwiches, the world's finest custard tarts.
From London it's just over two hours; good connections from Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol and most UK regional airports. Porto remains better value than comparable cities — a good dinner with wine costs under £30 a head, hotels are reasonable and the port wine lodges offer tasting sessions that cost a fraction of equivalent wine experiences in France. The Douro Valley begins immediately east of the city — day trips to the quintas (wine estates) are one of the finest experiences in the region.
Where to stay & explore
Porto's best neighbourhoods
Ribeira
The medieval riverside quarter — the UNESCO-listed buildings stacked up the hillside above the Douro, the best evening atmosphere in the city. Touristy but genuinely beautiful.
Foz do Douro
Where the Douro meets the Atlantic — the most elegant neighbourhood in Porto, with the ocean swimming pools, the lighthouse and some of the city's finest restaurants along the seafront.
Bonfim & Cedofeita
Porto's creative neighbourhoods — independent restaurants, natural wine bars, the Pink Street and the most local version of the city. Where Porto's young food scene is concentrated.
Things to do
What to see in Porto
1
Livraria Lello
One of the most beautiful bookshops in the world — a 1906 neo-Gothic masterpiece of carved wooden shelves, stained glass ceiling and the famous red divided staircase that J.K. Rowling is claimed to have been inspired by. Entry requires a ticket (€5, redeemable against purchases); go early morning to avoid the queues that build quickly. Buy a book; it counts against entry.
2
São Bento Railway Station
The most beautiful railway station in the world — the entrance hall is tiled with 20,000 azulejo panels depicting scenes from Portuguese history and everyday life, installed between 1905 and 1916 by artist Jorge Colaço. A functioning commuter station where you can buy a ticket and travel nowhere just to stand in the hall. Free to enter.
3
Port Wine Lodges, Vila Nova de Gaia
Cross the Dom Luís I Bridge to the south bank and the great port wine lodges — Taylor's, Graham's, Ramos Pinto, Sandeman. Each offers tours and tastings; Taylor's Chip Dry on the terrace with a view of Porto's skyline across the Douro is one of the finest drinks experiences in the world. Go in the afternoon when the lodges are in full operation.
4
Igreja do Carmo & the Azulejo Facades
The Carmo Church's exterior wall is covered in an 18th-century azulejo panel of extraordinary size and beauty — the finest example of azulejo facade decoration in Porto. Walk the surrounding streets: the Church of São Francisco (the most gilded baroque interior in Portugal), the Stock Exchange Palace (Palácio da Bolsa, with the extraordinary Moorish Revival Arab Room inside), and the Cathedral (Sé) above the Ribeira.
Food & drink
Where to eat in Porto
DOP
Modern Portuguese / Rui Paula
Chef Rui Paula's flagship restaurant in the Palácio das Artes — the finest modern Portuguese cooking in Porto, with an exceptional wine list focused on the Douro and Alentejo. The bacalhau and the suckling pig dishes are definitive. Book well ahead.
Cantinho do Avillez
Modern Portuguese / José Avillez
José Avillez's Porto outpost — more accessible than DOP, with a menu of brilliant petiscos and main dishes using the finest Portuguese ingredients. The codfish with chickpeas and the pork cheeks are both excellent. More available than DOP but still worth booking.
Café Santiago
Francesinha / institution
The definitive francesinha — Porto's extraordinary sandwich of cured meats, steak and sausage, covered in melted cheese and a spiced beer and tomato sauce, served with chips. Café Santiago on Rua Passos Manuel makes the best in the city. Order one. It will change your understanding of what a sandwich can be.
Itinerary
3 days in Porto — a suggested itinerary
Day 1
Arrive, São Bento, the Ribeira, port wine at dusk
Porto Airport is 20 minutes from the centre on Metro Line E (€2.60). Drop your bags and walk to São Bento station — the azulejo hall is the finest five-minute walk from almost any hotel in the centre. Livraria Lello is two minutes away (book your timed entry online). Walk down through the Cedofeita neighbourhood to the Ribeira: the medieval riverside of UNESCO-listed buildings above the Douro. Cross the Dom Luís I Bridge upper deck (the lower deck is for trams and pedestrians; the upper is for the Metro and gives the finest view) to Vila Nova de Gaia. Taylor's Lodge for a tasting on the terrace at sunset — the Chip Dry and the LBV Port with the Porto skyline across the water. Dinner back in the Ribeira or the Bonfim neighbourhood.
Day 2
Douro Valley day trip, bacalhau for dinner
The Douro Valley is one of the most beautiful landscapes in Europe — the terraced vineyards on the schist hillsides above the river, the quintas (wine estates) and the train line that follows the Douro east from Porto. The scenic train to Pinhão takes two hours (€13.40); the town is the heart of the Port wine country. Quinta do Crasto and Quinta do Vallado both offer tastings and tours. Alternatively, take a Douro river cruise from Ribeira — half-day options run to the valley and back. Back in Porto for dinner: DOP or Cantinho do Avillez if booked, or a neighbourhood restaurant in Bonfim for bacalhau com natas (salt cod with cream gratin) — the definitive Porto dish.
Day 3
Foz do Douro, the Atlantic, a farewell francesinha
Take tram 1 from the Ribeira along the Douro to Foz do Douro — the 30-minute ride on the oldest functioning tram line in Portugal passes the river mouth. Foz has the finest ocean swimming pools in Porto (the Piscinas de Marés, natural seawater pools cut into the rocks), excellent breakfast cafés and the lighthouse. Walk north along the Marginal seafront to Matosinhos — Porto's seafood neighbourhood, famous for grilled fish restaurants (Marisqueira Aquário and the surrounding restaurants on Rua Roberto Ivens are excellent). Final lunch: Café Santiago for the francesinha. Metro back to the airport from Trindade: Line A or B, 25 minutes.
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