Things to do in Porto: Top 10 must-sees in Porto

May 12, 2019

“O Porto não é um lugar, é um sentimento” – Belisa Ferreira (Porto is not a place, it’s a feeling). As you can imagine, today I’m taking you with me to the north of Portugal to discover some of the must-do things to do in Porto.

Also known as the Invicta City, Porto is Portugal’s second largest city. It has been a Unesco World Heritage Site since 1996 and has been voted “Best European Destination” several times by various sites. You won’t be bored for a minute in Porto, which is an open-air museum: gastronomy, architecture, monuments, viewpoints, wineries, etc. Voluntarily, in this article I won’t talk about monuments, but will concentrate more on a few of Porto’s must-see sights.

Are you ready? Let’s set off together to discover Porto! Ladies, give up your heels! Porto is a city on a human scale, easy to discover on foot, but like Lisbon, it’s made up of many ups and downs.

To whet your appetite, here are just a few of the things to do in Porto that we’ll be covering in this article

1. Stroll along the Ribeira quays

There’s a good reason why Porto’s Ribeira quays are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. These quays are located in the lower part of Porto’s old town, bordering the famous Douro river. It’s one of Porto’s must-sees! Despite the influx of tourists, the atmosphere here is quite peaceful. Here you’ll find sublime, authentic, colorful houses, with the azulejos and linen hanging from the windows that so characterize Portuguese balconies.

The colorful houses of the Ribeira quayside

The view is worthy of a postcard, with the famous Dom-Luis Bridge and the view of the other bank: Vila nova de Gaia, which we’ll talk about a little later. You can also admire the magnificent flat-bottomed barges known as “barcos rabelos”, which were used to transport barrels of wine.

Ribeira quays and Dom Luis bridge

But do you know what? To get an even better view of these magnificent Ribeira quays, I recommend crossing the Dom Luis bridge(which can easily be crossed on foot) and going to Vila Nova de Gaia, commonly known as Gaia. The view from this opposite bank allows you to admire not only the Ribeira quays, but the whole of Porto. Come on, let’s go!

2.visit a Porto winery

You’re now on the shore of Vila Nova de Gaia. This is where the wineries where the barrels of Port wine are stored are concentrated. So a visit to a Port wine cellar is a must. That’s right! To visit Porto without visiting a Port wine cellar would be nonsense!

Port wine is produced a hundred kilometers from Vila Nova de Gaia, in the Douro Valley, then brought back to Vila Nova de Gaia, where it ages in wooden casks before being sold. You can visit most of these cellars and, of course, taste this famous elixir.

A little glass to keep your strength up! Do you prefer white or red port?

Gaia is home to some fifty wineries, so the choice is yours! Among the most popular wineries to visit in Porto are Taylor’s and Porto Cruz.

Taylor’s Porto wineries

3.take the cable car to see Porto differently

After a glass of port, why not take in the sights of Porto from a slightly different angle? To do so, I recommend taking a cable car ride (teleferico de Gaia). A cable car? Yes, you heard me right, just like in a ski resort!

Teleférico de Gaia

This short gondola ride offers a slightly different experience from the usual ones. And not least, it takes you up to the Mosteiro Serra da Pilar, where you can, in my opinion, contemplate Porto’s finest view. It’s also accessible on foot, but believe me, after all the kilometers you’ve already covered in Porto, I think a little gondola break will be appreciated by all. It costs €6 for adults and €3 for children.

Let’s go for a ride! Towards the Serra da Pilar Mosteiro

4. Contemplate Porto’s finest view from the Mosteiro Serra da Pilar

After a short gondola ride, you’ll arrive at the famous Mosteiro Serra da Pilar. This monastery has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. Construction began in 1538, but was not completed until 1610! That’s 72 years later!

Like Lisbon, the city of Porto is built on hills, so when you get up high, the panoramic views are ever more magical. As you stroll through the gardens around the Mosteiro Serra da Pilar, you won’t be able to resist getting out your camera for one of the most beautiful views of Porto. The one that makes your eyes widen and makes you say “wahouuu”. In fact, it’s one of the most Instagrammed places in Porto.

Let me give you an idea of the landscape: you’re high up on the bank of Vila nova de Gaia, with the Dom Luis Bridge in the foreground and the Douro, its boats, the Ribeira quays and the whole city of Porto in the background. And depending on the time of day you’re there, a beautiful sunset. A timeless place!

The magnificent view from the Mosteiro Serra da Pilar esplanade (photo credit: S.Perez)

5.climb the Arrábida Bridge for a unique experience

The Douro is Portugal’s emblematic river, to which I’ve already referred several times in this article. In Porto, it is spanned by six bridges, the most famous of which is the Dom Luis Bridge, designed by a pupil of Gustave Eiffel. Other bridges include the Arrábida Bridge. In 1963, it was the bridge with the largest arch in the world. Since 2016, it is the only bridge in Europe whose arch is open to visitors.

For the more adventurous, a unique experience awaits you: climbing its arch (€16.5). This is a unique experience to be had in Porto, during which you climb a steep staircase of 262 steps, in the open air over the arch of the bridge. Of course, it’s all done in complete safety, as you’re fitted with a harness and attached to a cable all the way to the top. This sensational experience takes you to an incredible view of Porto and the Douro. For a few extra euros(€3.5) you can get some photos of your ascent taken with a drone, and it’s well worth it!

