7 days in Porto

1. Start from the Church of Saint Ildefonso. Elegant 18th-century church whose facade is covered in blue & white tiles added in the 1930s.Only 1 € entrance fee for the church and the museum!

2. A short walk away is Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Terço e da Caridade. Church with its typical Porto tiles.

3. Continue to São Bento Railway Station, often considered one of the most beautiful train stations in Europe. Even if you are not taking a train, it is worth stepping inside to admire the enormous azulejo panels depicting scenes from Portuguese history and everyday life. Entrance is free. Within a short walk from the station, you will also find Time Out Market, a modern food hall with a wide selection of local dishes and casual dining options — a convenient place for lunch. 

4. Continue through the upper part of the old town toward the Clérigos district. If you are ready for a climb, Torre dos Clérigos offers one of the best panoramic views over Porto’s rooftops, church towers, and the Douro River.

5. From the Clérigos area, continue toward Rua das Flores, one of the most charming pedestrian streets in the city. From there, it is a short walk to Porto Cathedral (Sé do Porto) — upper old town and first panoramic views. Hilltop Romanesque cathedral, with a fortress-like interior, a rose window & Gothic cloisters. It is typically free or a small voluntary donation, but for the cloisters + museum area: around €3–5.
   
   Then, you naturally begin to descend toward the river through Ribeira. This part of the city unfolds gradually, and almost every turn reveals new views of rooftops, bridges, and the Douro River below.

6. In the late afternoon, reach the riverside and make your way up to the upper city level near the Dom Luís I Bridge using the Funicular dos Guindais. It is the easiest option rather than climbing the hills again on foot.

7. From there, continue downhill to the river and cross the Dom Luís I Bridge to Vila Nova de Gaia. This is where many of the historic port wine cellars are located.
   Some of the most famous cellars include Taylor’s, Graham’s, Sandeman, Cockburn’s, Cálem, and Ferreira. Most guided tours and tastings cost approximately €20–40 per person, depending on the winery and the tasting format.
   Since most cellars close in the early evening, it is best to schedule your visit here first, a few hours before sunset. After your tasting, you have a few good options depending on how you want to structure the rest of the evening.

8A. OPTION 1: You can stay on the Gaia side for lunch or a light meal and then head to Miradouro Cais de Gaia (Ponte D. Luís viewpoint) for sunset, where you will have a direct, lower-angle view of the river and Porto’s historic skyline as the light changes.

There, you can use the Gaia Cable Car (Teleférico de Gaia), a scenic gondola lift connecting the riverside with the upper level near Jardim do Morro. It costs around €6–10, depending on a one-way or return ticket, and is especially convenient if you want to avoid the steep climb after sunset. Open daily from around 10:00 until 18:00–21:00 depending on the season.

9B. OPTION 2: You can walk up to Jardim do Morro or Serra do Pilar, which offer a higher panoramic viewpoint and one of the most iconic sunset scenes in the city.
After sunset, return via the upper level of the Dom Luís I Bridge. On the Porto side, you can either walk down to Ribeira or take the Funicular dos Guindais to reach the riverside easily.

If you return to the Porto side, I would suggest going back to Ribeira for dinner. I would avoid restaurants directly along the boardwalk, as they tend to be very tourist-oriented, more expensive, and often less consistent in quality. Instead, look for smaller family-run places in the surrounding streets — you may need to wait in line if you don’t have a reservation, but the experience is usually better.
DAY 1 MAP HERE

1. Start your day at Igreja do Carmo and Carmelitas churches, two connected churches famous for their azulejo façades and one of the narrowest houses in Porto between them. This is one of the most recognizable corners of the city.

2. An optional stop nearby is Livraria Lello, one of the most famous bookstores in the world. Due to high demand, there is often a queue outside, and it is recommended to book tickets online in advance if possible. Entry is typically around €8–10.

3. From here, continue to the Praça da Liberdade, one of the main central squares of Porto and a natural meeting point for Free Walking Tours. It is common to see guides here holding umbrellas and gathering groups, and it is also a good place to get oriented in the upper city.

4. Just next to the square, you will find McDonald's Imperial set inside a former elegant 19th-century café. It is one of the most unusual McDonald’s locations in Europe. Interestingly, the menu sometimes includes Portuguese-inspired items such as caldo verde, a traditional green soup made with potatoes and kale.

5. From here, continue along Avenida dos Aliados, the grand boulevard of Porto, framed by historic buildings and city administration landmarks. This is the main civic axis of the city and gives a sense of its scale and rhythm.
   
   This square is also one of the easiest places to organize the rest of your trip. Several kiosks sell day tours to destinations such as the Douro Valley, Braga, Guimarães, and Aveiro. If you are interested in joining a Free Walking Tour, this is also where you will often see guides gathering groups under colorful umbrellas.

6. Continue toward Bolhão Market, a restored traditional market where locals buy fresh produce, fish, flowers, and everyday goods. Inside and around the market, you will also find small kiosks offering snacks and quick meals, making it a good stop for a light lunch or tasting local products.

