Porto, Portugal | 4-5 Days Guide

From the other side of the river lies beach Lavadores together with Cabedelo-Gaia area which is basically a small hike along the beach. Lavadores seems really beautiful but if you search for beach to swim, don't choose this one. It's quite dangerous because of all the rocks that are on the beach and in the water. Also, it's windy and waves are huge sometimes. When we were there, it was impossible to get into the water under these conditions. We could just sunbathe on the beach and watch from the bar with a drink. Although, it's hard to swim there, Lavadores belongs among the most beautiful beaches around Porto and you definitely shouldn't miss it.

We were told that the beaches of Porto aren´t that pretty so we decided to visit Matosinhos beach which lies on the north right above the city. My main goal was to go surfing and I didn´t regret it. It was absolutely amazing! There are a lot of surf rentals where you can rent surfboards, bodyboards and all the necessary equipment for, I would say, a good price. I gave you links below where you can rent a surfboard. I rented in Fish Surf School. We caught really nice waves. They weren´t very big, therefore, the beach is recommended even to beginners. The beach is long, bottom is sandy and seashore is shallow, just perfect for going safely to the water. Don´t worry about the food - there are many place to eat and drink. Right on the beach there are Vagas, Bar do Titan and Lais de Guia. Further from the beach, you find fast-foods and bigger restaurants.

We didn´t have much time when we were visiting Aveiro so we missed this beach but we asked the locals then and they told us that we made a huge mistake by not going because this beach belongs among most beautiful beaches by far with the street of colourful houses. If you´ll will be visiting Aveiro sometime in the future, remember not to overlook this gem.

It think this is the most known restaurant on Praia da Luz. I saw the beautiful sunsets on Instagram and Tik Tok which you can see from the terrace. It looks stunning! Unfortunately, we didn't have time to visit this beach so I can only judge it based on socia media.

It is basically a short trail along the beach, located next to Lavadores. Apart from Lavadores beach there aren't any restaurants or bars, it's just the beach itself.

The palace is located in Porto´s historical centre in the Infante D. Henrique square. Honesly, I expected little bit more from this palace but it wasn´t that bad.

"Fountain of the Lions" is located in the centre, near the Torre dos Clérigos, Igreja do Carmo and the building of Porto University. It is not that important monument but I think it´s good to see it. Besides you will definitely see it because there is a really busy area for tourists.

Torre dos Clérigos is a Baroque church from the 18th century. It is located on the north side of the river in the centre. You can go inside but I saw it just from the outside so I don´t know how it looks from inside in real life but as you can see in the photos it will be worth it. If you are architecture lovers you can visit its website below and learn more. Next to the church is an outdoor bar named Base with a really nice garden where you can relax or enjoy a picnic with your friends.

Sao Bento Railway Station is one of the most beautiful stations I´ve ever seen. It is located in the historical centre of the city. I know that you probably wonder "why should I go to see the railway station?" but this building looks really amazing. It shows the typical Portuguese style called azulejo (the blue paintings on the wall). It tells stories from the history. A lot of buidings in Porto are covered with these paintings, for example Chapel of Souls and most of the old houses.

Igreja do Carmo is a church covered with these blue paintings called azulejo style, which is typical for Porto. It is located right next to the Fonte dos Leoes in the city centre. People often take photos with the blue plaster as you see on social media but sometimes mistake it for the Chapel of Souls because it´s built also in the azulejo style, however, the blue color is more prominent on the chapel so if you´re just for the photos, go rather to the chapel.

Chapel of Souls is the most "Porto thing" you can find. It is because of this typical blue style called azulejo. All these paintings on the plastur of buildings tell stories from the history. They can be found in Sao Bento Railway Station, Igreja do Carmo or some old buildings in the city. When we were on the street where is located the chapel there were lopts of tourists taking pictures with it so you don´t have to be shy to take a nice photo of you and the chapel.

These gardens is a good place for relaxing. You can sit on the bench and watch peakcocks walking between pretty flowers or go to the view point on the roof of the Super Bock Arena where you'll see the whole city.

Jardim do Morro is the most beautiful spot in Porto, which you shouldn't miss during your visit. The busiest time is around 5pm - 9pm when the sun goes down. You will get there by cable car or via the Luís Bridge. There are a lot of people doing picnics, taking photos or just chilling and enjoying the view of the river Douro. Also, you can listen to the live music from local artists almost every day. I recommend you to get there hour and a half before sunset to find the best spot for sitting because there are always so many people that you may wouldn´t find a place to sit. If you wanna make it even more pleasant, you can visit the restaurant Esplanada do Teleférico, which has the perfect terrace for watching the Douro river with the centre of Porto.

