16 Of The Best Things to Do in Porto

Whether you’re visiting as a solo traveller, on a romantic break as a couple or taking a well deserved trip with you friends, all the below activities are great fun to do on your city break to Porto. From port tasting to tile painting, some activities are essential if you’re visiting Porto for the first time (definitely do the Port tasting at Calem Port House) and other things to do in Porto are perfect if you’ve already visited the city and are happy to take your trip at a slower pace – I’d recommend the day trip to the Duoro Valley if you’re here for more than 3 nights!

Your Quick Guide to Porto

📍 Stay here: Pousada do Porto – Rue da Flores (4⭐, located on a pedestrianised street in the centre of Porto)

✅ Do these activities: Food Tour of Porto (great for foodies wanting to eat like a local!), a day trip to the Duoro Valley (perfect if you’re in Porto for 3 or more nights), and Port Tasting (Calem is my favourite but there are plenty more options for port tasting in Porto).

🥘 Eat here: Encaixados, Cantina 32, and Time Out Market Porto

🍹 Go for drinks at: Apotecario Speakeasy

So what are you waiting for? Porto is a wonderful city to explore for a long weekend break or as an addition to your holiday to Portugal. Here are the best things to do on a city break to Porto.

1. Join a Porto City Walking Tour (Best First-Day Activity)

Joining a Porto walking tour is worth doing early on in your trip and there are plenty to choose from in Porto. I’d recommend one that picks out the main sights in Porto including Sao Bento Station, Dom Luís I Bridge, and Chapel of Souls, as well as a tour that talks about Porto’s fascinating history. 

Our guided tour of Porto was with the lovely Elena from On The Road With Elena, it took us around 3 hours and we managed to explore all corners of the city from the historic area to the busy Mercado do Bolhao where we managed to fit in a spontaneous wine ( a bargain at €12 a bottle between 7 of us!) – something I’d highly recommend doing if you’ve worked up a thirst on your Porto city tour.

If you don’t have a free morning or afternoon, there are other walking tours that last only an hour or two, or you could take a tuk-tuk tour of Porto so you can squeeze in all the main sights without getting tired feet.

Choose your city tour of Porto…

👉 History and Legends Walking Tour with On The Road With Elena – 5⭐ (from £22/$29USD)

👉 3-Hour City Walking Tour – 4.8⭐ (from £25/$33USD)

👉 Private Electric Tuk-Tuk Tour Of Porto – 4.7⭐ (from £35/$46USD)

2. Visit Porto Cathedral (Sé do Porto)

Porto Cathedral, or Sé do Porto is one of the main sights of the city. There are a few reasons why I’d recommend visiting Sé do Porto. Firstly, it’s cheap to visit at only €4pp for access to the cloisters and terrace- a real bargain if you’re visiting Porto on a budget but don’t want to miss out on the cultural sights. Secondly, you can walk up to Sé do Porto’s terraces – there aren’t many steps up but they are quite big so be prepared to take huge strides up. You’ll get to see Sé do Porto’s gorgeous blue azulejo covered cloisters depicting religious scenes and then also views across the whole city. Porto has some incredible viewpoints and this is just another to add to the list.

Thirdly, Sé do Porto’s history is fascinating, dating back to the 12th century, with Romanesque origins and later Gothic and Baroque additions reflecting Porto’s evolution over time.

I visited late in the afternoon, around 30 minutes before closing. It was fairly quiet and I didn’t have to queue to get in but this could be the case any time of day. If you’re in the area, it’s probably worth just wandering past to see if you can get a ticket – they’re easy to buy on the door and you get access to the cloisters, the terrace viewpoints, and parts of the cathedral interior.

Take a guided tour of Porto Cathedral

👉 Porto Cathedral Guided Tour with Entrance Tickets – 4.7⭐ (from £14/$23USD)

Another view point across Porto is the one from the top of the Clérigos Tower, or Torre dos Clérigos. This one has a few more steps than Sé do Porto with 225 steps altogether – a hefty climb that is narrow in places with tight spiral staircases and a bit of a squeeze when people are coming down as you’re heading up. It’s definitely one of those “take your time and catch your breath” kind of climbs, but that just makes it feel even more rewarding when you reach the top.

