This guide of what to see in Porto in one day It is perfect for your first day in the city or for travelers who only have 24 hours and want to make the most of the time in this charming city.
The first thing is to keep in mind that although it is a short time, the old town of Porto is quite small and all the points of interest are separated by a short distance, so you can easily walk, something that will save you a lot of time.
In this case, in addition to visiting the old town, you can complete the routes around the city with a boat trip on the Duero River and a tour on the historic tram, which can take you to points further away from the center, such as the beaches of Foz from Douro.
Based on the time we spent in the city during our trip to Porto and Guimaraes, we have made this guide to know what best of Porto in a day. We start!
How to get from the airport to Porto
To make the transfer from Porto Airport, located 12 kilometers, to the city center or to your hotel you have these options:
- Meter: Line E, which operates from 06h to 01h, will take you in half an hour to the Trindade stop, located in the center, for less than 2 euros.
- Bus: the Terravision bus will leave you in half an hour in the center (Avenida dos Aliados) for 5 euros. This option is faster by having the arrivals of the flights synchronized with the departure of the buses, than if you use local lines 601, 602 and 604.
- Cab: The taxi has a fare that moves between 20 and 30 euros, depending on the location of your accommodation.
- Private transport: It is the most comfortable option, even cheaper than the taxi and also a driver will wait for you at the terminal, with a sign with your name, which will take you directly to the hotel door. You can book it here.
For more detailed information about the transfer you can check this as going from Porto airport to downtown.
Where to sleep in Porto
A magnificent accommodation in Porto, with good communication by metro and bus to the airport, is the Universal Hotel. We stayed here and besides being located on the famous Avenida dos Aliados, it is only 5 minutes walk from the Clérigos Tower. The hotel in addition to its magnificent location, perfect to know Porto in one dayIt has a 24-hour reception, a delicious buffet breakfast and one of the best quality / price ratios in the city.
For more information you can read this complete post about the best neighborhoods and hotels where to stay in Porto.
Tips for a trip to Porto
This list of practical tips from Porto will help you prepare the trip:
- Follow this list of essential places to visit in Porto and this one of the best things to do in Porto.
- If it is your first time in the city and you want to know its interesting history, we recommend you book one of the best free tours of Porto like this one in which you tour the historic center with a guide in Spanish Free!
- A good option for this Porto in 24 hours is to book the tourist bus, which stops at all points of interest in the city.
- See if it is profitable to buy the Porto Card that offers discounts of up to 50% in various tourist attractions and unlimited public transport.
- Remember that in order not to pay commissions and always have the current change we recommend you use the N26 card to pay and the Bnext and Revolut cards to get money at the ATMs. They are the ones we use, They are free and will save you a lot. You can find more information in this article about the best cards to travel without commissions.
- If you have more time and want to make a route through the country we advise you to read this list of tips for traveling to Portugal.
For more recommendations you can consult this post of tips to travel to Porto essential.
Porto in one day
The Porto route in one day It starts early in the morning arriving at the Bolhao Market, which opens at 7 in the morning where you can enjoy a two-storey market from the beginning of the 19th century, where you will find around its central courtyard, numerous places to buy Fresh products, flowers, plants, souvenirs, wines and cheeses.
When you leave the market you can take a walk on Avenida dos Aliados, which next to Praça da Liberdade, form the main square of the city. This large space is surrounded by modernist buildings, which highlights the City Hall and the curious McDonalds, which has maintained the architectural style of the street.
A few meters from this square is the beautiful train station of San Bento neoclassical style, famous for its fantastic murals composed of more than 20,000 tiles, which you can not miss as it is also one of the most beautiful stations in the world.
San Bento Station
Before continuing with the route in Porto in one day, you can make a stop to gain strength by having breakfast or tasting the delicious cream, some sweets similar to Belém's cakes, in the Nata Lisboa coffee.
After breakfast you can continue the itinerary approaching the bookstore Lello and Irmão, chosen several years as the most beautiful in the world.
