Porto's Ribeira seen from the Douro, with rabelo boats in the foreground
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Porto in 1 day

  • 1 day
  • 6.2 km on foot
  • 17 stops
  • Audio guide

Porto is compact and steep, so one day goes a long way if you plan it well. This plan strings together three walking routes: azulejos and the Douro in the morning, the power of bishops and merchants in the afternoon, and legends once the light drops. It is an intense day with plenty of hills, made for anyone with just a day in town.

One day in PortoAzulejos, merchants and lost souls

Start early at the Chapel of Souls with the route «Porto in a morning: from azulejos to the Douro»: the Bolhão is nicer before the crowds, the Clérigos Tower before the queues, and the Ribeira waits at the end beside the Luís I Bridge. Have a francesinha for lunch and climb to the Sé for «From the bishop's town to the merchants' city», which passes the Stock Exchange Palace and ends at São Bento and the Aliados. As the sun sinks, «Porto of lost souls, prison cells and enchanted books» runs from the Alminhas da Ponte to the Hidden House. Dinner: tripas à moda do Porto.

  1. Morning

    Porto in a morning: from azulejos to the Douro

    Mixed · 2.5 km · 2 h

    1. Chapel of Souls (Capela das Almas)A chapel clad from top to bottom in nearly sixteen thousand tiles, on the city's busiest shopping street.
    2. Bolhão MarketPorto's age-old market, reborn in 2022 after four years of works.
    3. Clérigos TowerNasoni's tower that guided boats on the Douro and can be seen from almost every corner of Porto.
    4. Cathedral Square (Terreiro da Sé)Old Porto's finest balcony: the cathedral esplanade, with the city and the Douro at your feet.
    5. Ribeira SquareThe riverside square where Porto has traded since the Middle Ages, with colourful houses and wine boats.
    6. Luís I BridgeThe great two-deck iron arch linking Porto and Gaia, designed by a former partner of Eiffel.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Francesinha at A Regaleira. Rua do Bonjardim, 83

  3. Afternoon

    From the bishop's town to the merchants' city

    History · 2 km · 1 h 40 min

    1. Porto Cathedral (Sé)On top of the Pena Ventosa hill, a bishop was handed the whole town as his lordship and an English princess married a Portuguese king.
    2. Casa do InfanteThe customs house a king built against the bishop's wishes, and the house where, tradition says, Henry the Navigator was born.
    3. Stock Exchange Palace (Palácio da Bolsa)Porto's merchants built their palace on the ruins of a convent burned during a civil war.
    4. São Bento StationA nuns' convent turned railway station, with Portugal's history painted on twenty thousand azulejo tiles.
    5. Avenida dos AliadosThe grand avenue Porto opened in the middle of the First World War to give itself a centre fit for a capital.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  4. Early evening

    Porto of lost souls, prison cells and enchanted books

    Mysteries & legends · 1.7 km · 1 h 50 min

    1. Alminhas da PonteA bronze relief with candles always burning recalls the morning in 1809 when a bridge of boats gave way under a panicking crowd.
    2. Church of São FranciscoOutside, a stern Gothic church; inside, a blaze of gold; underground, the catacombs of the Third Order.
    3. The Misericórdia and the «Fons Vitae» mysteryOn Rua das Flores hangs a five-hundred-year-old Flemish panel whose painter is still being debated.
    4. Former Relação PrisonThe jail where Camilo Castelo Branco wrote a novel of doomed love while his lover served her time in another cell.
    5. Livraria LelloThe bookshop half the world believes inspired Harry Potter, even though its author says she never set foot in it.
    6. The Hidden House of CarmoBetween two churches that were not allowed to touch, a house barely more than a metre wide that almost nobody notices.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  5. Dinner

    Try Tripas à moda do Porto at Abadia do Porto. Rua do Ateneu Comercial do Porto, 22-24

The map

Porto in 1 day, on the map

Each route’s stops are numbered in order; the stars are the extra sights.

Mixed History Mysteries & legends

Loading the map…

Before you go

Tips for Porto in 1 day

  • Wear comfortable shoes with good grip: the hills are long and wet granite is slippery. In Porto you are almost always going up or down.
  • Book ahead for anything with a queue, such as the Stock Exchange Palace tour or the Clérigos climb; otherwise plan the day so you do not depend on them.
  • A short metro or taxi ride between the morning and afternoon routes can save you one climb; keep some energy for the evening.

Questions

Porto in 1 day: your questions

Can you see Porto in one day?

The essentials, yes. The centre is small and the three routes fit into one long day: Ribeira, Clérigos, the Sé, São Bento and the legends district. The Gaia wine lodges, Serralves and the coast are left out and need more days.

How far do you walk on this plan?

The three routes add up to about 6.2 km (2.5 for the essential, 2.0 for the history and 1.7 for the mystery route), not counting the walks between them or to lunch. Expect about 8 km with constant hills.

Where should I start with only one day?

At the Chapel of Souls first thing, before the Bolhão and the Clérigos fill up. Leave the mystery route for last: Livraria Lello and the hidden corners are better in the early evening.

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