One week in Porto – Portugal

Porto is the second largest city in Portugal and the perfect starting point to explore northern Portugal. You can easily spend one week in Porto, exploring the city, eating Portuguese food, drinking Portuguese wine from the region and go on day trips into every direction.

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Overview

• Where to stay in Porto
• What to do in Porto
• Places to see in Porto
• Day Tours from Porto
• Where and what to eat in Porto
• Map of one week in Porto

Where to stay for one week in Porto

We stayed in a hotel in the Bonfim* neighbourhood, next to the the historic city centre and the Ribeira (a UNESCO world heritage site). Depending on what you are looking for here are three options in the Bonfim Neighbourhood:

If you are looking for an accommodation with breakfast included look no further than Dukes Corner Guest House*. It is located in a traditional tiled cornerhouse and mixes old designs with modern amenities.

The Aparthotel Oporto Palace* is one of the few accommodations with private parking. They also mixed traditional designs with clean modern lines and renovated rooms and apartments.

If you are looking for more space, but don’t want to rent a place that should be a long term rental try Thomaz Palace*. This huge townhouse contains short term rentals after a quite recent renovation. They also have private parking, but it’s a bit more expensive than the Aparthotel.

What to do for one week in Porto

As the second largest city in Portugal there is no shortage of things to do and see in and around Porto.

Breakfast Food Tour

We went on this food tour in Porto* with a small group of 6 people. To start the day our guide Grenado introduced us to a “very Portuguese Breakfast” -> Toast with salted butter, a “Brioche Croissant” and coffee with milk. A history lesson about the Café we were at later we continued towards Bolhão market.

At the market we got to try:

• a Vino Verde, paired with canned piri-piri sardines and canned cod
• a Port Wine, paired first with a selection of cheeses and then a selection of meats and sausages
• and Ginjinha, a Portuguese cherry liqueur

On our way to one of the cities locations of Manteigaria – to eat super fresh Pastéi de Nata – we stopped by the Chapel of Souls, a church covered in the beautiful blue azulejo tiles of Portugal.

Prior to last stop on our tour was a place that specialises in Folhados, pastries with savoury fillings, in our case veal, served with a Spanish beer. And finally we stopped at a liqueur store and tried a Reserve Port, paired with dried fig and walnut.

Legends and Horror Stories Tour

Like every major city, Porto has had different dark chapters in its history. When you are interested in history and can stomach to listen to the macabre and gory parts of it as well, this is the tour for you. We met our guide Mariana at Virtudes viewpoint, from where you have a great sunset and later night view over the port of the city.

During about two hours Mariana told us historical facts, legends and how they came to be about the Inquisition, about the 15th and 16th centuries during which Porto was shaken up by the plague with the rest of medieval Europe. We walked along an old prison and cemetery of the criminals, where she told us how different crimes were handled during the ages and how some important people lost their heads in the last civil war. Last stop of the tour was the “haunted” train station of São Bento (which we had previously visited during the day) where we learned the cruel history of this seemingly ordinary place.

Tile Workshop

On the second day of our holiday we took part in a tile workshop. Tiles are a staple in Portuguese art and history -and have been for centuries-, not just in Porto, but all over the country. And what better way to learn more about this handicraft than doing it yourself?

We started the workshop with a drink and an overview of Portuguese tiles and their history, as well as examples of their use in churches, monuments, houses and more. Afterwards they taught us different ways of tile painting techniques, from traditional stencils to freehanding it.

During the workshop you can pick out one of their design-stencils or even freehand something! I did one of each, but the freehand tile was so bad that I did not take it back home with me.

Since the tiles need to be fired after the class you have to plan at least 24 hours in addition to the workshop, if you want to take them home with you. We did the workshop on the first day and picked them up a week later (make sure to communicate! don’t just show up a week later and expect your tiles will still be there) in a sturdy carton with a lovely print on it.

Places to visit during one week in Porto

There are many places you can visit during a week trip to Porto, some of them are free, but a lot of them require a small entrance fee.