Climbing the Arrábida bridge arch

6.buy a book at the Lello bookshop

Known as the cathedral of books, the Lello bookshop, founded in 1869, is reputed to be one of the most beautiful in the world. However, don’t expect a conventional bookshop: its status as one of the world’s most beautiful makes it a tourist attraction. People flock here more to take photos and selfies than to buy books, but it’s still a must-see in Porto.

The front of the Lello & Irmão bookshop

You won’t be able to enter the bookshop directly. You have to buy an entrance ticket(5€) in a street a few meters from the main entrance. Once you’ve bought your ticket, go to the entrance of the bookshop. Note that the entrance fee is €5, but if you buy a book in the bookshop, the entrance fee will be deducted.

As the Lello bookshop is very touristy, I recommend you go very early when it opens or very late just before it closes. I also recommend buying tickets online, as this will save you time, especially during peak tourist periods. Despite the fact that it’s a tourist attraction, the beauty of the place will charm you with :

its famous staircase, which is everywhere on social networks. A sublime, magisterial staircase that’s a popular photo opportunity for all visitors,
its colorful stained glass ceiling, which will dazzle you with its beauty,
and finally, apart from its beauty, there’s another reason for the attraction around this place: it’s the Harry Potter saga. It is said that author J.K. Rowling, as a professor of English at the University of Oporto in the early 90s, frequented this bookshop and was inspired by the architecture to describe the famous Hogwarts library in her book.

The imposing double staircase and magnificent stained-glass ceiling of the Lello bookshop

7. A boat trip on the Douro

Portugal’s second-largest city is home to two things: the famous Port wine and the famous Douro River. And the two are intimately linked, since it was on this river and thanks to the “barcos rabelos” that barrels of wine were transported from the vineyards of the Douro valley to the cellars of Vila Nova de Gaia. You can’t miss the “barcos rabelos” – they’re on every postcard of Porto. So why not take advantage of your stay in Porto to take a little cruise on this famous Douro. There are two options:

if you’re short on time: take a one-hour trip on a “barco rabelo“. (15€ for an adult)
you’ve got a day ahead of you: take a cruise from Porto to Régua in the Upper Douro Valley. You’ll see magnificent green landscapes. The return journey is by train, arriving at the mythical São Bento station, which I’ll tell you about next.(Between 65 and 85 euros for the day for an adult)

Set on the banks of the Douro. In the foreground, the “barco rabelo”; in the background, Porto and the Ribeira quays

8. Go to São Bento station, but not to catch a train

We agree, train stations aren’t always beautiful places. In fact, they can sometimes be rather gloomy. But Porto’s São Bento station is unlike any other – it’s a work of art in its own right! It was built at the end of the 19th century on the site of a convent called “São Bento de Ave Maria”, hence the name given to the station.

When you enter, you won’t feel like you’re in a train station. Your eyes will be almost instantly mesmerized by the blue of all the magnificent azulejos on display. These painted tiles depict various scenes from everyday life in Portugal, as well as scenes from the country’s history.

“Entrada” at São Bento station

9.making your own azulejos

I’ve just mentioned it, and I mention it in almost every one of my articles: azulejos. They’re everywhere in Portugal, and you know my passion for these colorful little tiles. You’ll see them on every street corner wherever you are in Portugal. Many house facades and monuments have them.

To discover azulejos in a different way, I’d like to recommend a fun experience in Porto: a cultural tour based around azulejos, in which you won’t just be a spectator, but also an actor. After learning about the origins and various techniques used to create azulejos, you’ll create your own. There’s nothing better than a little souvenir of your trip, and the pride of making your own azulejos!

This 3-hour experience is offered by “O porto Encanta” and costs €35. This includes the tour, the workshop and a glass of Porto(I forgot to mention it, but it’s obvious, we’re in Porto!). I’m sure this glass will boost your creativity when painting your azulejos (oportoencanta@gmail.com, 351 964 062 130)

Creating your own azulejos

10. Eat the best “prego não pao” in the world!

And because wandering around Porto will probably have made you hungry, here’s my little address for getting your strength back with a good snack. This snack is the “prego no pão”. Along with the “bifana”, these are two salty snacks often ordered by the Portuguese for “lanche”(snack time) in particular. They are simply bread and meat. The subtle difference between the two is that one is made with pork(bifana), while the other is made with beef (prego no pão).

So, if you’re visiting Porto and want a change from the famous “pastel de nata” or the traditional “francesinha”(a kind of croque monsieur, a specialty of the Porto region), I invite you to nibble on a good “prego no pão”. Believe me, you’re going to need it after a day of riding around Porto. As for the address, I’d definitely recommend the “Casa dos pregos: venham mais 5”. As its name suggests, this tasca (small typical restaurant) specializes in “prego”, and makes this clear with the slate on the restaurant’s sidewalk: “aqui come o melhor prego em pão do lombo boi com queijo da serra” (here we eat the best beef and cheese prego in bread).

Here we eat the best beef and cheese prego in bread

You can enjoy the traditional version: bread and marinated meat, or the higher-calorie … gourmet version with cheese. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Here’s the beast: the famous “prego no pão” here in its “gourmet” version, with cheese

In conclusion

As you can see, the city I like to call “Lisbon’s little sister” has a lot to offer. And yet, what I’ve told you today is just a sample, an appetizer, of all the things to do in Porto. What’s more, Porto’s surroundings are also brimming with magnificent treasures and sites. To name but a few: the Douro Valley, Guimarães, Aveiro, the Gerês Natural Park, Viana do Castelo, etc. And for those who want to go a little further, I invite you to read one of my previous articles: Why choose to live in northern Portugal?

And what do you like to do in Porto?

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