Here are a few of my favourite places to eat and drink, and cool things to see and do in Porto.
Cool Spots/Things To Do
- The Art of Azulejos – Tile Painting Workshop: Porto is known for being covered in beautiful Portuguese tiles, in this workshop you learn about their history and get to paint your own tiles too.
- Mobile Photography through Porto’s hidden streets: Hosted by local photographer João who will take you through the old town to explore his favourite streets away from the crowds and teach you how to take good quality photos using your phone!
- Port Wine Tasting: in the Villa Nova de Gaia area of Porto there are loads of different cellars you can visit. Sandemans is a great one, and they have a terrace you can sit out outside and try their ports too, if you don’t want to book a tour.
- Porto’s Secret Museum: what looks to be a normal house, but is actually a palace built in the 1800s. The house is typically closed to the public but this tour gives you access to the 11 rooms.
- Lello Library: They have named themselves ‘the most beautiful library in the world’ and rumour has it, the library inspired JK Rowling when writing Harry Potter. You can’t buy tickets at the door, you can only get them online – so book your timeslot in advance as it gets booked up days in advance. During peak season it gets super packed, so I would recommend visiting super early in the morning, or late in the evening to avoid the crowds.
- Conservas Pinhais Factory Tour Live Museum: Portugal is famous for its tinned sardines. At this factory they run tours where you can see the production lines, meet the owner’s family who still work on the factory floor, wrap your own tins and taste their sardines too!
Bars
- Ferro Bar (near Trinidade station, the bar has a great view of the Clerigos Tower and Porto Cathedral)
- Café Candelabro
Pasteis de Nata
- Castro (my favourite spot)
- Fábrica de Nata
- Manteigaria
Brunch
- Garden Porto Café
- O Diplomata (they have a great selection of pancakes)
- Do Norte Cafe by Hungry Biker
Foods to try
- Franchesinha: a traditional Portugese sandwich which originated in Porto and made with toasted bread and meat, over the top sliced cheese is melted by the ladling of a near-boiling tomato-and-beer sauce called molho de francesinha.
- A good place to try this (they also do a vegan option) is Santa Francesinha
- Eclairs: Leitaria da Quinta do Paço makes the best eclairs in Porto (I loved them so much I went back twice), they also sell classic artisinal salted butter which is sold by weight and wrapped in parchment paper which locals love.
- Sandes de pernil / Pulled Pork Sandwich: Casa Guedes is a good spot that serves up the best traditional Portugese pulled pork sandwiches and beers.
Beaches
- Matosinhos Beach: If the weather is good, and you’re in Porto for more than a few days then I recommend you catch the bus 500 to Matosinhos Beach. It’s lovely (super popular with surfers as it has such great waves) and is massive, so there is lots of room to chill and relax. Top Tip: Sit on the right hand side, so you get views of the sea on your way there.
Walking Tours
- Explore Porto with local Maria: this is a great small group (8 people max) tour of Porto with local guide Maria. It’s a great tour to do on your first day in Porto as you get to know the layout of the city, it’s history and culture. Maria is super knowledgeable and passionate about her city too!
Google Map of all my recommendations:
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