Churches and Chapels

There are many churches, chapels and cathedrals in Porto. The above mentioned Chapel of Souls – Capela das Almas de Santa Catarina (5) is one of them, it is easily recognizable since it is covered on all sides in Azulejos, the traditional blue and white tiles of Portugal. Other notable ones include Clérigos Church – Igreja e Torre dos Clérigos, which is church and architectural optical illusion in one as you can see only its tower from one side and only the rest of the building from the other (4), Igreja do Carmo (2), which has adapted to modern times by hosting a light and music show inside, the Cathedral of Porto, Igreja de Santa Clara (1), which I have been told several times during the week by locals is the most worth it to see the inside of and many, many more.

São Bento Station

São Bento station was opened around 1905 and was named after the monastery which stood exactly on the same spot. The station could only be built after the last nun had died and allegedly a skeleton was found long after the church had been expropriated, chained up in a room.

The walls and pillars of the stations atrium are covered in thousands of azulejo tiles which depict the history of Portugal, with many battles, historic events and modes of transportation.

Despite its age the São Bento station is still in operation today, with many trains departing at all hours of the day. One of the trains departing from here goes through the Douro Valley, which is ideal for a wine tasting DIY Daytrip to the Douro Valley.

Casa Museu Fernando de Castro

As the name says, this is not a normal museum, but rather the former residence of a man called Fernando de Castro, turned into museum. While the owner showed people around his home while he was still alive the house was handed over to the Soares dos Reis Museum after he died, who turned it into a full museum.

The house itself was Fernandos childhood home, which entered his possession after his parents died. In 1893 he started turning the house into a version of his own design, which supposedly was a mix between palace, church (or rather monastery) and art studio. Every single room is stuffed to the brim with wood carvings, wall pictures, figurines, the ceilings from monasteries, cut down to fit into a residential home, saint figurines, books and bits and bobs from many different countries. The pieces aren’t organised by location or date, but rather by “vibe” to use a modern word for something a collector from the late 1800s was trying to achieve.

Our guide was very passionate about sharing this history, as it is a very different experience than a neatly curated museum. Everything is everywhere and with the slightly damp smell and darkness inside to protect the art pieces it can be quite overwhelming. A good guide is essential to enjoy this place.

This place is not open to the public, you can only visit it with a tour and the only place I found where you can book a tour in English is on AirBnB Experiences. Sure, the museum has a Website and offers tours for a fraction of the money, but only in Portuguese.

Casa do Infante

Casa do Infante is the local history museum of Porto. While it is not the most interesting or extensive, it gives a good overview over local history of the port city, expansion over the years and geographical changes in the region. The employees here were also super helpful with tickets, advising on which ones to buy to make the most of our money. It is close to the “Ribeira do Porto (featured image)”, one of Portos oldest districts, directly on the waterfront. If you think about Porto, this is probably the neighbourhood you’ll think of.

Portuguese Centre of Photography

From Prison (1800s to 1970) to Photography Museum (since 1997), the house at the Largo Amor de Perdição has seen a lot of history in it’s walls.

You can visit the museum for free. Inside you can see the former prison cells, some informational plaques on a hand full of important people that had been imprisoned here and of course the photography exhibitions. There is an area with temporary exhibitions and the permanent exhibitions with many cameras, from over 100 years ago to super modern ones, from glass to film, to polaroid to chips, giant cameras and tiny spy gadgets.

From the top floors you also get a free view over Porto that is different from the viewpoints, as it is in the centre of a highly populated area and not on the side of a mountain, cliff or bridge.

Beach Matosinhos

At the northern point of the main beach, the Praia de Matosinhos, close to the tourism information building, is a sculpture depicting “Tragedy at Sea“. Sculptures of women and children wailing and mourning their fathers, brothers and husbands, who, working as fishermen, were lost at sea. Further south at a roundabout you can see the “Anemona” art installation. A giant metal and net construction resembling, well, an Anemona, and it supposedly sways in the wind. Sadly, it didn’t when I was there.

