Porto portugal how many days

The Miragaia is another alternative, a beautiful neighborhood with lots of steep streets to climb. Stay here if you love the idea of ensconcing yourself in stylish, old-world elegance! This historic 5-star hotel in a hip area of the Aliados neighborhood features neo-baroque and custom-made furnishings and is decorated with antique chandeliers. It comes with sundeck, plunge pool and a beautiful breakfast too! A perfect choice for luxury lovers looking for a vibrant, central location. Be aware that there can be a bit of street noise as a result and there is no gym on-site.

You can check prices and availability here. Looking for a beautiful loft on a budget? We would book again without a second thought. Lisbon or Porto? Here are my suggestions for a 3-day trip to Porto: Spend the first day orienting yourself in Old Town, the second exploring across the river in Gaia, and the third day on a day trip to the Douro Valley.

Porto makes a great destination for solo travelers , too! Or, a Jewish heritage walking tour would also be fascinating. Several of the sights below are recommended as quick stops…particularly to admire the stunning blue and white tile facades. Architecture lovers may want to tour two of the cathedrals on Day 1.

The facade is awash in nearly 16,! Dedicated to St. Catherine of Alexandria, the chapel was originally constructed in wood and later restored at the beginning of the 19th century. For this one, the show is on the outside of the building. Not only is there inevitably fantastic locally sourced food and food products to be enjoyed, but you get to be part of the local shopping experience and feel less like a tourist.

From the Dordogne in France to Barcelona in Spain, this experience is always on my list! The tall narrow facade of beautiful blue and white azulejo tilework—almost 11, tiles total—almost begs you to stop. However, architecture lovers will want to see the retable the shelf behind the altar here by the Italian artist Nicolau Nisoni. This is a wide, grand promenade lined with stately old hotels.

This beautiful boulevard commemorates the 14th-century treaty between the UK and Portugal, which is still honored today. At the other is Praca da Liberdade, a beautiful square. Construction began in and finished eight years later.

The inside of it is simply awash in gold. But the most famous feature is the iconic bell tower. Inspired by bell towers in Tuscany, this tower can be spied from most spots in the city. There are 49 bells up there at the top! Hours: 9 to 7 am daily. You can buy an online admission ticket here. If there must be lines somewhere, that view is worth it!

Now, however, no one waits to climb the tower good news for you! But the place is tiny and no matter what time of day you go, you will likely feel claustrophobic from the crowds as you strain like a salmon swimming upstream to access the second floor…only to come back down and exit. Because too many people!

First of all, pick a time and buy your ticket online. Ticket cost is Otherwise, you will have two lines to brave at the bookstore.

You can enter with a purse, however. Or wait in the two lines at the shop. Internet was not great outside the store so I was ultimately unsuccessful when I tried to skip the line by purchasing a ticket online right before entering.

My other tip is to plan your visit to Lello during a weekday versus a weekend and be in line when they open at am or right before closing at 8 pm. But expect lines and crowds then also! How will you recognize them? By the huge blue and white tiled facade on the side of Carmo, of course! Carmelitas is the smaller of the two churches, part of a 17th-century convent with a bell tower.

The larger church, Carmo is a 19th century Baroque masterpiece. And sandwiched just between these two churches is a very narrow house designed to keep the monks and nuns from having any contact with each other. Keep walking! Think intricate wood carvings and gold leaf everywhere. By avoiding high season and staying at least one night in the city, you can help ease the burden of overtourism in Porto. For a short stay or weekend in Porto, I suggest staying somewhere central.

Prices are pretty reasonable even in the historic district. Porto has tons of amazing short-term rentals throughout the city. We stayed at a gorgeous modern flat across from Sao Bento station , and it was perfectly positioned for this two days in Porto itinerary.

Kick off your Porto itinerary at the impressive Town Hall. Though it looks old, Porto Town Hall was actually built in the s. Dating back to the mids, the road has transformed over time into a mix of shops, restaurants, and apartments, with beautiful iron balconies and tiled facades. Our experience at the Rua do Almada was slightly different, as we explored the area early Sunday morning. It was lovely to see the tiled buildings and charming storefronts without all the crowds, and to greet the locals as they opened their businesses.

Unfortunately, the market is currently closed for renovation and no fixed re-opening date has been set. Simply wander through the streets and alleys from north to south, taking in the colorful facades. We started our lunch adventure at Casa Guedes, whose specialty is the Sande de Pernil.

This heavenly sandwich of juicy sliced pork and melt-y white cheese was one of my favorite meals in Porto. And they were kind enough to cut the sandwich in half for us to share. After licking our plates clean, we walked up the street for another Porto specialty: the Francesinha. This multi-meat sandwich is covered in melted cheese and a tomato beer sauce, with a side of fries to soak up the flavorful liquid.