Ribeira do Porto is located near the Luís Bridge, Jardim do Morro or the Palácio da Bolsa, which you can visit on foot. It´s a neighbourhood by the Douro river with small bars and restaurants. They serve local cuisine like grilled sardines and seafood of all kinds. The restaurants are more expensive than outside the centre because the area is really crowded but Porto is still quite cheap so it shouldn´t be a problem. I think that you will have the best view from Café do Cais, which is the nearest to the river. TIP: If you want to go to a restaurant and you are more than two people, ALWAYS make a reservation because there is no place to sit during the lunch or dinner time.

Ponte Luís I is a significant thing when you travel to Porto. I know there are lots of bridges but this one is really special. There are no cars, only trolleys and sidewák from both sides. There is always busy because of the masses od tourists walking on the bridge and taking photos of the breathtaking view. Also this bridge leads you to the famous Jardim do Morro where you can relax or watch the sunset. Under the bridge there is Ribeira do Porto with many restaurants and bars.

If you are a book lover, you should definitely go see this bookstore. It´s not just about the books but the atmosphere looks like exactly from a movie. TIP: You must know that there is an entrance fee (around 5 euros) and always a long queue to get in so maybe choose time to visit in the morning.

It doesn´t belong among the historical monuments but you shouldn´t forget to see it. You will find it near the Matosinhos Beach. The problem is that there is a traffic circle, which surrounds the whole sculpture, therefore, it is not the best place for photoshooting.

It is located on Praia do Molhe. I would say that it is mainly for photoshoots, walks and watching the ocean because we were told that Porto hasn´t any pretty beaches so this is basically all you can do there.

It stands on the new public square. Concerts are held there with other cultural events.

This market wasn´t on my plan and we went there with my friend just because we were bored but it showed that it was totally worth it! I expected that it will be like one of those normal markets with fruit and vegetables, however; when I stepped in I was really surprised. There were seafood, spices, flowers, dry fruit, wine, ice-cream, home-made pancakes, fruit and vegetables from the whole world and even small fancy canapés. Everything was super fresh. Another thing I liked was that there were fresh juices made right in the fruit stand. People could buy the wine or juice and sit down at the table with prawns or salmon canapés. For me I was more interesting than an actual restaurant.

There is this street in Porto, which is a long outdoor shopping centre. There are fasion stores, street stalls, fast-foods and much more. Also, there is indoor ViaCatarina Shopping centre. When we walked by we saw street artists on every corner with dance performance and live music. Of courae, it's really crowded but the atmosphere is still nice. Mercado do Bolhao and Chapel of Souls are nearby.

We wanted to meet the Portuguese culture more deeply and what´s the better way to do it than a wine tour. Wine is one of the most important things in Portugal. In the north of the country there are endless vineyards along the river Douro. We booked it for 99 euros per person. Our 9,5-hours trip started with the bus picking us up and driving 2 hours through the beautiful countryside of the north Portugal. Then we had a few minutes to buy a coffee and snacks in the small village with the best view of the bridge over the river between large vineyards. After a while we arrived to our first stop and went on a boat which took us to a 1-hour river cruise. When we returned to our bus it took us to the first wine tasting with tour of the winery. After that we went to a restaurant for a classic Portuguese three-course lunch but what we enjoyed the most was unlimited wine during the whole lunch. Then we had more wine because the second wine tasting waited for us next door. We had some free time and then the bus took us back to Porto. All the way back we sang songs in the bus with our tour guide Igor. He was the best guide we could get. He made a lot of jokes, took care of us the whole time and he told us many stories and interesting things about Portugal. We became friends with him and went to a bar together. It was really fun night. I DEFINITELY recommend you this trip. I gave you the link below of the website where we booked this tour.

It is cca 2 hours far from Porto on the border with Spain. You can rent a car or there is also a bus from the city to the park. We didn´t visit it because we didn´t have much time during our stay and didn´t want to spend all day that far from Porto while it was 30 degrees outside. There should be no entrance fee. You can find there many hiking trails, waterfalls and lakes. I gave you the links below. There are some spots in the park that we thought they would be worth of our visit.

They say that Aveiro is Portuguese Venice precisely because of this canal. Colorful bridges over the canal covered by ribbons, green parks along the river, many restaurants of all kinda and river tours in "Italian" gondolas - you can find all of this around the Canal Central. There is also a big shopping centre with fast-foods and very known stores like Zara, Pandora, etc. However, if you wanna try something more local, go see the market fool of fresh fruit and vegetable or souvenir shops, which are almost on every street you pass by.

