Porto in a Day: What to Do With 24 Hours

Porto is an excellent one-day city. It's compact, walkable, and concentrated: the Ribeira (waterfront) and the Ribeira neighbourhood, the historic city centre, and the Vila Nova de Gaia wine lodges across the river are all within easy reach of each other. One day covers the essentials with time to eat and drink properly.

Getting In and Out

Porto Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport is around 30 minutes from the city centre by Metro (Purple Line). Straightforward and inexpensive. Trains from Lisbon take around 3 hours by Alfa Pendular (the fast service). The São Bento station, right in the city centre, is one of the most beautiful train stations in Europe: the entrance hall is covered floor to ceiling in azulejo tiles depicting Portuguese history.

Morning

Start at São Bento station to see the tiles, then walk to the Cathedral (Sé do Porto) which sits on the hill above the old town. The cloisters are covered in 18th-century azulejo panels and the views from the terrace over the terracotta-roofed Ribeira are excellent.

Walk down through the Ribeira neighbourhood to the waterfront. The narrow medieval streets, the decaying grandeur of the old palaces, and the hanging laundry make this one of the most characterful historic centres in Portugal. The Ribeira square on the waterfront is the heart of it.

Afternoon

Cross the Luís I Bridge to Vila Nova de Gaia on the south bank. The lower level of the bridge is for pedestrians and the upper level has trams and the Metro. Either works; the bridge views are good from both.

Vila Nova de Gaia is where the port wine lodges are. Most of the major houses (Graham's, Sandeman, Ferreira, Taylor's) offer tours and tastings. Even if you don't know much about port, the cellars are impressive and a tasting for a few euros is one of the better deals in Portuguese tourism.

Lunch on the Gaia waterfront or back in the Ribeira: the francesinha (Porto's signature beer-and-meat sandwich, served in a thick sauce) is the local dish and worth trying at least once.

Evening (if time allows)

The sunset from the Miradouro da Serra do Pilar (next to the bridge on the Gaia side) or from the Jardins do Palácio de Cristal on the Porto side are both outstanding.

The Foz do Douro, where the Douro river meets the Atlantic, is around 20 minutes by tram from the city centre and good for an early evening walk.

What to Skip

The Lello Bookshop is beautiful but the queues are long and entry has a charge to deter the worst of the tourist crowds. If you're a book or architecture lover it's worth it; otherwise skip it.

Braga or Guimarães as day trips from Porto are both excellent but require committing a full day.

Porto is one of Europe's most rewarding short-break destinations. Our Porto guide covers everything for a proper stay.