Your ticket to Clergios Church and Tower

👉 Clergios Church and Clergios Tower Entry – 4.5⭐ (from £9/$12USD)

Once you’re up there, you’re treated to one of the best panoramic views in Porto. You can see the terracotta rooftops stretching out across the city, the Douro River winding its way through Porto, and across to Vila Nova de Gaia on a clear day. It’s the kind of view that really helps you get your bearings and appreciate just how beautiful Porto is from above.

The view is apparently pretty special at sunset so time your visit for golden hour if you can squeeze it into your plans. The light softens over the city and gives everything that warm glow which Porto does so well. If you’re into photography, this is easily one of the best spots in the city – just be prepared for a slightly busy viewing platform, especially at peak times.

4. Walk Across Dom Luís I Bridge

You can’t be in Porto and miss out on walking across the Dom Luís I Bridge. This double-level bridge which crosses the Douro River is the main way to get across to Vila Nova de Gaia and it’s easily one of the most iconic sights in the city. Designed by Théophile Seyrig, a former partner of Gustave Eiffel (yes, that Eiffel), the bridge has that same industrial elegance you’ll recognise from Paris. Even if you don’t cross it, you’ll spot it constantly throughout your trip – it really is one of Porto’s main focal points.

There are two levels to the Dom Luís I Bridge and you can walk across both, each offering a completely different experience. The lower deck is perfect if you’re already on the river front in Ribeira, Porto’s colourful and lively riverside district. From here, it’s a short and easy stroll across the river and you’ll soon find yourself in Vila Nova de Gaia where Porto’s famous port wine cellars are located. This level feels much closer to the action, with boats passing underneath and the buzz of the riverside all around you.

If you have the time (and energy), I’d really recommend walking across the upper level too. You can access it via a bit of a climb or by hopping on the metro, and the views from the top are completely different – much more open and panoramic. It’s also one of the best spots in the city for golden hour, with sweeping views over the Douro River and back across Porto’s rooftops. If you time it right, you can walk across just as the sun starts to set and then head straight to Jardim do Morro on the Gaia side to watch the sky change colour – easily one of the best (and completely free) experiences in Porto.

6. Go Port Wine Tasting in Vila Nova de Gaia

Vila Nova de Gaia is not only where you’ll get to enjoy the classic views of Porto’s towering buildings along the Douro River, but it’s also where the city’s Port Cellars are – which makes it the perfect place to enjoy the classic Porto activity of Port Wine Tasting. The cellars are located here because historically it offered the ideal conditions for aging wine, as well as better storage conditions and easier access to river transport for export.

With dozens of port wine cellars to choose from, including Taylors, Grahams, Sandeman and Calem, there’s plenty of options to take a tour and learn how the drink of Port is made and transported around the world.

Now you may be unfamiliar with port wine, but it’s a sweet, fortified wine made from the demarcated region of the Douro Valley in Portugal, around 100km east from Porto. Brandy is added to stop fermentation, creating a sweet dessert wine which pairs well with cheese and chocolate. There are Ruby, Tawny, Vintage and White varieties, all which you can try and taste in the many port houses in Vila Nova de Gaia. 

I’ve done the Port Wine tasting at Calem, only because the timings worked out well and I really enjoy learning about the making and history of Port Wine, complete with a delicious tasting at the end. It was really good to do a guided tour at first so we could distinguish between the various different varieties of port and I’d recommend doing this if you’re unfamiliar with the drink, or just want to learn more about how it’s made. However, you can do self-guided tastings which are equally as wonderful – we did one at Kopke where we sat outside with a view of the river.

I’d recommend booking in advance if you do want to do a Port Wine tasting in Porto – places like Calem also do tours in several different languages which is great if you speak Spanish, German, or French as your first language.