This bridge is made from colorful ribbons which you will buy in every souvenir shop. People write on it their names, cities they are from or just a brief message. It remains me of the bridge in France where people use locks instead of ribbons. It is kinda romantic. The bridge goes over the Canal Central as 10 more bridges which are exactly the same so don´t worry if there are many people taking photos because you can always go to another. One of them will lead you to a big shopping centre

We didn´t have much time when we were visiting Aveiro so we missed this beach but we asked the locals then and they told us that we made a huge mistake by not going because this beach belongs among most beautiful beaches by far with the street of colourful houses. If you´ll will be visiting Aveiro sometime in the future, remember not to overlook this gem.

This restaurant is kinda fancy as you can see, therefore, it is a little bit more expensive than in normal restaurants. They have a large selection of meals, mostly Italian. I haven´t been there, however, it is highly recommended on the internet with many positive reviews.

Alibi is one of the more expensive restaurants but the food and service is really great. They have delicious tapas, good atmosphere and offer vegetarian meals, too. It is located near Torre dos Clérigos in the centre.

There is no better place in Porto to watch the sunset than from Esplanada do Teleférico's terrace with Port wine and friends or your boyfriend. There are always many people in Jardim do Morro. If you want more privacy, this place is a good idea. On our last day, we were watching the sunset over the Douro river with the Super Bock from a market because we thought that this fancy-looking restaurant would be expensive and didn't wanna spend our money. However, the opposite is true. When I checked their menu, I found out that cocktails are even cheaper than in some other not that fancy bars and food is just normal price. It was really a shame that we didn't have a drink. It's open from 11am till 10pm so you can choose either lunch or dinner. Swipe for menu in the photos

This Mexican restaurant is located in the city centre. They offer typical Mexican meals like tacos, burritos, tortas and also do takeaways. In the most of the meals you can choose which meat you want. Price for a meal is between 7 -11 euro and you will get a free shot of tequilla.

This restaurant is kinda fancy as you can see, therefore, it is a little bit more expensive than in normal restaurants. They have a large selection of meals, mostly Italian. I haven´t been there, however, it is highly recommended on the internet with many positive reviews.

They offer typical Italian meals like pasta and pizza and also the atmosphere gives you feeling like you are in Italy. The price for food is between 13-19 euros. It is located near the Igreja do Carmo. There are tables on the street or you can sit inside.

Really great Japanese restaurant. My favourite thing about this place is sushi all you can eat for 10 euros. There is also a hot buffet. It has many positive reviews and is marked as LGBTQ+ friendly. You may have to wait a while because of the queue but you always can make a reservation.

This restaurant is located near Igreja do Carmo in the city centre. All you can eat sushi costs 19 euros. It has several positive reviews, especially on Tripadvisor is highly recommended and even marked as vegan friendly and some gluten free options are available, too.

This vegetarian restaurant seems to me like a cafeteria or a brunch according to its menu. They offer breakfast, lunch and desserts like tousts, bowls and eggs. Not only vegetarian but it is also marked as LGBTQ+ and Trans friendly.

Pasteis de Nata are typical pastry in Portugal. These tarts are filled with cream made of egg yolks served with cinnamon. They were originally made in Lisbon and then spread throughout Portugal. I think that Fabrica de Nata is a great place to taste them but you will buy them on every corner. It´s a cafeteria located on the Santa Catarina street which is a really busy street in Porto full of restaurants and fashion stores. The cafeteria has a lot of positive reviews and is also vegetarian friendly. Well, try these tarts by yourself and you will see. When I first ate it, I fell in love with them and had to buy them every day. There is also another Fabrica which is in the centre next to the Sao Bento Station. Link below.

We were searching for a place with good Francesinha, which is a local meal. Tripadvisor advised us this place and it was really delicious. In this restaurant

We wanted to taste Francesinha, the typical meal of Porto, so we asked some locals and all of them told us that in this restaurant they make the best Francesinha in the city. There is even a special couple offer 2 Francesinhas for 16€. Unfortunately, we chose a wrong day and decided to visit the restaurant on Monday, but it was closed.

This restaurant is one of my favorites. It is located in the centre near Torre dos Clérigos. Food is in a tropical exotic style and tastes delicios but we mostly went there for a happy hour, which is from 4pm till 6pm. They offer 3 cocktails during this period - purse spritz, lemonchello as a cocktail and barbie which is something like strawberry pinacolada. There are tables outside on the street and inside but the best place is its terrace. Moreover, the staff was really friendly and our waiter made jokes so we had a great time as guests.

