What to see in Porto in 3 days

This guide will be useful for you whether you are going to visit Porto a single day or if you spend two, three or 4 days in the area. As you can see, we have ordered Porto and its surroundings (including Guimarães) depending on their proximity to the center so it is very easy to decide which places are worth visiting and which are better left for another time.

Any time of the year is a good time to visit Porto We took advantage of a long weekend in December to visit Portugal and we were lucky to enjoy the good weather in this cozy city. Also, you can go to our article about where to eat in Porto to know the best restaurants to taste quality Portuguese food as if you were a local.

Day 1: What to see in the historic center of Porto

To get to Porto We decided to go there with our own car and book a central parking through an app that has quite good prices. It is highly recommended since parking in the center is mission impossible. Once there we stayed in a apartment in Rua Da SabandeiraVery central area, perfect to move to any place on foot.

This apartment We loved it, they have several in the same building. The one we rented was not very big but it was very well equipped, tastefully decorated and in a perfect location. It was also super economic Take a look here! In Porto, many of the buildings are old and have wooden floors that make a lot of noise but in this case the building was completely renovated.

We now start with the must-see sites to see in the historical center of Oporto that can be visited perfectly on foot.

Sao Bento Station

We began our tour of Porto with this train station in the center of the city that has a beautiful decoration made with tiles. Located in the Plaza de Almeida Garret, the walls of the lobby are full of panels of these blue tiles (more than 20,000 tiles!) with historical representations of the country: epic battles and coronations, scenes of everyday life and geographical elements. It is considered one of the most beautiful train stations in Europe.

The entrance is free of charge and when we went there were roasted chestnuts and figs stalls both inside and outside. There are also public toilets with an entrance fee of 50cent.

Iglesia del Carmen and Iglesia de los Carmelitas Descalzos (Carmelite Church)

Known as the twin churches, they are two of the most famous churches in Oporto due to the decoration of their facades with the typical tiles in blue tones. Many people think it is one building but it is actually three! Since it was not allowed to build two churches wall to wall, they built in the middle the Escondida House the narrowest house in Oporto.  

If you look at the facades carefully you can see the different construction styles between the two churches: the Carmen Church is from the beginning of the 17th century, and a very good representation of baroque art, whereas the Carmelite Church is from the end of the 18th century. Both can be visited from Monday to Saturday free of charge. 

The history of these buildings and many others can be learned very well by making a free tour around the city. We believe that this city is super interesting to make a tour of this style and learn its secrets and history.

👀 Did you know that there is a Harry Potter free tour?
It is said that the city of Oporto inspired J.K Rowling to write her famous saga, so you can take this curious free tour and discover all its secrets. If you visit the Lello Bookshop you will understand!

Sé Cathedral

The Porto Cathedral or Sé de Porto, is one of the main tourist attractions of the city and one of the most outstanding monuments in Portugal as it is declared a national monument. The cathedral is located on the Plaza de la Sé The square is located in the neighborhood of Batalha, in one of the highest areas of the city. As a curiosity, in the center of the square there is a column that was used to hang criminals. 

Built between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, it stands out for its impressive facade, its large dimensions and the different styles that compose it: mainly baroque, although it also has Romanesque and Gothic parts. The Sé of Porto has three naves, a large central dome and an impressive tower 56 meters high.

For us it is a must for all those who visit Porto, not only for its architectural beauty but also for its wonderful views of the city and the river. 

Church and Tower of the clergymen

We continue our route through the old town of Oporto with this iconic baroque tower which has wonderful panoramic views of the city. It is the highest tower in Portugal with its 76 meters high. So if you want to visit it you have to be prepared to climb its more than 200 steps! The church of the clergymen was built on one of the highest points of Oporto, formerly known as "Cerro de los Hanged" It was the place where those condemned to death were executed. In addition, due to its height, the tower served for many years as a reference to the ships that plied the Douro River. 

The entrance to the church is free and to climb the tower you have to pay 6 €. The schedule is from 9h-19h and there are also night tours that must be spectacular.

Right next to the tower are the Praça de Lisboa and the João Chagas or Cordoaria Garden There is a small square and gardens that are perfect places to rest when coming down from the tower. 

