Baixa
First-timersThe centre around Aliados and São Bento: everything walkable, most of the hostels, and flat by Porto standards.
Porto city guide
Things To Do In Porto
Granite, tiles and port cellars stacked up both banks of a gorge. Smaller and steeper than Lisbon, and most people who do both end up preferring it.
61
Hostels in the city
8.5
Average, from 76,887 reviews
6
Bridges over the Douro
1996
The historic centre joins UNESCO
1756
The Douro demarcated, one of the oldest wine regions in the world to be regulated
A working city that happens to be beautiful
Porto sits where the Douro meets the Atlantic, built up both sides of a gorge steep enough that the bridges cross at roof level. The centre is granite and azulejo tiles, half of it beautifully restored and half of it still falling down, which is the character of the place.
The port houses are all on the other bank, in Vila Nova de Gaia, which is technically a different city. The wine comes down from the Douro valley, sixty miles inland, where the terraced vineyards are the oldest demarcated wine region in the world.
Two or three days does the city. Add a day for the Douro valley, which is the best thing in northern Portugal and which most people skip because they have not left enough time.
Where to stay
The centre is small and vertical. Staying near the river means climbing home.
Ribeira
The viewThe riverfront arcades under the bridge. Postcard-pretty, packed by day, and a climb back up to everything else.
Cedofeita
Independent PortoGalleries, record shops and Rua Miguel Bombarda, ten minutes uphill from the centre and much quieter.
Vila Nova de Gaia
Port cellarsAcross the bridge: every port house, a cable car, and the best view back at Porto.
Boavista
Quiet and cheapWest of the centre around the Casa da Música, residential, well connected and noticeably cheaper.
Foz do Douro
Sea airWhere the river meets the Atlantic: a promenade, surf beaches and a tram that takes half an hour from the centre.
Orange labels are neighbourhoods, dots are the 12 top-rated hostels. Map © MapTiler © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Things to do
Things to do in Porto
Cross the Dom Luís I bridge on the top deck, on foot, at sunset. It is free, it is the best view in the city, and the metro runs beside you.
Livraria Lello charges for entry and refunds it against a book, and the queue is long because of a Harry Potter link that J.K. Rowling has said is not true. Go at opening or skip it — the Igreja do Carmo tiles and São Bento station's 20,000 azulejos are free and more impressive.
Port cellars are all in Gaia. Taylor's, Graham's and Sandeman do the polished tours at €18 to €25; the smaller houses charge less and pour more generously.
Clérigos tower is 225 steps for the best rooftop view, and the Serralves museum and its park are worth the tram ride west.
More on things to do in Porto
Free things
Free things to do in Porto
The best of Porto costs nothing. Walking the top deck of the bridge, São Bento's tile hall, the Igreja do Carmo facade, and the whole Ribeira waterfront are all free.
The Jardins do Palácio de Cristal are free and give you the river view without the Ribeira crowds. The Serralves park is free on the first Sunday of the month, until one.
Mercado do Bolhão reopened after a long restoration and costs nothing to wander. And the beach at Matosinhos is at the end of a metro line, with the best grilled fish in the city along one street behind it.
Food and drink
Eating and drinking in Porto
The francesinha is Porto's own: a sandwich of steak, sausage and ham under melted cheese, drowned in a beer and tomato sauce, usually with chips in the bowl. It costs €9 to €14 and it is a commitment rather than a lunch.
Everyday eating is better value here than in Lisbon. A prato do dia runs €7 to €11, and the tascas around Bolhão and Cedofeita serve it to people on lunch breaks rather than tourists.
Tripas à moda do Porto is the historic dish and the reason locals are called tripeiros. Grilled sardines and bacalhau are everywhere, and Matosinhos is where to eat fish properly, at the end of the metro line.
Port comes in white, tawny and vintage, and white port with tonic is what people actually drink on a summer evening.
More on food and drink in Porto
Nightlife
Going out in Porto
Galerias de Paris is the centre of it: a couple of streets of bars where everyone drinks outside, cheaper and smaller-scale than Bairro Alto in Lisbon and busier on a Thursday than most cities are on a Saturday.
Ribeira is where tourists drink and Gaia is where the sunset crowd goes, both with a premium for the view.
A beer is €1.50 to €3, and Super Bock is the local one — ordering a Sagres here is a mild insult and everyone will let you know.
Things start late but not as late as Lisbon: bars fill around eleven and clubs from one.
Getting around
Getting around Porto
The centre is walkable and the hills are the reason people still use the metro for two stops. An Andante card costs €0.60 and journeys are about €1.60 by zone, with a day pass at €4.80.
The metro reaches the airport in 30 minutes and Matosinhos beach at the other end of the same system.
Tram 1 runs along the river to Foz for €4 and is a genuine old tram rather than a tourist one. The Gaia cable car costs €7 and saves the climb from the bridge to the upper deck.
Uber and Bolt are cheap, which matters at two in the morning when you are at the bottom of the gorge.
Costs
What Porto costs
Porto is cheaper than Lisbon across the board. Dorms are €15 to €30, a prato do dia is €7 to €11, a beer is €1.50 to €3, and most of the best things are free.
A careful day is €40 to €55.
What adds up is port tastings at €15 to €25 each, Douro valley tours at €60 to €110, and eating on the Ribeira waterfront, where you pay double for the view.
Safety
Staying safe in Porto
Porto is a safe city and feels it, including late at night in the centre. Pickpocketing exists around São Bento, Ribeira and on busy metro trains, at a level well below Lisbon's.
The hills and the pavement are the real hazard: granite and calçada are slippery in the rain, and Porto gets a lot of rain between November and March.
