[PORTO, PORTUGAL] — I was only in Porto for two nights, on my way up the Douro River, and one of those nights was in bed with a brutal flu bug, so my time was short. But I did see some cool thing, here are my top sites in Porto. Cool things to see in Porto.

When I came to Porto in Spring 2015, it was a completely different city than today. Many of the buildings were boarded up or in need of repair. Now nearly everything has been redone and the city is alive and jumping, rivaling Lisbon.

When I came to Porto in Spring 2015, it was a completely different city than today (as is all of Portugal). I was just there one night, before heading up the Douro Valley. It was still in an economic recovery, low in population, many buildings were boarded up in the main center by the Douro. I remember walking around going “Wow, all these amazing buildings are just abandoned. Somebody should fix them up.” And they did.

Now, if you look at current times, Porto is a thriving bustling city. New hotels are opening up. Buildings being restored. Absolutely amazing what a few years can do. Consider this a lookback to 2015, but many things remain as cool as they’ve ever been. You can do Porto in 2-3 nights, four if you’re coming in late. Tour the port bunkers and climb around the town.

Porto is actually pretty small, so it only takes a couple of days and you’ve seen most of it.

Walk Across The Dom Luís I Bridge

The Bridge is everything in Porto. It looks like the Eiffel Tower on its side crossing the lazy Douro River — which makes sense since it was designed by Gustave’s company. It’s hard to believe that this beast has been carrying traffic since it was built in 1886. At that time, it was the largest bridge span in the world.

The Douro has long been the lifeblood of this city, the receiving end of all the great wines and ports of one of the first true export vineyards in Europe, shipping boatloads of claret to all the pink cheeks in England. All the famous port lockers sit on directly across the river where they were stored before shipping off to Great Britannia. Today, it’s all still there for our amusement.

Tour the Port Caves in Gaia

I didn’t have time to tour the port caves from all the famous centuries-old port makers, but I did get go to an amazing meal at the Graham’s cellars, in their restaurant Vinum.  Amazing views over all of Porto and great food.  Unfortunately, I got the flu going right up to the meal, huge fever and cold sweats, I felt like throwing up. So I literally had to leave right when they brought a bounty of lamb and Douro Valley red. I was so looking forward to the meal.

“This looks wonderful, may I have the check?”  They were stunned, for obvious reasons. As I was. Had to leave the entire meal there. Very embarrassing. But you should make reservations here, try to get there for a cocktail before sunset.  Check out these views from their website:

Run Up and Down the Hills of Baixa and Ribeira

Every street has its own character. It’s a small city, so easy to just randomly walk block by block, stumbling on great little corners of surprise.

Check Out the Gorgeous Cathedral District

Dive into the Dreamy Art Deco

Please Leave Livraria Lello Alone

When I was there in early 2015, Instagram was just getting started and TikTok hadn’t been invented, but the poor Livraria Lello bookstore — admittedly the prettiest bookstore ever — was already being overwhelmed with selfie-takers. Now it has become insane, I was in horror watching the lines and rude behavior of people wanting just to get a picture and run. I read the owner once was considering closing because everyone would clog the store for photos, but nobody was buying any books, just scaring away paying customers. Just be thoughtful.

Cooo at the Tiles at the São Bento Railway Station

I’d read about the famous tiles in the São Bento/San Benito train station as a must-see. At first I thought “meh”, more decorative tiles. But then I saw a dramatic picture and said “Wait, where is that??”  The tiles. It was there. So I went. One of the prettiest train stations I’ve ever seen. You gotta go here. It’s the best thing to see in Porto. And I never thought I’d say that about a bunch of tiles in a train station.

It’s just stunning at the end of the day. The light changing by the minute. People bustling to catch a train and then bunches of tourists just to take pictures.

Where to Eat in Porto

Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to have many fine dinners in Porto –I just stopped into nondescript little local places on the Ribeira. And my one big meal I had to walk out of because I was so sick. But if you do go, look for these places:

Here is the UK Condé Nast Traveller’s Guide on the best restaurants in Porto. Here’s another great list from my new friends Culture Trip. Solid recommendations. The KING of all things food in Portugal is Nelson Carvalheiro. Trust whatever he writes. Follow his instagram. He’s also very responsive with questions. I met him once at a travel blogger conference, super nice guy.

Where to Stay in Porto

Before booking anything, I highly recommend you check out my friends Jo&So and their fantastic hotel website and guide. They are amazing, have fantastic taste and grew up in Porto so know Portugal like the back of their hand.

I’ve heard great things about River House and for amazing views, The Yeatman.  I saw Anthony Bourdain recently stay there on Instagram.  The Yeatman is unusual in that it sits way on the top of Porto, so you get to look down at the city and river…. and don’t have to walk as many hills. Click on that link and look at those views! Here are some places to stay in Porto by the great Local Hideaways website, the Torel Avantgarde and the Saboaria hotel. Here’s the Mr & Mrs Smith’s guide to Porto Hotels.

The Pestana Vintage Hotel

Even though it’s really old building, the rooms are nice and modern and roomy. It sits right on the water and the views can’t be beat. A great location. Not bad.

— Last visited April 2015, Post Updated October 2024 —

More Information on Porto

Here’s a link to another post I made on wine tours through Portugal’s stunning Douro Valley.

Here’s a great overview of 36 Hours in Porto from the New York Times. And another 48 hours article in The Telegraph. And the UK Conde Nast Traveller’s Porto Guide. And a beautiful website, unusual for a tourist board, from the Porto travel website. A great overview from The Guardian.  And another deep guide on Porto from Travel & Leisure.

Portugal is fairly small with awesome new tollways (expensive, though) so you can easily get anywhere. Here are some relative drive times I found in my ten days there.

— Last visited April 2015, Post Updated October 2024 —