After visiting Porto Portugal myself and witnessing all this amazing Portuguese city has to offer I am here to tell you everything you need to know before you visit.
This blog post will answer all your questions like how to get to Porto, when you should visit Portugal, where you should stay when travelling to Porto, and all the must-see places.
After you finish reading you will be all ready to get on a plane and fly to Portugal right now!
This blog post is the ultimate Porto Portugal Travel Guide.
Porto Portugal Travel Guide:
How to get to Porto Portugal:
There are so many different modes of transportation you can use to travel to Porto Portugal. The three main ways of travelling to Porto are flying, taking a train, or bussing. If you are not travelling within Europe most likely flying is your only way of transportation. You have a few options you can fly directly to Porto, you can fly somewhere else in Portugal and take a bus, train or another flight to Porto, or you can fly to another cheaper country to fly to and then make your way to Porto by flying, training or bussing. When you are looking up flights I recommend checking out Google Flights to try and find the best deals. If you are looking into getting a train from a destination in Europe to Porto I recommend Omio. I booked all of my trains through Omio when I travelled around Europe and after doing a ton of research they seemed to have the best deals I could find. And if you are travelling within Portugal I recommend taking a bus to Porto. I used Flix Bus when travelling around Portugal and they have super affordable bus tickets.When to visit Porto Portugal:
The best time to visit Porto Portugal is in mid-spring between the months of April and October. Within that range of months, I think May and September are the best because they are the perfect balance of nice weather and not as many tourists. If you go during the off-season to Porto which is between October and April you risk having not the best weather. And if you go during peak season, from June to August, there is a chance that things such as flights and accommodations go up and there will be more tourists during this time. So the months of May and September allow you to have the best of both worlds.Where to Stay in Porto Portugal:
When visiting Porto I highly recommend checking out Nice Way Porto hostel. Nice Way Porto is a really nice hostel, for an affordable price, in a great location. I stayed at Nice Way Porto during my stay and I really enjoyed it.Places to See in Porto Portugal:
#1: Livraria Lello
About:
Livraria Lello is the famous library in Porto. It is the library that J.K. Rowling visited when she lived in Porto and people say the library in Hogwarts is inspired by the Livraria Lello Library. To go inside the bookstore you do need to buy a ticket. The tickets cost 5 euros on their website, click here to visit their website and buy a ticket. I highly recommend visiting Livraria Lello when you are in Porto Portugal it is very cool to see the inside.Location:
#2: Clerigos Tower
About:
Clerigos Church and the bell tower are both popular spots for tourists when visiting Porto Portugal. Making the climb up the steps to the top of the bell tower gives you a beautiful view of Porto from above. The entrance ticket to walk up Clerigos Tower is around $11 CAD or 8 euros.Location:
#3: Igreja do Carmo
About:
Igreja do Carmo is a beautiful church in Porto’s city center. The beautiful blue and white tile design on the church’s wall is absolutely breathtaking and definitely a must-see when you are in Porto. You can either walk around the outside of the church or explore the inside as it is free to enter.Location:
#4: Capela das Almas
About:
Capela das Almas is another beautiful church in Porto that is covered in the beautiful blue and white tile that is very popular in Porto. Even though you can just look at the amazing outside of the church for days you can also enter for free.Location:
#5: Mercado do Bolhão
About:
Mercado do Bolhão is a popular market in Porto. This market has tons of local food, drinks, flowers, and more. I recommend spending some time walking up and down the rows of vendors. There are tons of things to buy but if you are travelling on a budget like I was I want to let you know that most of the prices were higher than normal because it is a touristy market. But whether or not you are buying anything or not it is still a great place to visit while you are in Porto.Location:
#6: Igreja de Santo Ildefonso
About:
Igreja de Santo Ildefonso is another beautiful church in Porto Portugal that will amaze you with its beautiful designs on the outside. After seeing so many churches in Porto with this design you would think you would get sick of it but every time I was in awe. This church is also free to enter.Location:
#7: São Bento Station
About:
São Bento Station is a very popular train station in Porto due to its beautiful interior. When you enter Sāo Bento Station you will be greeted with beautiful tile murals covering the walls and a yellow ceiling. Nothing like any other train station you will see. Just a warning before you go to the station, because it is a popular tourist attraction as well as a train station there are usually quite a lot of people. Also, don’t make the same mistake I did and go to the São Bento Metro Station I promise you it is not nearly as pretty 😉Location:
#8: Luis I Bridge
About:
This famous bridge in Porto Portugal is well known because it was designed by a student of Gustave Eiffel so some say it has similar features to the Eiffel Tower. This bridge has two layers, if you go across the top layer of the bridge there is a nice park to watch the sunset. At the bottom layer of the bridge, on both sides, are tons of pop-up shops selling souvenirs and other knickknacks.Location:
#9: Porto Cathedral
About:
The Porto Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in Porto. The inside of this cathedral is breathtaking. There is so much to see from the architecture to the art, to the beautiful views of the city from the rooftop. To enter and see the whole cathedral it costs 3 euros.Location:
Bucket List Activities to do in Porto Portugal:
#1. Eat Portugese Famous Pastel de Nata
#2. Go Watch a Fado Performance
#3. Watch the sunset at Jardim do Morro
I hope this Porto Portugal travel guide was helpful for planning your trip and answered all the questions you may have had. Porto Portugal is an amazing city with so many incredible places to see. Hope you have the most amazing trip!
This post was a detailed Porto Portugal Travel Guide.
