Let’s discover things to do in Porto in 2 or 3 days, 10 spectacular places of this important port city on the Douro River, a few kilometers from the mouth of the river into the Atlantic Ocean.
Dividing the city in two and flowing directly into the Atlantic, the Douro River meanders through the city. It is the must-see of Oporto and Vila Nova de Gaia: walk along the banks of both cities, cross the mythical Luis I Bridge and, for even more beauty, see all its splendour from one of the viewpoints (the best, in our opinion, are from Gaia).
The north bank of the river is where the historic centre of Porto is and the south bank is where Vila Nova da Gaia and the wineries are.
Most of the streets in Porto are cobbled and there are prominent and tiring climbs and descents. The good news is that it has a good metro and tram system to bridge distances, and the odd funicular to bridge heights. They have tried to make it convenient for tourists.
It’s worth a couple of days to see all the sights in Porto, and if you have more time, it’s an ideal starting point for exploring some of the other towns in northern Portugal.
📷 If you have several days to visit Porto, we recommend that you take a tour of the Douro region.
Things to do in Porto in 2 or 3 days
If you are traveling to Oporto, you should know that there are free tours in Spanish that you can take. It is one of the best ways to tour the city.
Also consider
Itinerary Porto in 2 days
- Day 1: North bank of the Douro, Porto Cathedral, São Bento train station, Clérigos Tower, Bolhão market, churches in the historic centre.
- Day 2: crossing the bridge of Luis I, viewpoints of the North Douro riverbank, boat trip on the Douro, visit some of the wineries of Vila Nova de Gaia.
If you have a third day in Oporto, you can do some excursions in the surroundings of Oporto, or visit the nearby beaches.
📷 We recommend this complete tour of Porto, which includes a guided walk through the historic centre, a cruise on the Douro River and a visit to a wine cellar with wine tasting.
Day 1: Touring the north bank of the Douro River and the historic centre
We start the first day of our visit in Porto, touring the main attractions on the north side of the Douro River.
Cathedral of Porto o Sé do Porto
It is colloquially known as Sé Cathedral but in reality it is like saying “church church”. The Cathedral of Porto is the most important and oldest in the city.
Construction began in the early twelfth century and during the following centuries it has undergone several modifications in terms of extensions and changes of style, but in general it remains austere and simple, although imposing in size.
The main altar and the cloister are not to be missed during a visit to this cathedral, the latter of which you have to pay a separate entrance fee.
But we also had a more practical reason to visit the Cathedral of Oporto: we had to get there the credential to follow the Camino de Santiago Portuguese along the coast.
Although it starts in Lisbon, the most popular is to start it in Oporto or at the border between Portugal and Spain (as we have done).
São Bento train station
A train station as one of the places to see in Porto? Yes, the entrance hall of the São Bento station with its walls decorated with delicate blue painted tiles, depicting battles or scenes of Portuguese life, is a delight.
There are an estimated 20,000 tiles, so you can imagine the importance. The outside of the building is also impressive, especially with the Church of the Congregates in the background.
Tower of the Clerics
The Clérigos Tower is located in the upper part of the old town of Oporto and therefore can be seen from many points or viewpoints in the city.
It is a baroque style tower of about 75 meters high that is part of a small church, or at least it seems that way next to such a tower. It has 6 floors, spiral stairs and can be climbed upon payment of 3 €. Admission to the church is free.
📷 An authentic way to get to know the city is by taking a tuk tuk tour, which also includes a cruise on the Douro River.
Churches and chapels of Porto
At least 84% of Portuguese are Catholics and you can see it in every city you visit: chapels, churches, cathedrals, monasteries everywhere. Many of them have a characteristic that identifies them from the rest of European churches: the tile.
We have already mentioned the Cathedral, the monastery and church at the Pilar do Serra viewpoint, the Congregados church and the Clérigos church and we are only at point 5! We will briefly comment some of the churches that you must see in Oporto to make your visit complete:
- Church of San Francisco: it is a convent church, this time without tiles on the outside, but very ornate and ostentatious on the inside. It served as a convent and has in its basement some catacombs that can be visited.
- Church of San Ildefonso: it is located at the foot of Batalha Square, where Rua de Santa Catarina ends. It was rebuilt in the middle of the 18th century and the tiles on its façade recreate scenes from the life of San Ildefonso.