It was a struggle to eat even half of a Francesinha after splitting the Sande de Pernil, but the discomfort was totally worth it. Both of these restaurants are extremely popular, so I recommend getting here no later than 11am. Most people visit European cathedrals for their elegant interiors or stained glass windows. And while the Porto Cathedral has an opulent, gilded nave and altar with intricately carved pews, I think the exterior really shines.

Second, the northeastern facade is covered in azulejo tiles and beautiful arches. And finally, the view of the cathedral and its walls from near Sao Bento station is stunning, and reminded me of Salzburg Fortress or Edinburgh Castle. But we decided to try something new in Porto: a guided bike tour! Our Baja Bikes tour along the Douro River and ocean coast was incredible. In 3 hours, we saw everything from colorful Foz do Douro houses to crashing waves at Felgueiras Lighthouse.

And our guide, Gil, was so knowledgable and friendly. At the end of the tour, he even gave us a map with his personal recommendations for what to do and where to eat in Porto! After a morning of climbing steep hills, it was incredibly refreshing to glide along with a cool breeze in my hair.

See the complete route and book your Porto bike tour here. Your Porto bike tour should end right next to the Luis I Bridge, a double-decker beauty that connects Porto to Gaia across the river. Gustav Eiffel was one of the main architects who worked on the bridge.

Head across the bridge to reach Gaia. And if you stop to take a few photos, be careful of the other pedestrians. Once you reach Gaia, wind your way up the hilly streets to reach the Jardim do Morro. There are multiple drink carts near the garden, including a small bar that sells frozen margaritas and beer. We enjoyed a freshly squeezed juice after our long day of Porto sightseeing. Just east of the Jardim do Morro is the Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar, an old monastery with round towers.

You can get even higher views from the top of the towers, though you will need to pay a few euros for admission. Along with the Igreja do Carmo, the Livraria Lello bookshop topped my list of things to see in Porto.

Maybe this place was magical five years ago. But in the age of Instagram, Livraria Lello was basically a photo shoot free-for-all. Instead of marveling at the beautiful carved wood ceiling, stained glass skylight, and towering shelves, I was dodging dozens of selfie-takers.

Surrounded by plenty of fascinating buildings including the Mercado Ferreira Borges market above, it also has a great big statue of Prince Henry the Navigator at its centre. Not so for the Church of St Francis, as its plain exterior masks an absolute treasure trove inside.

In recent years this bookstore has become a huge deal in Porto, so much so that it often has one of the longest lines in the city. Visiting the church and tower, you gradually snake your way up the levels around the church. Skip the long lines at the ticket office and buy your tickets to the Clerigos Tower in advance here. That way, you can watch the sunset over the Atlantic Ocean and see the sand glow with the fading light.

The first stop for the day is going to create a bit of a theme for your second day in Porto. It is fully covered in ornate azulejos , traditional blue and white Portuguese tiles that are used to create giant and elaborate pieces of art that show various scenes and stories.

Still, this historic market shows you how old-school Porto can be at times. Sitting on a hilltop almost opposite the Clerigos Church, this is another church decorated with azulejos. But instead of being blanketed in blue and white, the tiles have been incorporated into its Baroque design, making for an interesting sight. While many Portuguese train stations have some tilework, this may be the most famous station for it. Sitting in quite a strategic position with towers and terraces around with long drops below, you could easily mistake it for some sort of fortified castle.

As Porto grew over the centuries, the walls got in the way and were removed. Only two stretches remain and have sort of merged into the Old Town around them. Still, at 30 feet tall these big stone walls are worth a moment of your time.

From up there you can admire the view down along the Douro river and of the buildings on either bank. While there are many views that include the bridge, the views from the bridge itself are just as fantastic. Floating over the rooftops of buildings and wineries, you get to look down at all the people wandering along the south side of the river.

And with a return ticket, you save yourself the pain of having to walk back up again later. Throw in the superb view back to the buildings of Porto and the argument could be made that this is the better riverfront. In the European Union, only fortified wine from Porto is allowed to call itself port. One of the more memorable is Ferreira Cellars found inside an old convent, where you can tour the cellars and taste a few samples.

If you want, why not visit a few different cellars with a walking tour and work out for yourself which you think is the best of Porto.

At the end of the day as sunset draws near, make your way back up to the area around the top of the Teleferico and Luis I Bridge. Now while the monastery looks quite nice illuminated in the evening, the real reason to come up here is for the best sunset spot in the city. I think the terrace outside the monastery here is the best simply because you can see all of Porto from up there, including both banks, the river and even Luis I Bridge.

Recommendation: If you have more than 2 days in Porto, we highly recommend you book a Douro Valley tour. On this tour you get to spend a full day taking in the landscapes of the Douro Valley, taste port wines, table wines and olive oil, enjoy a traditional Portuguese lunch in a vineyard, and take a ride along the Douro River on a traditional Rabelo boat.