Stock Exchange Palace

The palace of the stock exchange is a spectacular historic building located right next to the Plaza del Infante Don Enrique. This building was built over the ruins of a Franciscan convent that was destroyed in a fire. Inside is the impressive large central courtyard, or "patio" Courtyard of the Nations covered by a glass structure that lets a lot of light into the palace.

Going up a beautiful granite and marble staircase, on the second floor we find the following rooms:

• The Golden Room covered with gold leaf.
• The General Assembly Hall which is completely covered with wood.
• The Arab Hall. In the more than 300 square meters of this Moorish-style room, inspired by the Alhambra, the official receptions of the city of Oporto are held.

The price of the visit is 10€ although children under 12 years of age have free admission.

Booking.com

😋 Right next door you have the Ferreira Borges market
If you get hungry or thirsty, you can visit this market and have a drink in one of its premises. Even if you don't want to eat anything, the visit is worth it.

University of Porto

A must when touring the city is to pass through the plaza de la fuente de los leones You can enjoy some of the street artists that you will surely find in the area and contemplate the building of the University of Oporto. One of the oldest in the world. 

It is not only curious because of what we have already told you, but also because if you go during school hours, you will see the students of Oporto with their traditional black capes reminiscent of the students of Howgarts in the Harry Potter films.

If you go into the neighborhood across the street from the university, leaving the church do Carmo On the left, you will find many typical Portuguese taverns with prices that seem to be from another era, super cheap! We recommend you to walk through these streets and enjoy the atmosphere.

Visit the cheapest bar in Oporto: Café Piolho or Café Piojo.
A few meters from the University is one of the oldest bars in the city. Very frequented by students due to its low prices, it is always a good option for a coffee or a cheap beer. When we were there both were less than one euro.

The best places to eat in Porto

A must for us is to try the typical gastronomy of each place we visit. In this case we went looking for restaurants where to try typical portuguese food and we found many of them with a good quality-price ratio. We leave you the typical dishes that you can not miss:

• Francesinha Sandwich with egg stuffed with sausages and cheese, bathed in a delicious sauce.
• Alheira Porto typical sausage similar to a mixture of chorizo and sobrasada.
• Codfish Brás Equivalent to the typical bacalao a la dorada.
• Bolinhas of different flavors: Similar to the typical croquettes.
• Cream cakes (or de Belem): One of the most famous Portuguese cakes filled with cream.

Here are some of the places that we liked the most in the summary map at the bottom of the page and if you want to see the prices, photos of the food and detailed description you can find them in our article of where to eat in Porto. 

For a drink, on the free tour we were recommended the Rua da Galeria de Paris right next to the Lello bookstore. This is the typical area where the Portuguese usually go out to party and it is a street with a good nightlife. If you feel like visiting a typical Portuguese tasca where you can have a Sagres, a Super Bock and a bite to eat, you have to go to the Rua dos mercadores and pay a visit to the Tasquiña da Paula. There are some bars that offer fado showsone of the jewels of Portuguese music.

Day 2: Best viewpoints in Oporto, Don Luis I Bridge and Lello bookshop

Oporto is a city with plenty of green areas and viewpoints from which to contemplate the famous red roofs of Oporto, the Douro riverbank, the Gaia area and the famous Don Luis Bridge. We also visited one of the most famous bookstores in Europe that served as inspiration for the Harry Potter universe Lello bookstore. At the bottom of the page you have a summary map with all the points that we are commenting and in our opinion essential in any visit to Oporto. 

La Victoria Viewpoint

El Mirador de la Victoria is located right next to the church that gives it its name, it was one of our favorites in the city of Porto so we consider it a must visit. It has breathtaking views to the Sé Cathedral, the Don Luis I Bridge over the Douro River and the whole area of the Gaia wine cellars. 

The place is very easy to find as it is signposted but you have to walk through narrow streets and be prepared to climb a few steps but the climb is totally worth it! It is open every day and is free of charge.