- Chapel of the Souls: in each of my visits to Oporto has welcomed us, and is that in this area there are many hotels. At the exit of the Bolhao subway, you will find this neoclassical temple from the end of the 18th century. Its façade is entirely covered with tiles, which represent scenes from the life of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Catherine.
Bolhão Market
This market is where the locals stock up on fresh merchandise and therefore, most of the action happens early in the morning and the rest of the day remains closed.
Inside, vendors are distributed on two floors and by sections (fishmongers, greengrocers, greengrocers, etc.). It is a neoclassical style building that occupies a complete block and has access from its four sides. Something very curious to do in Porto.
🔝 Thinking of doing a tour in Portugal? Read this article about things to do in Lisbon.
Walking through the historic centre of Oporto
And finally, let yourself be seduced by the architecture of the city, its government buildings, its various churches, its squares and markets.
Rua de Santa Catarina is a long street, which is most famous in the 3 or 4 blocks that are pedestrianized. There you will find clothing and souvenir stores, cafes and restaurants, among them, one of the most legendary is the Majestic Café, in the best “belle époque” style.
The “art nouveau” decoration inside is exquisite, with marble, mirrors, beautiful hanging chandeliers, carved sculptures on the wall and carved wood. Although inside it is a bit crowded because, despite its high prices, no one wants to miss one of the best places to visit in Porto.
Another must-see in Porto is the traditional Lello Bookstore, located at rua das Carmelitas 144, very close to the Clérigos Tower. It is one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world, not because I say so, but because it always appears among the first 3 positions in books and blogs specialized in travel.
In addition, it has inspired J.K.Rowling to include the main stairs of the bookstore in the Hogwarts school of magic. The author of the Harry Potter saga spent a few months living in the city.
Strolling along the north bank of the Douro River
On the north bank there are plenty of restaurants and bars where you can sit and enjoy the tourist and Portuguese life, because right there, if you look up, you can see colourful buildings with hanging clothes where the locals live.
The photogenic Plaza de la Rivera is the nerve centre of this scene. From there, you can see the beautiful Luis I Bridge, which you can cross up or down to Vila Nova de Gaia.
Day 2: Douro cruise, wineries and south bank of the Douro river
On the second day, it is time to cross the Luis I bridge and visit the famous wineries of Porto.
Take a boat trip in Oporto
One of the must-do’s of the trip to Oporto. You will be able to admire the city from another perspective, crossing the six bridges that connect Porto.
📷 Book here the cruise of the six bridges, sailing along the Douro River from the Arrábida Bridge to the Freixo Bridge.. A must to do in Oporto.
Luis I Bridge
The Luis I Bridge dates back to 1886 and is one of the emblems of Porto. There are two ways to cross it, because it has two trays or two paths, one above the other.
From above, coming from the Sé Cathedral or from the São Bento Station, or from below, if one comes walking along the river. Pedestrians can cross it at either place, but only the electric streetcar crosses at the top and cars and buses at the bottom.
On a hot day like ours, teenagers can be seen walking along the “railings” of the bridge and jumping into the river before the astonished gaze and cameras of tourists.
It is also worth a visit at night: breathtaking! Undoubtedly one of the musts to see in Porto.
Vila Nova de Gaia Viewpoints
Crossing the Luis I Bridge from above, you reach the upper part of Vila Nova de Gaia from where you have access to the cable car that can take you down to the cellars area and also to the viewpoint of the Serra do Pilar Church and Monastery.
Whether from the bridge itself, from the entrance to the cable car or from the church, the views of Porto are breathtaking and well worth spending a few minutes to take pictures and simply contemplate.
Stroll along the south bank of the Douro River
On the south bank of the Douro River are the wine cellars and from there you can see the view across the river. It is worth walking along its banks.
On the Vila Nova de Gaia side of the Douro River are most of the world famous Port wine cellars, many of them in the hands of English families.
The wine-growing area where the grapes for the wines are grown are located near the city in the Douro valley. In the past, the grapes were transported in rabelos, traditional boats that sailed along the Douro river until they reached the winery. On the river, you can see some of them moored to the quay as an exhibition.