Your ticket to Clergios Church and Tower

👉 Clergios Church and Clergios Tower Entry – 4.5⭐ (from £9/$12USD)

7. Take a Douro Valley Day Trip (Best Day Trip from Porto)

If you have time on your trip to Porto, and want to delve further into the world of Port, take a day trip to the Douro Valley. Around 100km inland from the centre of Porto, your day trip will take you into the scenic Douro Valley where all port wine is produced.

We did a day trip to the Douro Valley with a guide who took our group to a traditional vineyard where we enjoyed lunch before port tasting at a wine shop home to a variety of wines. There was also a 1 hour Douro River Cruise included which took us further into the Douro Valley with great views of the towering green valleys – lush from both the water and heat that produce the grapes needed for making port wine. It was a great way to get a small taste of the Douro Valley and the difference between the countryside and the city and is well worth your time if you’re visiting Porto for 3 days or more.

A guided tour takes care of everything – the transport, food and most importantly the port tasting which you can really take advantage of when someone else is driving. However, if you do a self-drive tour into the Douro Valley, this gives you the flexibility to stay overnight if you have the time, or drive deeper into the valley where you can access the vineyards that day trippers won’t usually access.

8. Join a Porto Food Tour

One way to get to know a place is through its food and I’d definitely recommend enjoying a food tour in Porto. Our Porto food tour with Do Better Eat Experience took us from the busy shopping streets of Porto where we enjoyed a fresh pastel de nata, to Mercado do Bolhao where we got to enjoy cheese and wine. One of the highlights was feasting on a traditional Portuguese bifana in a busy shop that it seemed both locals and tourists love, before ending our day with a delicious port tasting at a gorgeous wine shop.

If you only have time to do one tour but can’t decide between a walking tour and a food tour in Porto, I’d go for the food tour. Not only do you get to eat your way around Porto for 3 hours, but you also get some information and history about the city too, as well as some personal anecdotes if you have a guide like we did.

Our guided food tour was brilliant in showing us some food we might not have tried in Porto, and also taking us to some truly brilliant places that both locals and tourists can enjoy genuinely good food. We did ours late morning and over lunch however there are evening tours you can enjoy if that fits into your schedule better.

Food Tours in Porto

👉 3 Hour Eat Like A Local, Ultimate Full-Meal Tour of Porto – 5⭐ (from £74/$99USD)

👉Mercado do Bolhao Food Tour – 4.2⭐ (from £57/$75USD)

9. Take a Pastel de Nata Making Class

You can’t come to Porto without eating at least one pastel de nata. I’d say one pastel de nata a day is recommended, at least. This Portuguese egg custard tart is a delicious sweet treat best enjoyed as the locals do – at breakfast with a cup of coffee. However, they’re also delicious after lunch, and after dinner as a little pre-bed bite to eat.

If you want a more hands-on experience and want to take the treasured skill of making your own pastel de nata home with you, then why not take a pastel de nata making class in the heart of Porto. You’ll learn how to make your own version of the gorgeous sweet, creamy filling, and understand what it takes to get that crisp, flaky pastry.

Pastel de nata making is a great rainy day activity and if you want to give them a go at home after your visit, be sure to pick up some traditional pastel de nata tins from local kitchenware shops.

👉 Enjoy a Pastel de Nata Making Workshop – 4.9⭐ (from £31/$41USD)

10. Try a Tile Painting Workshop (Azulejos Experience)

It’s highly likely you’ll notice gorgeous tiles, or azulejos, dotted around the buildings in Porto. From ornate 3D tiles to highly decorated squares creating gorgeous patterns on Porto’s building fronts, it’s easy to make a habit of trying to spot the most beautiful tiles. The tiles of Porto are part of the city’s history and the best way to understand this part of Porto’s culture is to do a tile painting workshop.

There are a few tile painting classes to choose from around the city and I’ve been lucky enough to do a couple in Porto. The most recent one was with Boa Arts but my favourite was with Gazete Azulejos, where you get to create two of your own unique tiles. With a brief rundown of the history of Porto’s tiles, you’re soon onto creating your own masterpieces.