San Lorenzo dos Grilos Church Viewpoint

One of the most famous viewpoints in the city is located on the tower of the San Lorenzo Church. This hidden gem is located in the old town and offers breathtaking views of the city. The panoramic views of Porto's red-roofed houses, the Douro River and the Don Luis I Bridge are amazing. It is the perfect place to take photos and soak up the atmosphere of the city by strolling through the streets leading down from the viewpoint to the river. 

If you find the church closed or do not want to go up, just next to the church the views are very similar and also in the photo appears the tower of the Church of San Lorenzo, which makes it very curious. 

Don Luis I Bridge

Iconic bridge of Oporto whose iron arch is one of the symbols par excellence of the city, inaugurated in the 19th century. The bridge of Don Luis I crosses the Douro River, connecting Porto with Vila Nova de Gaia, where we find the famous wineries. The bridge has an upper part where a streetcar circulates and a lower part where cars circulate, and pedestrians can also circulate on both levels in enabled lanes. One of the best things to do in Oporto is walk over from the bridge, contemplating the wonderful views offered by this "viewpoint" of both Oporto and Gaia. If you do not want to walk, you can also take the streetcar for a ride. 

As a curiosity, many people think that the bridge was designed by Gustave Eiffel, but in reality the work is by the German engineer Théophile Seyrig (former partner of Eiffel), who won the competition for the construction of the bridge after the government rejected Eiffel's proposal.

🥵 If you are tired of the slopes of Oporto Stay tuned!
The funicular dos Guindais, on the Oporto side of the river, will take you up to the top of the Don Luis I bridge. The price is 2,5€ / way.

Cruise of the 6 bridges

If there is a typical activity in Oporto, apart from visiting the Gaia wineries, it is to take the cruise of the 6 bridges that takes you along the Douro River passing under the 6 bridges that cross it. You will also pass under the Bridge of Don Luis I the most famous in the city.

Most of the cruises have an approximate duration of approximately 50 minutes and are usually made in the typical rabelo boats The boats that were traditionally used to transport vats from the vineyards of the Douro Valley to the cellars of Vila Nova de Gaia. 

There are also some options that offer a romantic dinner cruise with live music on the boat, for those in love.

Lello bookstore without queues

Known as one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world It is thought to have inspired J.K. Rowling during the time she lived in Oporto to recreate some of the settings of the saga of Harry Potter. All decorated in wood with a huge stained glass window in the ceiling and its famous red stairs are reminiscent of Hogwarts although the writer insists on denying it. After seeing the famous robes of the University of Porto (similar to those of Hogwarts), the truth is that we find it hard to believe her denial. The books inside also have beautiful covers.

✨ Do you want to visit the Lello bookstore without queues? ✨
Read on below!

The entrance fee to the bookstore is 5€, which is discounted later in case you want to buy a book. The tails to get in are usually endless (hours of queue!), and most blogs recommend you to get up early to go to see it. We have a better idea, we we recommend going late in the afternoon (approx 1h before closing). The queue is infinitely shorter than in the morning (we stopped by several times to check) and we only ended up waiting about 15 minutes. As the bookstore is not very big in 1h there is plenty of time to see it even entertaining yourself taking pictures and looking at the books.

Day 3: What to see in Gaia

Vila Nova de Gaia o Gaia is a city in the district of Oporto located in the area across the Bridge of Don Luis, on the left bank of the Douro River. This area is home to the famous wineries where you can taste the Port wine with denomination of origin. Although most of the wine is no longer produced here, you cannot leave Porto without tasting its typical wines: ruby, tawny or white. 

Viewpoint of the Sierra del Pilar

One of the best viewpoints in Oporto is located in an area known as "los Moorish gardens It is located right next to the monastery of the Sierra del Pilar. It is located on the other side of the river in the area of Gaia. We arrived at crossing the bridge of Don Luis I where the city tramway passes (the cover photo is taken from here!).

It has a breathtaking views of the steel bridge with the city and the Douro River in the background. If you have the option we recommend you to visit it at sunset as you will take an unforgettable image.

This particular viewpoint is a Unesco World Heritage Site and was our favorite in Porto. In the city you will find a lot of charming places with beautiful views but if you don't have much time, go see this one! There are some panoramic incredible.

