Porto's Ribeira seen from the Douro, with rabelo boats in the foreground
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Porto in 2 days

  • 2 days
  • 6.2 km on foot
  • 17 stops
  • Audio guide

Two days let you alternate monumental Porto with the riverfront, the gardens and the sea. Day one crosses the Douro to Gaia; day two heads out of the centre to Serralves and the river mouth. The walking stretches are short and the rest is covered by tram, bus or metro, so you reach dinner with energy to spare.

Day 1From the Douro to Gaia and legends

Give the morning to «Porto in a morning: from azulejos to the Douro», from the Chapel of Souls to the Luís I Bridge, which you cross on foot. After a francesinha for lunch, the afternoon belongs to Gaia: a port wine lodge and the Jardim do Morro, to see the Ribeira from across the river. Head back to the centre as the light drops for «Porto of lost souls, prison cells and enchanted books», 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

    Port wine lodges, Gaia

    Port wine is aged in the lodges of Vila Nova de Gaia, facing the Ribeira, where the rabelo boats brought it down from the Douro. Pick a lodge, do the tour and tasting, and book in high season. You can walk there across the Luís I Bridge.

    Directions

    Jardim do Morro

    A garden on the Gaia hill at the end of the Luís I Bridge, with the Ribeira and Porto's old town right across the water. It is the classic spot to watch the sun go down over the Douro. Arrive early for a good spot and walk back down afterwards.

    Directions

  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

Day 2Merchants, art and the Atlantic

Start at the Sé with «From the bishop's town to the merchants' city», which passes the Casa do Infante and the Stock Exchange Palace (book the tour) and ends at São Bento and the Aliados. Have a cachorrinho, Porto's take on the hot dog, near the Batalha. In the afternoon leave the centre: Serralves deserves a good while, and from there a bus or taxi takes you to Foz do Douro, where the river meets the sea. It is a calm way to finish.

  1. Morning

    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

  2. Lunch

    Try Cachorrinho at Gazela Cachorrinhos da Batalha. Travessa de Cimo de Vila, 4

  3. Afternoon

    Serralves Foundation

    A contemporary art museum by Álvaro Siza, a pink Art Deco house and a park of around eighteen hectares. Worth at least a couple of hours, especially in good weather. Check the exhibitions and opening hours before you go.

    Directions

    Foz do Douro

    The seaside district where the Douro flows into the Atlantic, with a promenade, the São João da Foz fort and city beaches. A perfect place for sunset. Get there by bus, taxi or the heritage tram, and walk on to the Passeio Alegre.

    Directions

The map

Porto in 2 days, on the map

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

Mixed Mysteries & legends History Extra sight

Loading the map…

Before you go

Tips for Porto in 2 days

  • Cross the Luís I Bridge on the upper deck for the best views; it is shared with the metro. In strong wind use the lower deck, shared with cars.
  • Between the centre, Gaia, Serralves and Foz use the metro, bus or tram: the city is small, but Serralves and Foz are too far to walk.
  • Many museums close one day a week, often Monday: check the opening hours before planning your Serralves day.

Questions

Porto in 2 days: your questions

Is 2 days enough in Porto?

Yes, for a relaxed first visit. In two days you can do all three routes, cross to Gaia for a wine lodge and the sunset, and get out to Serralves and Foz. For museums and a slower pace, the 3-day plan gives you more room.

Is it worth crossing to Gaia?

Very much. Port wine is aged there and the Jardim do Morro has the best view of the Ribeira. One afternoon is enough: cross the Luís I Bridge on foot, take a lodge tour with tasting and come back to the centre at dusk.

How far do you walk in these two days?

The routes add up to about 6.2 km: 4.2 on day one (essential and mystery) and 2.0 on day two (history). Add Gaia, Serralves and Foz, which cover a few more kilometres depending on how you get around.

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