This was my first time in Porto and I was so excited to visit. It’s filled with so much history, beautiful architecture, and known for their famous wine! Since Porto is only a two hour drive from my grandmother’s house, we decided to make a day trip out of it. You can definitely see a lot of Porto in one day. And the great thing is – you can walk the entire city. We parked our car for the day and just walked the entire day. That’s the best way to see the entire city! In this post, I’m going to share everything I did and how to spend a day in Porto.
Explore the streets of Ribeira
It is located along the Duoro River and it’s one of the oldest districts in Porto. It is surrounded by little alleyways and cobblestone streets. There are a lot of bars, cafes, and restaurants. We walked along the water, but you can also take a boat trip along the Duoro River to cruise beneath Porto’s six bridges.
Dom Luis Bridge
This bridge was designed by the same architect that designed the Eiffel Tower! I recommend walking across the bridge so you can see an amazing view of Porto from the other side of the river.
Capala das Almas
Visit this famous chapel in Porto to see their blue and white tile wall that was painted based on the lives of saints. It is a must see in Porto! The address is Rua de Santa Catarina, 428. It’s a difficult place to take a photo of since it is on a busy street and sidewalk, but just be patient!
Igreja do Carmo
This is another famous church in Porto located on Rua do Carmo. I am obsessed with all the tiles in Portugal and this church is such a well-known tile facade.
Livraria Lello
A must see in Porto is the library that inspired J.K. Rowling to create Harry Potter’s universe. It is located on Rua das Carmelitas, 144. I was disappointed that we didn’t have enough time to go. We went in the middle of the afternoon and the line was so long! If you want to visit, I highly recommend visiting first thing in the morning!
Clerigos Tower
This is one of my favorite things we did in Porto. The Clerigos Tower is a tall bell tower where you can climb up to the top and see a 360 degree view of the entire city. It’s such an incredible view!
Go on a Wine Tour
We didn’t have time to go on a wine tour, but if you are in Porto for more than a day, you should definitely visit the Port wine cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia.
Here are some Douro Valley wine tours you can book on Viator:
Food in Porto
You have to try Porto’s most famous dish. It is called a francesinha. This is a sandwich filled with different meats like ham, Portuguese sausage, steak or roast beef and then covered with melted cheese served in tomato sauce. It was actually pretty good!
You should also visit Cafe Majestic. It’s a charming and cute little cafe. Supposedly, J.K. Rowling wrote some of the Harry Potter books here!
I hope you guys enjoyed my post on how to spend a day in Porto!
Do you want to see more beautiful cities in Portugal? Check out my Algarve and Lisbon Portugal travel guides.
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