7. From Bolhão, walk along Rua de Santa Catarina, one of the main pedestrian shopping streets in Porto. This is a busy but atmospheric street with cafés, shops, and street performers.

8. A short walk away is Chapel of Souls (Capela das Almas), one of the most photographed churches in Porto. Its exterior is completely covered in blue-and-white azulejo tiles depicting religious scenes, making it a striking visual landmark.

9. Continue toward the Passos Manuel / Café Santiago area, where you can try one of Porto’s most iconic dishes — francesinha. This rich sandwich, layered with meat and covered in a spicy beer-based sauce, is served in many small local restaurants along this street, not only in the most famous ones.

10. End your day at Miradouro das Fontainhas, a quieter viewpoint overlooking the Douro River and the bridges. It is less crowded than the main viewpoints and offers a more local atmosphere, especially in the late afternoon when the light softens over the city.

DAY 2 MAP HERE

Start your morning at Miradouro da Vitória, one of the most peaceful viewpoints in Porto, and one that did not naturally fit into the previous two days’ routes. From here, you can enjoy a panoramic view of the old city, the Douro River, and several of Porto’s famous bridges. Or leave it for the last day, a day when you fly back, if it is in the evening.

From the viewpoint, I would recommend walking about 5–10 minutes to Praça da Liberdade, where you can board one of Porto’s hop-on hop-off sightseeing buses. Most operators run daily from approximately 9:30–10:00 AM until 6:00–7:00 PM, with buses every 20–30 minutes. A 24-hour ticket typically costs around €20–28 per person, depending on the company and the season.  

Rather than immediately getting off, I suggest staying on the Red Line for a full loop first. The route passes many of Porto’s major landmarks and provides a useful overview of the city with audio commentary. The complete circuit usually takes around 1.5–2 hours and includes areas such as Clérigos, Bolhão, Casa da Música, and Foz do Douro that you probably already visited on the previous days on foot, but now you can see them from the higher point of the bus.

After completing the loop, continue to Foz do Douro district (click here for the map), where the Douro River meets the Atlantic Ocean. The sightseeing bus stops in this area, making it an easy and comfortable way to reach the coast without using public transportation.  

I would spend the rest of the day here. 

Walk along the waterfront promenade, explore Passeio Alegre and its historic gardens, and continue toward Farolim de Felgueiras, the lighthouse standing dramatically at the mouth of the river. On windy days, waves often crash against the breakwater, creating one of the most photogenic scenes in Porto.

If you enjoy longer walks, continue north along the Atlantic coastline toward Castelo do Queijo and the beaches of Praia dos Ingleses, Praia da Luz, and nearby stretches of sand. This part of Porto feels very different from Ribeira — less crowded, more residential, and much slower paced.

Unlike the first two days, this itinerary is intentionally relaxed. There are fewer monuments and more opportunities to enjoy the ocean, stop for seafood, sit at a café overlooking the water, or simply watch local life unfold along the coast.

If the weather cooperates, stay for sunset. While most visitors gather around the Douro River, some of my favorite evenings in Porto have been spent here, watching the sun disappear into the Atlantic Ocean.

After spending three days exploring Porto itself, I would suggest using the next few days for day trips. One of the advantages of Porto is that many of northern Portugal’s most interesting destinations can be reached without renting a car.

You can choose destinations based on your interests. Some travelers prefer spending an entire day in the Douro Valley, visiting vineyards and tasting local wines. Others are more interested in history, castles, monasteries, or smaller Portuguese towns.

One of the easiest independent day trips is to Guimarães, often called the birthplace of Portugal. The historic center is compact and very walkable, and there are direct trains from Porto (by train) taking approximately 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes (€3.60)  - one way). This is one of the destinations I would personally visit without joining an organized tour.  

Another popular option is Braga, one of Portugal’s oldest cities. Direct trains from Porto take about an hour, plus about 20 minutes on the local bus to get to Bom Jesus do Monte, famous for its monumental Baroque staircase. You need to get on the bus after the train.

If you prefer organized tours, many companies offer combined Braga + Guimarães excursions departing from Porto. These tours are convenient if you want someone else to handle transportation and logistics, but they tend to move quickly and often leave limited time in each city.  Check and buy them online or at the kiosks in the city.

For wine lovers, a full-day trip to the Douro Valley is one of the most popular excursions from Porto. Most organized tours include transportation, vineyard visits, wine tastings, and sometimes a river cruise. This is one destination where a guided tour can actually be more convenient than trying to organize everything independently.

Other destinations that are easy to reach by train include Aveiro, known for its canals and colorful boats, Barcelos, famous for the Portuguese rooster legend, and Viana do Castelo, a beautiful coastal town north of Porto.  

In my opinion, if you have three extra days, I would prioritize:

1. Guimarães — easiest independent day trip.

2. Braga + Bom Jesus do Monte — easy by train and local bus.

3. Douro Valley — preferably as a full-day organized tour.

That combination gives you three very different experiences: medieval Portugal, religious and historical Portugal, and the wine-growing landscapes that make northern Portugal famous.