At the southern most point of the same beach south is the Castelo do Queijo / Forte de São Francisco Xavier, an old stone fort from the 17th century, with a small military museum (one room) inside. Admission tickets are 0,5€ and include going to the rooftop and walking along the exterior wall perimeter and the ancient canons still guarding it.

Viewpoints

Miradouro da Vitória overlooks the older buildings of the city, some parts of the river and the opposite riverbank. You can also see the cathedral of Porto, the Luís I Bridge and the Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar from here.

Passeio das Virtudes is located further west than the Vitória viewpoint and often crowded at sunset. However, the views after sunset are great as well and the crowds have mostly disappeared by then. The building you can see lit up in front of the river is the Museum of Transport and Communication.

Ribeira do Porto (featured image), this viewpoint / promenade stretches along the northern waterfront of the Douro river. The Ribeira do Porto is one of Portos oldest districts. With the Ribeira at your back you look at Vila Nova de Gaia on the southside.

Livraria Lello

This bookstore is very old and very beautiful. It is said to have inspired a certain author to write a popular book series about wizards in a school in Scotland. Nowadays you have to wait in line, over half an hour even in the off season and pay 5€ just to get inside. I couldn’t be bothered to do that.

Day Tours from Porto

DIY Trip to the Douro Valley

The Douro Valley is THE wine destination in Portugal, not only developed for wine production, but for tourism as well. You can visit several museums and vineyards in the Douro Valley and enjoy the beautiful landscape. Which town to visit, how to get there and everything else you need to know for your trip you can find here: DIY Trip to the Douro Valley

Aveiro & Costa Nova

Aveiro is often called the “Venice of Portugal”, a city in the Art Nouveau style with small boats going up and down the canal, while Costa Nova is a holiday village wedged between the ocean and the Aveiro lagoon with sprawling beaches as far as the eye can see and colourful striped houses along the main promenade. Both places are worth a visit and ideal to combine for a day trip since they are so close together.

For more information, read my blogpost: Day Trip to Aveiro and Costa Nova

Braga & Guimarães

That picture with the seemingly endless white staircases leading up to a church? That’s the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte near Braga. I didn’t know that before I went there, but since I got there at sunrise and had the entire complex mostly to myself it turned to be my favourite day trip from Porto. After that and a great breakfast in Braga I went on to Guimarães to explore the old town centre and can recommend this colourful town wholeheartedly.

For more information, read my blogpost: Day Trip to Braga and Guimarães

Where and what to eat in Porto

Manteigaria – Fábrica de Pastéis de Nata

Thousands of Pastéis de Nata are handmade every day at the locations of the Manteigaria in Porto. My favourite was the one at Rue de Alexandre Braga 24, where you can watch new Pastéis being made while eating your own, still warm and with a fresh dusting of cinnamon.

Mercado do Bolhão

Bolhão market has been renovated (and somewhat gentrified in the process) between 2018 and 2022 and while it has lost some of it’s historic charm it’s still worth a visit. You can try local produce at the market, from sardines, to wines, cheeses and meat cuts. When you like what you tried you can buy a bigger portion!

Natuvinum

Natuvinum is a small wine bar at the edge of the Bofim neighbourhood. They offer a “wine of the day” for a set amount per glass. You don’t have to worry though that you’ll get something you won’t like, they’ll tell you beforehand which wine is the wine of the day.

The wine of the day when I was there was an Analogue 2023, a natural wine from the Minho region in the north-west of Portugal. It’s made from three varieties of grapes. Only 4000 bottles were made in 2023 so it felt special to have this one as the wine of the day.

It was served with lightly salted popcorn and a glass of water.

Oficina dos Rissóis

Rissóis are half circle shaped savory pastries. At Oficina dos Rissóis this traditional Portuguese dish has been elevated to a delicacy. There are fourteen options for fillings on the menu, we went with braised veal, shiitake and a mixed one, then shared them between ourselves. We also ordered a bowl of tomato rice with it, which was my favourite tomato rice so in Portugal.