This restaurant gives me same vibes as the Honolulu bar which I mentioned before. The food looks delicious and exotic full of vegetables and fruit. In my opinion you can eat there for a good price. They do have cocktails but the opening hours are 8am - 6pm so it´s not like a bar or something.

This brunch is similar to Honolulu and Zenith. They offer almost the same food for the same price. I think that´s only up to you what you will choose because there are basically identical as for the food. They differs only in location and opening hours which are 9am - 11pm here.

This restaurant is more like a fast food with a few local meals as bifana, however; there are sundaes or pancakes on the menu and as for drinks, they offer typical ones like Aperol Spritz, Sangria, sodas, etc. You can also order special fruit shots which looks delicios. Prices for food are quite cheap, drinks are basically for the same price as everywhere else. It is located on the Lavadores beach where you can watch waves with the golden sunset over the ocean.

It think this is the most known restaurant on Praia da Luz. I saw the beautiful sunsets on Instagram and Tik Tok which you can see from the terrace. It looks stunning! Unfortunately, we didn't have time to visit this beach so I can only judge it based on socia media.

Vagas is right in the middle of the Matosinhos beach. You won't be surprised if I say that their typical meals are seafood. Prawn, mussels, clams, octopus, fish and much more. If you are chilling on the beach and lazy to go somewhere further to eat, this is the best option for a nice lunch on Matosinhos.

What trip would it be without McDonald´s, right? However, this one has been described as the most beautiful McDonald´s in the world. Its interior is absolutely worth seeing! You will find the amazing art deco stained glass and chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. It looks really classy but the menu is the same as in every other McDonald´s in Portugal. There is another McDonald´s near Ribeira do Porto. It is also special because its building is all purple. I added the link below. TIP: Even McDonald´s can still surprise you! Remember that McDonald´s has its own specialities in every country. In Portugal you can order, for example, a coffee with the typical custard tarts - pastéis de nata.

I would say it is something between a fast-food and a restaurant. They offer bowls, fries, shakes, salads, beer and, of course, burgers. You can even order a vegetarian option. The reason why I decided to add it to this guide is that it seemed nice to me. In the evening it looks beautiful with all the lights and tables outside. It is not one of the fancy restaurants but it definitely won´t offend you.

Whe found this bar on Tik Tok and Instagram reels. It seemed really fancy and we wanted to go there so we asked our tour guide who we were friends with if it is as good as on Tik Tok. We were surprised when he told us that in the past it was a gay bar but we still went and it looked like a normal bar.

Well, this bar was recommended to us by our host that it´s a really great bar. We also find it on social media on Tik Tok. They have their own names for cocktails with the price around 8 euros. It is located near Rua da Galeria de Paris which is the busiest street with bars and clubs in Porto.

During our wine tour, our guide advised us to go to this Super Bock bar. He told us something about the history how they started to sell mini super bock bottles and later exceeded 1 million of sold bottles. It´s not a typical bar for tourists but I think that´s why it has its own charm. It´s a favorite place among the locals and prices are really cheap. Although the majority of the staff doesn´t speak English, we had no problem to order what we wanted. The whole place has a very family-friendly atmosphere with lot of fun with local people. TIP: There are not so many tables so I recommend you to go there earlier or on weekdays.

We came across this bar just by chance but we were more than satisfied. They have draft cider, beer and shots for a good price and our waiter was really funny and nice to us. The whole bar is in football atmosphere. On the ceiling there are many football scarfs from the whole world and you can watch football game on their TV. If you are a football fan, this is definitely your bar!

This street stall is a perfect place for a quick stop for a drink. It's not like a regular bar but you can sit down to the table outside on the street, enjoy your drink and feel the night atmosphere of the city.

There is no better place in Porto to watch the sunset than from Esplanada do Teleférico's terrace with Port wine and friends or your boyfriend. There are always many people in Jardim do Morro. If you want more privacy, this place is a good idea. On our last day, we were watching the sunset over the Douro river with the Super Bock from a market because we thought that this fancy-looking restaurant would be expensive and didn't wanna spend our money. However, the opposite is true. When I checked their menu, I found out that cocktails are even cheaper than in some other not that fancy bars and food is just normal price. It was really a shame that we didn't have a drink. It's open from 11am till 10pm so you can choose either lunch or dinner. Swipe for menu in the photos

In my opinion this outdoor bar belongs among the most relaxed in Porto. Although its location in the centre, it is a quite place for chilling on the grass or maybe making a picnic with you friends. There are tables by the bar but you can also sit under the tree on a pillow. Sometimes there is a Dj or just music from loud speakers. For the ones who spend a lot of time on their mobile phones, there are portable boxes where you can charge your phone.

