An Itinerary for Porto, Portugal
Are you looking for a city break with stunning architecture, amazing food, and fewer crowds than Venice and Paris? Then look no further than Porto.
Porto is the second-largest city in Portugal and is situated on the Douro River. It is also where the drink Port is produced.
I went to Porto, and I can not recommend it enough. Ready to book your trip? Here is an itinerary for a three-night trip to Porto.
Day 1:
Depending on what time you arrive in the beautiful city of Porto I recommend strolling around the city with no real plans to get your bearing and see what hidden treasures you come across.
After you have had an explore I recommend getting ready and going for dinner at Rio’s tapas bar. This is a small restaurant but has some delicious food.
Day 2:
One of my favourite things to do in a new city is a Tuk Tuk tour. It gives you a good overview of the city while learning from an informative guide. I struggle with walking tours, especially when it is hot, but with a Tuk Tuk tour, you get sat down and covered by the sun. We really enjoyed our Tuk Tuk tour, and I have linked the one we went on here
On the Tuk tuk tour, we went to:
– Miradouro da Serra do Pilar
– The Porto Cathedral (I did not go inside, however, I wish I did)
– St Lawrence Church
– São Bento Railway Station
– The Chapel of Souls
I recommend crossing Dom Luis I Bridge in the afternoon and seeing the fantastic views. Once you are here, get the funicular, lift or walk down to the riverfront and stroll along Vila Nova de Gaia.
This is an area where all the Port Wine Tasting Houses are. While here, I recommend doing a wine tasting. The best ones are Graham’s and Cockburns; however, there are so many different ones, so research and see which interests you the most. Make sure you do book in advance.
Once you have finished, you can get the Gaia cable car to return to Dom Luis I Bridge.
For dinner, we went to Cumplice Stake House, which was lovely. We got the Tbone; the service was excellent here, and I recommend coming here on a trip.
Day 3:
I highly recommend doing a boat tour this morning. We did a private one, which I have linked here. However, I also found some good group tours, which I have linked here.
On a boat tour, you see the six bridges, Riberia and Gaia, from the water. Which has stunning views.
After doing this, I recommend returning to Vila Nova de Gaia, but this time exploring the opposite section, Cais Da Riberia. This area is absolutely stunning and a great location to walk.
I recommend going to check out Clerigos Tower. We went up this and enjoyed it, but it is an additional charge. I then recommend going to the Church of Saint Ildefonso.
For dinner we went to the restaurant Blind this was actually in our hotel. Something that was super high up on my bucket list was to have a tasting experience, and this one was delicious and really cool.
This tasting menu is all about your senses. For one dish, we had a truffle butter candle that melted in front of you for you to then dip your bread in, one dish we were blindfolded and one where we ate and listened to music. It was quite an expensive experience and was the most we have ever spent on food; however, I truly believe it was worth it as it was such a unique experience. We had ten courses and it was truly delicious.
That is my itinerary for Porto. I truly highly recommend going. Please let me know down below your favourtie places to visit in Portugal.