The Douro has strong currents and people do drown swimming near the bridges. The beaches at Matosinhos and Foz are Atlantic, cold and have rip currents; swim where the flags are.
Emergency number is 112.
Day trips from Porto
The Douro valley is the one to make time for. Everything else is an hour by train.
Douro Valley
Terraced vineyards down a river gorge, the oldest demarcated wine region in the world. The train line hugs the water for the last hour and is worth the trip on its own.
Guimarães
Where Portugal was founded, with a castle, a palace and a medieval centre that is UNESCO-listed.
Braga
The religious capital, older than the country, with a baroque stairway climbing to a hilltop sanctuary.
Aveiro
Canals, painted boats, art nouveau and a long beach at Costa Nova with striped houses.
Matosinhos
Not really a day trip: a beach, a surf school and a street of grilled fish restaurants at the end of the line.
Day trips from Porto
What's on
What is on while you are there
One night in June involves the entire city hitting each other with plastic hammers.
Staff pick
8 November
EDP Porto Marathon (EDP Maratona do Porto)
The EDP Porto Marathon invites runners from around the world to experience a scenic race through the historic streets and along the Douro River…
1 Sep – 31 Jan
Lee Ufan
Lee Ufan is a South Korean artist known for redefining material, space, and perception in post-war art. His exhibition at Casa e Parque de…
4 October
Portugal vs. Norway: UEFA Nations League
A UEFA Nations League match between Portugal and Norway is scheduled at Estadio do Dragao in Porto. The game kicks off on October 4th…
26 October
FC Porto vs. Academico de Viseu FC
A football match between FC Porto and Academico de Viseu FC is scheduled as part of the Taca da Liga competition. The game will…
8 November
EDP Marathon of Porto
The EDP Marathon of Porto invites you to a weekend full of fun and competition in one of the most important athletic events. It…
1 Oct – 29 Mar
Miguel Gomes
Miguel Gomes is a renowned Portuguese filmmaker known for blending documentary and fiction, influenced by the Nouvelle Vague and Italian Neorealism. His work challenges…
3 October
Simone Mendes
Simone Mendes returns to Portugal for a concert at Super Bock Arena. The event promises an emotional night featuring her greatest hits. The performance…
3 October
IRA
The legendary Brazilian rock band IRA is coming to Portugal for a series of shows in 2026. Known for their iconic hits since the…
Hostels
Where to stay in Porto
Porto has an unusually good hostel scene for a city this size, and several of Europe's highest-rated. Live from Hostelworld.
Gallery Hostel Porto
Dorms from €22 a night
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Onefam Clerigos
Dorms from €14 a night
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Onefam Ribeira
Dorms from €14 a night
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Porto Wine Hostel
Dorms from €20 a night
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Sustainable
The Passenger Hostel
Dorms from €22 a night
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The House of Sandeman - Hostel & Suites
Dorms from €18 a night
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Oporto Sky Hostel
Dorms from €16 a night
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Rivoli Cinema Hostel
Dorms from €23 a night
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Sustainable
Urban Garden Porto Central Hostel
Dorms from €21 a night
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The Central House Porto Ribeira
Dorms from €29 a night
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Being Porto Hostel
Dorms from €17 a night
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Nice Way Porto
Dorms from €14 a night
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When to go
Porto is wetter and cooler than Lisbon. May, June and September are the sweet spot.
Jan
Wet and grey. Cheapest month, and the cellars are empty
Feb
Still wet. Good for museums and port
Mar
Improving. Spring arrives in the second half
Apr
Showers and sun. Green and good value
May
Excellent. Warm, long evenings, not yet full
Jun
São João on the 23rd, the best night of the year
Jul
Warm and busy. Book ahead
Aug
Peak. Hot by Porto standards and full
Sep
The best month. Warm, the harvest is on in the Douro
Oct
Excellent value. Rain returns late in the month
Nov
Wet and quiet
Dec
Cold, wet and cheap, with Christmas lights on Aliados
Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets:
quiet
busy
peak
Average highs. Porto is noticeably cooler and considerably wetter than Lisbon, and the Atlantic keeps summer in the mid-twenties.
What your trip will cost
Pick how you travel. Per person per night, in euros.
Port tastings at €15–25 and a Douro valley day at €60–110 sit outside these figures.
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- Beds—
- Food and drink—
- Getting around—
- Doing things—
Porto travel questions
The ones we get asked most.
Porto or Lisbon?
Lisbon is bigger, livelier and has more to do. Porto is smaller, cheaper, steeper and more concentrated, and a lot of people who see both prefer it. Two or three days here against four in Lisbon is the usual split.
How many days do you need in Porto?
Two or three for the city, plus a day for the Douro valley. The valley is the thing people most often run out of time for and most regret missing.
Do I have to cross the river for port?
Yes — every port house is in Vila Nova de Gaia on the south bank, which is technically a separate city. It is a ten-minute walk across the bridge.
Is Livraria Lello worth the ticket?
Only if you go at opening. It is a beautiful small bookshop with a long queue and an entry fee refunded against a book. São Bento station and the Igreja do Carmo are free and more impressive.
What is a francesinha?
A sandwich of steak, sausage and ham under melted cheese in a beer and tomato sauce, usually with chips in the bowl. €9 to €14, and one between two is a reasonable first attempt.
Is Porto cheaper than Lisbon?
Noticeably. Dorms €15 to €30 against €18 to €35, set lunches €7 to €11, and a day around €40 to €55.
When should I go?
May, June or September. June has São João on the 23rd, which is the best night of the Portuguese year. Winter is wet — Porto gets considerably more rain than Lisbon.
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