Casa Guedes Tradicional

Cachorrinhos are known as “the hotdog of Porto“. With crispy bread on the outside, sausage and hot sauce on the inside, and the optional addition of cheese this dish is the perfect beer food. Other blogs I’ve seen, as well as some tourist guides mentioned “Cervejaria Gazela” as the restaurant to try this at, but when I went there my experience was overwhelmingly negative. So instead I went to Casa Guedes Tradicional and the cachorrinho there was good.

Brasão Coliseu

The Brasão restaurants specialise on crafts beers, Portuguese snacks & steak. Four different locations in Porto serve mostly the same things. I tried different Portuguese croquettes at Brasão Coliseu: One with meat, one with prawn and one with codfish. Each was served with a different sauce that fit with the filling of the croquette. If you aren’t sure what to drink you can try the “Cerveja Mistério” where you get a beer from the roster, without having to choose.

The table next to me had the Grilled Pork Rib in Wine Marinate and they looked delicious as well.

Esquires Coffee Porto

A brunch spot in Porto (they have two locations), with good options, good coffee and smoothie options and a delectable Matcha. I had their club sandwich one day and a waffle with fruit and a smoothie on another. Their interior is industrial style, but it’s mixed with warm natural tones and lots of plants, which makes it feel cozy again.

Gelataria La Copa

Some might say autumn is not the time for ice cream. I, personally, think any time is the right time for ice cream. Gelataria La Copa was opened in 2014 and has since been delighting customers with their daily fresh made ice creams. They use seasonal fruit wherever they can, focus on a few varieties of ice cream every day and make their ice cream cones freshly in the shop, you can even watch them get made.

My favourite ice cream combinations were lemon tarte / lemon (one slightly bitter, the other sour) and cinnamon / chocolate / popcorn. Since they don’t make every flavour every day you might not be able to get the same one on several days in a row.

Garden Balthazar Caffe – Porto

While this place is mostly frequented for Brunch (their motto is “all day breakfast”) their opening times until late at night make them a good choice for dinner as well. And with their chicken burger with sweet potato fries on the menu you will easily find something other than breakfast to eat.

Tasquinha Rebelo

Francesinha is a Portuguese sandwich which originated in Porto. You can find it everywhere in the city, but if you want a “real” one, from locals for locals, in a tiny hole-in-the-wall place, go to Tasquinha Rebelo. People here barely spoke English, but the menu has pictures and you can point and smile (at this point this is my favourite way to order food to be honest). The Francesinha here is made several layers of white bread, with pork roast, wet-cured ham and small pork sausages (chipolata). It has a fried egg on top, is covered by melted cheese and served with a tomato sauce. It is served with thick Potato Chips.

Combi Coffee Roasters

Combi Coffee Roasters were my favourite café in Porto, coincidentally they were located in the Bofim neighbourhood where I was staying, but they were my favourite café, because their coffee was delicious. Strong without being bitter, creamy foam on the Latté.

I had a coffee here several times, most often to-go, but sometimes with a few Pastéis de Nata or a croissant for breakfast.

Turmeric حلال Pakistani & Indian Restaurant

When you are craving something that will warm you up any curry dish is a good choice. At Tumeric حلال the curry dishes are marked with their spice level and absolutely delicious, especially with a fresh Naan (flatbread). Their Kheer (spiced, sweet rice pudding) is top notch! I would come here again just for the dessert.

CA Downtown

Another brunch spot in Porto, this restaurant is directly next to another brunch restaurant and they are competing for customers. The eggs Benedict with bacon on sourdough were really nice, the french toast was not my favourite.

Say Cheesecake! & Co.

I was following this café on Instagram for a while. They specialise, as the name suggests, in cheesecakes. The cheesecake was good, but nothing special. It is worth a visit if you want to try differnt cheesecakes and like a cute café for pictures.

Map of one week in Porto

How to read the map: the purple dots are three hotels I recommend, the light greens are restaurants, the dark greens cafés, an ice cream parlour and a wine bar, the dark blues are churches, the medium blues are viewpoints and the light blues are historic buildings and museums.

You can save the map to your Google Maps for one week in Porto by clicking here.