Porto is an incredible city, 3 days in Porto is enough to fall in love with its style. The vintage and decadent charm of the uninhabited houses, the climbs, and descents, the streets always full of people make it a city alive and always in motion. It gives me the feeling that the city stopped 7 years ago when I visited it for the first time. Do you want to know how to get to Porto? Read here! For a free tour addiction book here is the best one!
DAY 1
The first day we will visit the northern part of the city, we start the tour from the São Bento train station and its beautiful Azulejos. Start the climb towards the Igreja de Santo Ildefonso, and the Rua Santa Catarina famous for shops and cafes such as the Majestic Café. Stop for a coffee and its delicious French toast, and take a trip to the Mercado do Bolhão, the city market.
Booking.com
We arrive at the town square, to take a picture with the inscription of PORTO. Let’s go to the famous Almada neighborhood, lively in the evening and bohemian by day. We finish at the Igreja do Carmo, admission € 3.50, and just 200m away you will find the famous Lello library. Last stop on the Clérigos Church tour, entrance to the tower 25% with Porto card and Manteigaria with its spectacular Pastel de Nata. Is the Porto card useful? Read here!
DAY 2
The second day we dedicate it to visits to the cellars of Vila Nova de Gaia. Few know this but once across the Luis I bridge, it is no longer the city of Porto but Vila Nova de Gaia. This area is famous for the many wineries that populate it, from the most famous ones like Cálem and Sanderman or Croft to the smaller ones. Most of these shops always offer a guided tour with a tasting of Oporto wine at the end. I advise you to book in advance and to visit one of these 3.
In my case, I visited Croft in 2012 and this year Cálem, I preferred the second for the much more complete and more technological tour, although less traditional. To book here online your visit (€ 13). For Fado show + wine tasting check the tour here!
Once you visit the shops you can take a walk and go looking for The Half Rabbit (see photo). This area is also very famous for the terraces like that of the Espaço Porto Cruz (try the PortoTonic). To end the day, take the Teleférico de Gaia, which leaves you at the Luis I bridge to be able to cross it on foot. If you feel like it, I suggest you visit the Seu which is a few meters away. Don’t know where to dine? Read my post “Eat in Porto“. Visit the Duoro Valley from Porto.
DAY 3
On the third and final day, we dedicate it to the southern part of the city, always starting from the São Bento train station. We go down towards the historical center for the R. de Mouzinho da Silveira, one of the most beautiful streets of the city. Once arrived at the Jardim do Infante Dom Henrique, where the Palacio da Bolsa is located. I highly recommend the visit is a beautiful building and the visit is guided, with the Porto Card is € 7.50.
We continue the tour to the Casa do Infante and the Port Wine Museum, two optional stops perfect for museum lovers. We end the tour in the famous neighborhood of Ribeira, its colorful houses, and the narrow streets that are passed one person at a time.
ADMISSIONS
| Lello Library | 5€ | 9:30 to 20:00 |
| Seu (Cathedral)
Cloister |
Free
3,50€ |
9:00 to 12:30 / from 14:30 to 19:00
(cloister from 9:00 to 18:30) |
| Carmo Church | Free | 8:30 to 12:30/15:00 to 19:00 |
| Teleférico de Gaia | 6€ | |
| Santo Ildefonso Church | Free | 8:30 to 12:30/15:00 to 19:00 |
| Clérigos Church | 5€ (-25% with Porto Card) | 9:30 to 19:00 |
| Port Wine Museum | 2,20€ (free with Porto Card) | 10:00 to 17:30 |
| Palacio da Bolsa | 10€ (-25% with Porto Card) | 9:00 to 18:30 |
| Casa do Infante | 2,20€ (free with Porto Card) | 10:00 to 17:30 |