Located on Ribeira do Porto, this cafeteria has the nicest view of the Luís I Bridge from below. Apart from the other restaurants on the ribeira, this one is right by the river Douro. On its menu there are lots of drinks, wine, beer etc. and quick snacks like sandwich, salads, bruchettes or seafood.

There is this street in Porto which are full of bars, clubs and mainly drunk tourists who want to have fun at night. We were there once and in 10 minutes we met a lot of people from all over the world. There is really big diversity, not only Europe but Asia, North America or even Brazil. Entrance fee to clubs is somewhere around 5-10€ and bars are mostly free but there is a lot of fun on the street, too. TIP: This place is perfect for people who want to meet other people from different countries and backgrounds or practice English a little. In Porto there aren't many places where you could speak English with people because the Portuguese doesn't speak English very well or at all.

I would say not that fancy but it has its own magic. The atmosphere is designed to a typical American Texas style with motorbikes and jukebox as you see in American movies. It is located on Rua da Galeria de Paris which is the busiest street in town when it comes to nightlife

I would say that this place is made for girls night. They offer cocktails, shishas and something to eat. The interior is pretty with a lot of neon lights and pink colour. There are also many videos on Tik Tok where you can see better how it looks.

One of my favorite clubs is Plan B. Entrance fee is 5€ and you will get a ticket with one free drink. Inside there are 2 stages with different music styles so you can chose which you prefer more. There are also 2 bars, one is downstairs near the stages and the second is upstairs by the entrance. It is located on the street next to the Rua da Galeria de Paris, which is the busiest street in the city with clubs and bars.

Well, this place looks exactly like in the pictures. The location was the best we could have for the price we paid. There is a bakery right next door and a market just 200 meters away. It is in the centre quite near Igreja do Carmo and Torre dos Clérigos. Apartment itself was clean and the kitchen well equipped. There is a dishwasher but when we were staying there we didn´t use it because it was a bit stinky. There are two air conditioners and also one ventilator. It has two bedrooms with two double beds but in the living room there is fold-out sofa. We were six so two of us slept on the sofa and it was okay. Two nights are the minimum. The overall impression was really good and I would recommend you but it is definitely more suitable for four rather than six people, however, when we searched for an apartment we couldn´t find one with six beds because they offer fold-out sofas almost everywhere.

These apartments belongs among the favourite accommodations on Booking.com, therefore, they are often unavailable. It's better to book it in advance. The price is around 90€ per night. It is for 2, 4 and 6 guests, however, there are 2 single beds, 1 double bed and 1 sofa bed. It has a big kitchen with washing machine in it, terrace and the whole apartment looks really cozy. The location is also good because it is near the main city centre. It's not a hotel - that means there is no room service or breakfast included but the host is willing to help you. It has many positive reviews and guests mostly like the cleanliness, location and two bathrooms. This was our first option for staying but as I said earlier it was available just few days so we missed our chance.

The price is around 90€ per night and the minimum is 2 nights. It has small kitchen but well equipped. People mostly appreciated the cleanliness, terrace, location near the city centre and the door code which is used instead of keys so if you are more than two it is convenient. The host was willing to help with everything. The apartment is up to 6 people but again there are four beds and sofa bed.

Good option for large groups. There is no minimum number of nights and the price is around 105€ per night. It is located near the city centre and a few steps from Jardim do Morro. There is air conditioner, a big kitchen and bathroom. People's reviews were positive, especially cleanliness, location, code instead of keys and cozy atmosphere with pretty decorations that make you feel like home. You can choose a room depending on the number of guests but it is up to 9-11 guests with 4 bedrooms (3 double beds, 1 single bed, 2 sofa beds) Everything in this apartment seems okay so I would definitely recommend it even for bigger groups.

They only offer apartments for 6 people but it is no problem if you're less, the price for one night is around 170€ for an apartment. There are 2 bedrooms (1 double bed, 2 single beds and 1 sofa bed), the kitchen well equipped. The whole apartment with furniture looks new and the location is really good with the view on the Casa da Musica near the centre. Behind the corner is a supermarket and many restaurants and cafés nearby. People's reviews are all positive, especially comfort and cleanliness and it is highly recommended.