Wine tasting in Gaia's cellars

Another plan not to be missed during your visit to the Portuguese Venice is to take part in one of the following activities wine tastings offered in Gaia's wineries - a must! There are many wineries The most famous ones to choose from are Sandeman, Ferreira, Cálem and Graham's Port. 

We did the classic tasting at the Graham's Port winery (18€/pp approx) which includes 3 types of wines: Graham's Six Grapes, a Graham's LBV and a 10 year old Tawny. We advise you to book in advance because when we went to book there were only tickets in Spanish for the day we wanted to visit this winery, which despite being very good, is one of the farthest from the center of Oporto. The good thing about being far away and up on a hill is that it has very cool views of Porto from its terrace, the end point of the wine tasting.

According to our research when we went to book, the best options are the Ferreria, Sandeman or Graham's wineries, as they are the few that still work as real wineries and not just as decorations where tourists do wine tastings. In case you run out of tickets as we did, here are some links:

• Visit and tasting at the cellar of Cálem.
• Visit to the winery Burmester.
• Visit and tasting of wine and chocolate in the Cockburn's winery.

Gaia Cable Car

As you will see when you are crossing from the city of Oporto to Gaia, there is a great unevenness that increases as the houses move away from the banks of the Douro River. That's why to get into the Gaia and visit the Moorish gardens or the viewpoint of the Sierra del Pilar you will have to cover quite a lot of unevenness either by stairs or by slopes, about 15 minutes walking quietly. If you are a little tired from a day of sightseeing or you feel like continuing to enjoy the views of the city, you can choose to buy a ticket for the Gaia cableway The ride will take you from the river bank to the top of Gaia at the Jardim do Moro stop. The ride is approximately 600 meters and you will travel at a height of 67 meters!

The price of the cable car is 6 € one way and 9 € round trip. We didn't take it this time because we were wandering around but we have it written down for the next visit. 

Extra day: What to see in Guimarães

If you are going to spend enough days in the Oporto area, it is highly recommended to take a day trip to the medieval city of Oporto Guimarães. Its center has been declared a World Heritage Site and we found it to have a special charm. It can be reached from Oporto by train or bus, which is a faster option, but if you do not want to complicate things you can always hire the day trip to this beautiful city.

We leave in the map below the route we followed to visit the area, our must-sees are:

• Santiago Square. Typical village square with bars to have a drink.
• Romanesque Church of Oliveira. Old church located right next to the Padrão do Salado.
• Padrão do Salado. A Gothic temple formed by four arches and a cross that can be reached from Santiago square through the famous Largo da Oliveira.
• Church of Our Lady of Consolation. Baroque church located in a square with spectacular gardens.
• Guimarães Castle. From the 11th century, it has seven towers that can be accessed with the entrance to the enclosure.
• San Miguel del Castillo Church. Small located between the castle of Guimarães and the palace of the dukes.
• Palace of the Dukes of Braganza. Built in the 15th century by the first Duke of Braganza, you can visit both the courtyards and the interior of the building.

Most of the sites we have mentioned above are from free access except for the last three. To access these you can buy a combined ticket worth 6€ and that it is acquired in the Palace of the Dukes of Braganza (you can also buy tickets for each site separately). It is quite inexpensive and allows you to access the entire historic area. It is quite fast, about 2 hours to do the whole visit.

Where to park in Guimaraes

When you get to the old part of the city you will see that it seems like a town apart and that it is not easy to park inside and even less near the historic center. The best thing to do is to leave your car in a large parking on the ground which we leave you marked on the map. It is on the way to the castle so it is perfect for sightseeing and if you then take a short walk you will reach the center on foot, contemplating in passing the old town of the place.

The best place to eat in Guimaraes

After visiting the historical monuments you will surely feel like trying some of the local gastronomy. If you feel like having a drink after lunch, you can go to Santiago square. In our article where to eat in Oporto we give you more details about the best bars to eat in Guimarães or have a porto tonic.

If you want to read other articles ideal for your trip that complement What to see in Porto in 3 days you can visit our posts about Porto.