Today I’m sharing our tips for spending 2 days in Porto, Portugal.
This past May, we spent two weeks in Spain and Portugal with our 3 and 5 year old daughters. We kicked off the trip in Mallorca, spent a week driving around Southern Spain (Granada, Ronda, and Seville, to be exact), and then made our way to Portugal.
We spent just one night in Porto before heading down to Lisbon. We managed to fit a lot into a day and a half of exploring this postcard-worthy Portuguese city.
Known for its bustling riverfront Ribeira district and Port wine scene, Porto is one of the most unique cities we’ve ever visited. Porto is located on the coast in Northwestern Portugal and is situated on the crux of the Douro River and the Atlantic Ocean.
Although Porto’s old world architecture is, in many ways, perfectly preserved, a youthful energy courses through the streets. Trendy cafes and colorful street art provide a boisterous contrast against the traditional Portuguese tile buildings and fishing boats that seem to be stalled in time.
In this post, I’ll share some general information about traveling to Porto. Then, I’ll walk through a list of our favorite things we did while we were there and how we recommend spending 2 days in Porto.
2 Days in Porto, Portugal
Porto consists of three main areas that you’ll want to be aware of as you are planning your time: the Ribeira, the lively waterfront along the river, the city center further up the hill, and then Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto’s main tourist area on the opposite side of the river. The Dom Luís I bridge towers over the river and connects Vila Nova de Gaia with the Ribeira area.
How many days in Porto?
You can see most of Porto’s main sites in 1-2 days, depending on how packed of an itinerary you choose to take on.
We spent one night in the city before we made our way to Lisbon, so this gave us about a day and half to explore. We fit a lot into our time and didn’t feel like we were missing out on anything crucial by the time we left. The city was very crowded, and since we had our two young daughters with us, it did feel a bit hectic. The way the waterfront is situated can feel claustrophobic, so spending two days in Porto was more than enough for us. I could see if we were there during the off-season how a longer visit would have been nice.
The best time to visit Porto
We visited Porto at the end of May. The weather was a bit cloudy and rained for about an hour one day, but overall the visit was lovely. June would likely be a bit “safer” in terms of weather.
I actually think Portugal in general can be enjoyed anytime of the year. Both Lisbon and Porto enjoy warm, moderate summers, but the fall and winter can be a very fun time to visit too.
Porto’s wettest months are October through February. (Fun fact: many travelers heading to Portugal intentionally plan their visits during this time in order to accommodate a visit to Nazaré. Nazaré is a surfing town off the coast between Porto and Lisbon and experiences some of the biggest waves in the world each winter).
Porto vs. Lisbon
Someone commented on one of my vlogs from this trip and said, “You’re either a Porto person or a Lisbon person,” lol.
If I had to choose between the two cities, I would choose Lisbon. Lisbon is bigger but somehow more relaxed than Porto where the tourist areas are really compact and chaotic. Lisbon feels less crammed simply because it is more spread out. I also felt like Lisbon was less trendy and more classic, if that makes sense. HOWEVER, if you are traveling to Portugal, Porto is well worth a stop on your itinerary. I think you should see both.
If anyone’s asking me, the perfect Portugal itinerary would be 2 nights in Porto and 4 nights in Lisbon (including a day trip to Sintra), plus a stay in the Algarve although we didn’t have time for that on this trip! (Check out our full Spain and Portugal itinerary here).
Traveling to Porto, Portugal
If you’re traveling from Lisbon, Porto is just a 2.5 hour train ride away. The drive takes around the same amount of time.
Porto’s airport, otherwise known as Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport (OPO) is well-connected within Europe. We flew from Seville to Porto for less than $50 each and then from Porto to Barcelona at the end of our trip for roughly the same.
If you are flying from the US, there are just a handful of direct flights from NYC and Boston. Otherwise, you’ll most likely fly via Lisbon.
Driving in Porto
You don’t need a car in Porto unless you are planning a road trip through Portugal like we did OR perhaps for a day trip out to the Douro Valley. We used a public parking garage, but the city was definitely hectic to drive through.
One of the best parts about being in Porto is that the city is quite walkable although visitors should definitely be prepared for lots of hills!