This library of more than 100 years is formed by two floors joined by an impressive staircase, which inspired the writer J.K. Rowling to create some Harry Potter scenes. Every day its interior is filled with tourists looking for the perfect photo, so its owners recently put in an entry of 5 euros, which is discounted in case you make the purchase of a book and with this in addition to preventing the library be filled with tourists, they have found a good method to encourage reading.
Libreria Lello and Irmão
When leaving Lello and Irmão and taking Rua das Carmelitas street you will arrive in less than 5 minutes to the best viewpoint of the city, the Clérigos Tower. This 76-meter-high tower that is part of the Church of the Clerics, has fantastic panoramic views of the old town, which we advise you not to miss. You can book the entrance to the tower here in advance.
Views from the Clérigos Tower
Before the next stop you can stop along the way to regain strength in the recommended restaurant Petisqueira Voltaria, eating a good bacalhau a brás or the typical francesinha, a sandwich stuffed with meat or sausages, covered with cheese and tomato sauce that is typical of this area.
In the afternoon the Porto in one day Continue with a walk to the Batalha neighborhood to visit La Sé or Porto Cathedral, a national monument and one of the oldest buildings in the city where we recommend you to enter inside, to discover this 12th century church and see the Beautiful cloister decorated with tiles.
An interesting way to learn about the history of this cathedral and the most important places in the city is by booking this guided tour that includes the entrance to the wine cellars or this more complete tour that includes the cruise and the visit to the wineries, both with Spanish guide.
Porto in one day
When you leave the church you will enter directly into the Cathedral Square, which has a decorative column in the center and where criminals were once punished and where you will also find a terrace with excellent views of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia, located at the Another shore of Duero.
From this square you can follow the Porto in one day with a walking route through the narrow streets of the old neighborhood of Do Barredo, passing through charming places such as the Escadas do Barredo and the Torre do Barredo.
In this neighborhood of old buildings, balconies with clothes hanging and local shops, you will find the authentic essence and soul of Porto that we are sure, will become one of your favorite places in the city.
Barredo neighborhood
The tour of this area ends in La Ribeira, the neighborhood located on the banks of the Duero and one of the busiest by tourists. Before starting a walk through La Ribeira we advise you to make this cruise that passes under the 6 bridges of the city and is also considered one of the best excursions in Porto. A typical way to make this walk with fantastic views of the buildings on both banks is in Rabelo, an old ship that was used to transport wine barrels.
Rabelo
And as icing on the day and taking advantage of the location, after the almost one-hour boat ride, you can take a break and a glass of wine in one of the charming terraces of La Ribeira, which overlook the river and Vila Nova de Gaia .
At this point and if you are less than an hour for sunset, a perfect option is to climb to the second floor of the Don Luis I Bridge from where you can see the best sunset in the city. This iron bridge, built in 1886 by Théophile Seyrig, partner of the well-known Gustave Eiffel, is the most famous and one of the symbols of Porto.
Views from the Don Luís I Bridge
After enjoying the views we advise you to take a taxi or walk to the Mariquinhas House or the Guarany coffee, two excellent restaurants to eat in Porto while listening to fado, the most typical melancholic song of Portugal.
Another option is to book this night tour with a guide in Spanish that includes dinner and good fado.
To finish and put the icing on this Porto in one day nothing better than a romantic walk under the light of the street lamps on the banks of the Douro.
If you have more days you can consult this Porto guide in two days.
Map of the first day of Porto in two days
Do you want to organize a trip to Porto in one day?
Get it here:
The best offers of Flights to Porto here
The best hotels at the best prices in Porto here
Book the best tours and excursions in / from Porto in Spanish here
Book your transfer Airport⇆Oporto here
Porto guide in two days
Rent your car in Portugal at the best price here
Book your travel insurance with a 5% discount here
The best offers of Flights to Porto here
The best hotels at the best prices in Porto here
Book the best tours and excursions in / from Porto in Spanish here
Book your transfer Airport⇆Oporto here
Porto guide in two days
Rent your car in Portugal at the best price here
Book your travel insurance with a 5% discount here