With the choice of several glaze colours, you have the option of creating tiles with pre-patterned stencils or designing your own unique picture – the best option is to do one of each! When you create tiles with stencils, you are recreating a tile design that features on a building in Porto – you’ll even see the address so you can go hunt the tile down on your strolls around Porto. I loved this part of the class, and I loved spotting my tile, with its original colours, on real buildings around Porto.

I’d recommend doing a tile painting activity in Porto towards the beginning of your trip, it takes 1 day for the tiles to be fired so you need to leave time to pick up the tiles. They then make the perfect souvenir to take home. If you’re unable to pick up the tiles, and you’ve done the class at Gazete Azueljos, then the tiles go towards Gazete Azulejos preservation project, so they won’t go to waste!

Pick Your Ideal Tile Painting Class In Porto

👉 Tile Painting at Gazete Azulejos – (my favourite, from €38)

👉 Tile Painting Workshop with Wine – 5⭐ (from £31/$42USD)

👉 Cocktails and Tile Painting in Downtown Porto – 4.9⭐ (from £30/$41USD)

👉 Tile Painting Workshop with Port – 4.9⭐ (from £39/$52USD)

11. Visit São Bento Train Station

If you’re arriving by train into Porto – a great way to get here if you’re pairing a visit to Porto with Lisbon – then you’ll likely arrive into São Bento Train Station. If you’re arriving into Porto via another means of transport, then make sure you venture into this delightful building.

The inside of São Bento Train Station is decorated with more than 20,000 azulejo tiles depicting various parts of Porto and Portugal’s history with other decorative tiles showing the seasons and history of transport. 

It’s best to visit early in the morning for a quieter experience, with soft light coming through the windows but it’s a great place to pop in for a quick visit whenever you’re passing by.

12. Visit Livraria Lello (Is It Worth It?)

Livraria Lello is regularly called one of the world’s most beautiful book shops and with the queues often seen outside Livraria Lello, a lot of people are hoping to see just that. 

With gorgeous wooden architecture, an intricate stained glass window in the ceiling and a central staircase creating the perfect backdrop for photos, Livraria Lello does live up to its reputation. However, that reputation means this book shop can, and does, get really busy. 

Open from 9am, and with people queuing outside before that, you do have to set aside a decent chunk of time to visit Livraria Lello. Entry is made as easy as possible though with an online ticketing system where you choose your entry time and on the day of your visit, just join the corresponding queue to get into Livraria Lello. 

We got the Silver Ticket option for the 9am slot, which was easy enough to buy online, and although we were one of the first in after queuing for 10 minutes, Livraria Lello still felt very busy so be prepared for the crowds if you do want to visit. You can’t be in a rush around here.

What’s great about Livraria Lello though is that the cost of your ticket can go towards the cost of a book and with many special edition covers exclusive to Livraria Lello, you can come away with a unique book for your shelf at home. 

Is it worth visiting Livaria Lello? Honestly, I wouldn’t go again but it was nice to see it inside as it is beautiful. It was also good to pick up a book with an exclusive cover that you can only get in Livraria Lello.

13. Explore Mercado do Bolhão

There are many markets in Porto – Bom Sucesso Market, Mercado Beira-Rio, or Porto Belo Market- but Mercado do Bolhao is probably one of the most popular and one I frequented quite a few times on my recent visit to Porto.

You can’t really beat a good market when you’re in a European city and Mercado do Bolhao is a really lovely one to visit, and one of the most modern, having recently been renovated in 2022 thanks to a major city-led restoration project preserving its historic character while modernising facilities.

Locals and tourists can be found here and there’s plenty of fresh fruit and veg on offer if you’re staying in an apartment in Porto. You’ll also find plenty of cheese, meat, tinned fish, sweet treat, and wine – and I’d definitely recommend buying a small glass of wine to leisurely wander around while you peruse the stalls, maybe sampling some cheese and meat along the way. We got a bottle between 7 of us, and the grand total was €12 so if there’s a group of you and you fancy a lunchtime wine, Mercado do Bolhao is the place to do it.