Porto travel itinerary
Porto is best experienced by foot, so I am going to kick off this list with a self-guided walking tour of Porto, followed by more details on a few of our favorite things we did along the way.
Self-guided walking tour of Porto
Start your day at Lazy Breakfast Club. We loved our meal and coffee here.
Once you’re fueled up and properly caffeinated, we’ll begin our walking tour at Igreja do Carmo, a Catholic church with a beautiful blue and white tile facade. You’ll find there are actually two churches here with a narrow house between the two structures. The Carmelitas and Carmo churches are often referred to as the “twin churches.”
Livraria Lello bookstore
From here, you’ll head to my personal favorite spot in Porto: the Livraria Lello bookstore.
Livraria Lello is touted amongst the book nerd community as the most beautiful bookstore in the world, so you KNOW I was going to make a beeline when we landed in Porto.
If you’re a reader, this is an absolute must on your Porto itinerary. The bookstore is stunning, truly straight out of a fantasy novel (it is very Harry Potter coded).
The line to get into Livraria Lello stretches all the way down the block, daily. It was almost comical to see actually, just a million bookworms all geared up to go treasure hunting. We would have had to wait for hours had we not had the foresight to do some research before our visit.
Here’s the deal: you need to buy your tickets in advance, and you need to reserve the first time slot of the morning. We researched the “gold” tickets (15€ each) which came with a voucher for a book from the store publisher’s signature collection–a souvenir I will treasure forever. We arrived at 8:50am ahead of the 9am opening time, and there were probably 20 people in front of us in the reserved line. Everyone else was waiting on the other side of the street in a massive line.
However, the bookstore has updated the ticket structure since our visit, and it looks like there is an even higher “platinum” tier that now includes priority entry. This ticket is 50€, so I guess if you really don’t want to roll the dice on waiting around, you could splurge for a guaranteed smooth entry.
This was not a super kid friendly experience simply because it was congested inside the store, and the last thing my girls wanted to do was shuffle slowly through a herd of adults looking at books quietly. Tyler and I were in heaven, but we kept our visit relatively short. Note: there are no strollers allowed in Livraria Lello.
We brought home a couple of branded childrens books too that will make wonderful keepsakes for the girls. Overall, it was a fabulous experience, but you do need to book in advance and get there early to get the most out of it.
After your visit to the bookstore, make your way through Praça de Lisboa across the street. This is a historic square that is now a cool commercial and outdoor space.
Clérigos Church and São Bento train station
Head towards Clérigos Church, a Baroque tower and one of Porto’s most recognizable sites.
Next, it’s time to head to the São Bento train station which is known as one of the most beautiful train stations in the world. This train station is really cool and well worth a stop on your self-guided walking tour of Porto.
Follow Rua Das Flores down to the Praça do Infante D. Henrique town square. This will lead you to the iconic Ribeira waterfront area. There are tons of little patio restaurants in the Ribeira, so feel free to stop for a drink or scoop of ice cream at any point.
We’ll spend the afternoon across the river in the Vila Nova de Gaia area, so go ahead and walk across the lower level of the San Luis I bridge.
Port wine tasting in Porto
Our next stop is Adriano Ramos Pinto for a Port wine tasting. Port wine, for me, is a “when in Rome” situation. I would never drink it at home (too sweet!) but had a blast trying the different varieties while the girls rested and colored next to us.
Gaia cable car in Porto
After your wine tasting, head to the Gaia cable car on the waterfront. This ride is short but provides panoramic views of Porto and drops you off at the top level of the San Luis I bridge.
From here, you can walk back across the bridge on the upper level to the Ribeira side of the river. I have a moderate fear of heights and found this walk excruciating, but the rest of my family loved it.
Day trip to the Douro Valley
If you have extra time in Porto, you might consider taking a day trip to the Douro Valley. We didn’t have time for it on this trip but would definitely do it in the future.
Thanks for checking out our Porto itinerary!! I hope you have the best time.
On that note…
The Perfect 3 Day Lisbon Itinerary
Our tips for visiting Sintra, Portugal
Our two week Spain and Portugal itinerary
For more city guides, itinerary inspo, and family travel tips, click here.
Porto Packing List
