The first stop on my 10-day Portugal tour was Porto! It was an easy, 6-hour direct flight from Newark that had me landing in the city around 10am. I’m breaking down everything of my Porto stay from getting around, my hostel, and the amazing beauty that you find in this charming city.
Getting to City Center from the Porto Airport:
This couple put together an excellent breakdown of the different options for getting into the city center. While a taxi is of course going to be your fastest option, I found the metro to be incredibly easy to navigate, a quick ride (30 minutes) and beyond cheap (approximately $3).
Once you’re out of customs, follow the signs for the metro and purchase a ticket inside the station at one of the kiosks (they all have an English translation option).
The city center Trindade station is the last stop on the route and only a 6-minute walk from the hostel I was staying at.
Where to Stay in Porto:
A quick note that for the entirety of my Portugal trip, I stayed in hostels. As a young solo traveler, I always recommend hostels when traveling through Europe. Overall, they are incredibly safe, clean, and a great way to meet other travelers. Hostels are also very budget friendly. When looking for a hostel, I always do my research on the location, safety, reviews, and I always look for hostels that have female only rooms (that’s a personal preference, you do you!). Hostelworld is my favorite booking platform for hostels.
Euro 75.86 Total for 3 nights
Pros
- Basic, night, clean, has lockers for luggage
- Cute patio area for hanging out
- Great location, walking distance to everything
- Friendly staff
Callouts
- Rooms are snug, not as much personal space as I’ve experienced in some other hostels
- Need to bring your own lock
- Need to bring your own towel
- No group dinners or outings were offered
Things to do in Porto
There are so many amazing sites to see in Porto. It’s a big, but walkable, city along the gorgeous Duoro River. Bring your walking shoes and be ready to walk up and down lots of hills. Now, if you know me, you know I love a pinpoint map. I use Map Customizer to create a pinpoint map before every trip that allows me to see high level where all my points of interest are and map out a route. Feel free to use my Porto pinpoint map to create your own route or use it as a starting point!
A quick note that the hours and pricing I am sharing in this post are of course subject to change. These were the hours and costs for my trip and may not necessarily reflect your experience.
I landed first thing in the morning and after dropping off my bags at the hostel, I immediately got to exploring! I’m dropping all the gorgeous things I saw throughout my 2 days in Porto.
Day 1
Capela das Almas /Chapel of Souls
7:30am-7pm, Free
This is hands down one the most Instagrammed spots in the city. This chapel is famous for its exterior covered in gorgeous blue and white tiles. Immediately I could tell this was a very popular spot (one of those you don’t realize how popular it is until you see it in person kind of things). I ended up taking a few snaps of the church; the interior was unfortunately closed. This is certainly one of those see it to say you saw it kind of places: beautiful but not the best spot in the city.
- The Chapel of Souls sits on one of the busiest streets in the city, Rua de Santa Catarina. It is the major shopping street in the city. This is a great place to stroll, grab a coffee or drink, or a meal.
Church of the Clerigos & Tower
Tower was closed on my trip
One of the most recognized spots in the city, the tower portion of this church can be seen from many vantage points around town. I highly recommend booking tickets to enter the church (and if it’s open, the tower) beforehand online. The line to enter was easily 2 hours long when I arrived, and I decided to skip it. Even still, the views and area around this church are gorgeous.
9:30-5, 3 Euro
Porto Cathedral is in the historical city center of Porto, a quick walk from the Clerigos Church. Personally, I found the basement catacombs to be skippable but the church itself is gorgeous.
9-12:30, 2-5:30, 4 Euro
Blink and you miss it, this historic Catholic church is tucked in a small alley behind a big gate. Walk through it and you’ll experience a stunning church covered in what looks like pure gold.
Duoro River
In the evening on my first day, I headed down to the waterfront section of the town, along the Duoro River. A gorgeous part of town that is full of music, restaurants, and bars. I went for dinner and drinks along the water with a new pal I met in the hostel earlier in the day. We got to know each other and had a lovely meal with lots of green wine (Vinho Verde), a staple in northern Portugal.
Was closed for renovations on my trip; is always listed on places to see though!
Day 2
8-7pm, Free
Gorgeous gardens offering stunning high views of the Duoro River and surrounding areas of the city of Porto. It’s a bit outside the main downtown area of the city but it’s totally worth the walk out and back.
Cable Cars – 10-7pm, 9 Euro round trip
The gorgeous Luiz Bridge connects both sides of the gorgeous Douro River. The Luiz Bridge is an easy walk with stunning views of Porto. I do recommend purchasing a round trip cable car ticket to get to the bottom of the other side of the river so you can avoid the steep hills and stairs.
Wine Tasting at Quinta do Noval – Gaia
Once you’ve landed down on the main level of the other side of the city, take some time to try some of spots offering wine along the way. My personal favorite was the Quinta do Noval winery that offered traditional Portugal wines. I’m a white wine gal but this is a great spot for those who appreciate a good red wine.
Cross back over bridge to Immersivus Gallery – Frida Kahlo
10:30-7pm, 12 Euro
At the recommendation of a woman staying my hostel, I used some of my free time to check out the Frida Kahlo immersive gallery experience. It’s not something I would overly recommend you fit into your itinerary if you have a booked day, but it’s certainly worth checking out if you have some random free time!
Sunset at Miradouro da Vitoria
After a quick stop for dinner, I headed to watch the sunset at Miradouro da Vitoria. It had been listed as a top spot to watch the sunset on multiple websites. I’ll be honest, it’s not that great of a spot. There are high walls, no seating, and it doesn’t face the way of the sunset. While I captured some good shots of the surrounding buildings covered in graffiti, I wouldn’t necessarily rank this a top spot for sunsets. My opinion would be to stay on the other side of the river, post up on a bench or at a winery/bar, and watch the sunset from there.
Overall, Porto was my favorite cities in Portugal.The history, the architecture, the river, and the walkability all combined made it incredibly memorable.I highly recommend this be a top spot on your list when you visit this gorgeous country. It also is a central location for some day trips outside of the city, to wine country and Braga.