If you’re not here to buy food and have enjoyed looking around the stalls, why not plan a proper meal here. As part of Mercado do Bolaho’s renovations, restaurants were added on the top level and some even have Michelin recommendations to their name – Culto ao Bacalhau would be on my list for next time.

14. Attend a Traditional Fado Show in Porto

For a unique cultural activity, head to a traditional Fado show in Porto. This showcase of emotional singing is well worth an hour of your time and offers a deeper connection to Portuguese culture beyond the usual sightseeing. Fado is a traditional Portuguese music genre known for its expressive, melancholic tone, often centred around themes of longing, love, and nostalgia (something the Portuguese call saudade). Performances typically feature a singer accompanied by a Portuguese guitar and classical guitar, creating an intimate and atmospheric experience that can be incredibly moving, even if you don’t understand the lyrics.

Lisbon is considered the traditional home of Fado, while Porto offers a smaller, more intimate selection of performances. For the best experience, seek out intimate venues where the focus is on the music rather than dinner service. These smaller settings allow you to fully appreciate the raw emotion and talent of the performers. That said, there are also polished shows aimed at visitors which can be a great introduction if it’s your first time experiencing Fado.

We visited a Fado Show one evening at Ideal Clube de Fado where we enjoyed an hour long show with a glass of port. With both a male and female singer, and two guitarists, the show was varied and entertaining – perfect for a pre-dinner activity.

Fado Shows In Porto

👉 Fado Show at Ideal Club de Fado – 4.8⭐ (from £18/$24USD)

👉 More Fado Show Options in Porto

15. Enjoy Cocktails at Apotecário Speakeasy

If you’d like to enjoy a drink or two one evening, may I recommend Apotecário Speakeasy bar. This tucked away location, hidden under Curioso, is a great place to enjoy a cocktail in a fairly exclusive bar. 

It’s worth making a reservation here as there’s only room for 12 at Apotecário Speakeasy so I can imagine it gets booked up during Porto’s busy summer months and on a weekend. Even on a Saturday night in February there was a high turnover of people with several groups and couples coming and going over a couple of hours. 

The special thing about this bar is that you don’t order a specific cocktail. You’re given a wheel of descriptions, such as ‘fun, breezy, energetic’ or ‘herbal, fresh, invigorating’ and you go off what card draws you in the most. Dietary requirements are considered and then the bartender expertly crafts you a drink according to what you’ve picked. Out of our group of 6, we all amazingly picked different cocktails so it was a treat to try several different concoctions – each one delicious and ideally suited to our individual tastes. 

The atmosphere in Apotecário Speakeasy was great too with guests enjoying each other’s company, getting to know one another over an evening drink, or patiently waiting and watching the magic happen at the bar, wondering if the drink being created was theirs. 

It was a superb way to end an evening and I’d really recommend this place if you want to try out a bar praised for its unique concept and personalised drinks experience.

16. Admire Porto’s Best Miradouros (Viewpoints)

I’ve named a couple of the best viewpoints in Porto already (Clérigos Tower and Se do Porto) but there are many others dotted around the city that are free to experience.

Jardim do Morro is one of the best ones and provides a first class seat to Porto’s amazing sunsets. Located on the Vila Nova de Gaia side of the Douro River, this area of grass set atop the hillside has a real party vibe, especially in the summer months where there’s live music and locals bringing refreshing drinks round in cool boxes for everyone to enjoy. When it’s warm, come down early to grab a spot, bring a few drinks and snacks with you, and soak up a memorable sunset overlooking Porto. If you’re visiting in the cooler months, take the opportunity if the weather is clear to take a seat at Jardim do Morro and enjoy golden hour as the sun goes down.

Other great view points include Miradouro da Vitoria near Clérigos Tower and Serra do Pilar Monastery viewpoint, which you’ll come across if you’re walking near the upper level of Dom Luís I Bridge. Both are free and offer panoramic views across the Douro River and Porto’s historic skyline.