Port wines and wineries to visit
There are many wineries to visit in Vila Nova de Gaia, including Calem, Burmester, or Pocas. The visit to the winery includes in all cases a tour explaining its history and production plus a wine tasting.
Tickets to visit them start at 15 euros depending on the popularity of the winery. If you are going to do other activities in Oporto, be aware that many times when you book an activity you get a free ticket for one of them, for example, when you buy a river trip or a ride on the tourist tram.
📷 Book a guided tour to Calem, one of the most renowned wineries in Porto, including wine tasting.
The viewpoint of the Crystal Palace and its gardens.
We went a little away from the historic center of Porto to visit the Crystal Palace and see what its viewpoint had to offer. While the gardens are nice and pretty to spend some time relaxing there, the Crystal Palace is not like anything we imagined, besides that “crystal” little, it was quite neglected and abandoned.
We learned that the palace had been demolished in the middle of the last century and in its place was built this round pavilion where all kinds of sports and leisure events are held.
From the viewpoint there are two views: a very cool one of the river and the wineries and another of the Douro River flowing into the Atlantic Ocean behind the modern Arrábida bridge.
Porto’s beaches, ideal if you have an extra day in Oporto
On our visit with Juan it was summer and we could have taken the opportunity to go to the beach, but we decided to take a more city tour. We would leave our date with the Atlantic for a later date.
On my previous visit with Maria, we took the tourist streetcar and went to Matosinhos Beach, sandy, wide and with several seaside beach bars. There you can breathe a relaxed air, ideal for sunbathing even out of season.
Practical information for your trip to Porto
Summary of things to do in Porto in 2 or 3 days
1. Douro River, the river banks on both sides, the Luis I Bridge and the spectacular viewpoints.
2. Cathedral of Porto o Sé do Porto
3. São Bento train station
4. Tower of the Clerics
5. Churches and chapels of Porto
6. Bolhão Market
7. Port wines and wineries to visit
8. The viewpoint of the Crystal Palace and its gardens.
9. The beaches of Porto
10. Walking around the city: the Santa Catarina pedestrian street, the Café Majestic and the Lello bookstore.
If you have more days in Porto, you can visit some of the surrounding cities such as Guimarães, Braga or Aveiro. We chose Guimarães.
📷 Book here your day tour to visit Guimaraes and Braga. Includes transportation, entrance fees and guide.
Typical dishes to eat in Oporto
The culinary offer in Porto is wide, ranging from affordable meals to more elaborate dishes.
The star is cod in many of its cooking variants: grilled, in casserole, in dumplings, etc. But also sardines and other river and sea fish.
But we delved into the francesinha, which is a sandwich made of milk bread stuffed with sausages cut in pieces (although sometimes they also include meat or chorizo or bacon), covered in cheese and with a spicy sauce (I don’t like spicy at all, but I liked it). And another variant is that they add a fried egg on top (with this, go prepare the will, it is to explode instantly).
Best hotels to stay in Porto
There are many hotels in Porto and although it is best to stay near the historic center, the city has a good metro and streetcar system, so if you are close to a station the better.
Double rooms are available from approximately 50 €, with private bathroom and basic and minimal amenities, and upwards depending on what you are looking for. Three options that we recommend:
- The Passenger Hostel: ideal for backpackers and young couples, it is a modern hostel with fantastic facilities located inside the São Bento train station.
- InPatio Guest House: in the middle of the historic center and close to the river bank is a hotel with modern facilities, rooms with elegant details and an excellent breakfast.
- The House of Sandeman: next to Vila Nova de Gaia and very close to the main wineries, the hotel offers views of the historic center of Oporto from the room, a bar-restaurant and buffet breakfast.
🏨 Do you want to look for other options? Find here the best hotels in Porto.
The best way to get to Porto
Porto has an international airport, with good connections to other European cities. Several low cost airlines fly to this airport.
How to get from Porto airport to the city center
There is a train or subway that connects Porto airport with the city center. When you add trips to a ticket, you do not add trips for any person but for the ticket holder.
When there are a lot of people to get tickets at the airport machines, the guards usually give away these recharge cards.
📷 Book here your transfer from Porto airport to the city center and don’t worry about anything else..
You can also reach Porto by train or bus from various parts of Portugal and Spain, including Lisbon.
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