The historic city of Porto, Portugal has always been considered a rival to the country’s capital, Lisbon. However, this city has managed to draw in visitors with its historic buildings, café culture, old-Europe charm, and fine wines. Porto is nothing less than a feast for visitors, as it is awash with swish gourmet restaurants, old-school taverns, and local hangouts that serve tasty petiscos. The city is small enough for you to explore in a few days, and also intricate enough for you to explore it in weeks. You can kickstart your journey by checking out some of the top things to do in Porto below:
- Climb the Clérigos tower
Italian architect Nicolau Nasoni designed Torre dos Clérigos in the 1700s. The 75.6-meter high tower is considered Porto’s signature landmark. Soaring high above the city rooftops, the baroque tower has a total of 225 steps that visitors can climb to enjoy views of Porto from the top. After you have made the climb, you can also visit the adjoining church, which is a beauty from 1750. Every day at noon, a free pipe organ concert happens in the church that you can attend, or can also relax on the manicured lawn of the Jardim das Oliverias adjacent to it.
- Take a food tour
The food scene in Porto is evolving fast and even the locals are struggling to keep up. You can book yourself a Taste Porto tour to get the latest scoop on the hot eats. This allows you to sip and nibble your way around the city’s cafes, petisco haunts, tascas (taverns), and wine bars. You can also get snacking bits at the Mercado Bom Sucesso, or you can go to Gaia’s Mercado Beira-Rio for browsing the riverfront food stands. There are also patisseries around almost every corner in the city, so you can also trawl them for a bit.
- Go to Foz do Douro for sea, sand, and snacks
All of Porto goes to Foz do Douro when the sun is shining in the city for enjoying its invigorating sea breezes. It commands big Atlantic views and the beaches and gardens are made for ice-cream licking and lazy Sunday strolls, while alfresco cafes come to life in the sunlight. You can hop onto the vintage tram or bike it, depending on what you are comfortable with.
- Check out the Luís I Bridge
Opened in 1886, this twin-level metal arched bridge is considered an industrial symbol of Porto. Théophile Seyrig, the German engineer who co-founded the Eiffel Company, conceived the idea of the Luís I Bridge. The bridge rises to nearly 45 meters and crosses the rocky, steep banks of Douro. The top-level gives a bird’s eye view of the Cais da Riberia, which is also used by the light railway in Porto.
- Explore Cais da Ribeira
Fun to explore, even if it is a little chaotic, this riverside area in Porto is a very picturesque place where locals and tourists can mingle. There are restaurants and bars around every corner and they also line the riverside walk. You can have a perfect view of the Luís I Bridge and ducking through the arcades will lead to a maze of stairways and steep streets between pastel-painted houses. In the last few years, the Cais da Ribeira has been spruced up a little bit, which includes the installation of information boards to tell tourists about the businesses and characters of the district when it was the hive of commerce in the city.
- Visit the Church of São Francisco
This church is the last Gothic monument in Porto and was completed in 1425. You can check out the main façade that has an ornate portal crested by a beautiful rose window, or wander around the apse to see the long lancet windows. Between the 1500s and the 1700s, the interiors of the church were redecorated and they boast some of the most lavish gilded woodwork. Intricately carved panels cover up the old Gothic pillars, walls, and vaults, representing foliage, cherubs, and birds.
- Go to the Casa da Música
The Casa da Música is considered a treasured modern addition to the cityscape of Porto that was opened in 2005. The design of this concert hall was overseen by Rem Koolhaas, the Dutch architect, along with high-tech acoustics and scenography firms. It is one of the rare music venues that are worth checking out even when no one is playing there. You can take a tour of the 1,300-seater venue, which boasts two walls made completely out of glass and does not follow any rulebook on auditorium design. You can hear the orchestra rehearsing on some days and you can even dress up in the evening to hear the Porto Symphony orchestra of famous soloists.
- Don’t forget the beaches
One of the things you shouldn’t forget is the beaches in the city of Porto. You can dip your toes in the Atlantic Ocean on a hot day and let the breeze clear your senses. There are at least 10 beaches to choose from if you include some of the outlying beaches that are only a couple of minutes from Porto. A number of these beaches fly the Blue Flag each year. Matosinhos is the most convenient, as it is just past the Parque de Cidade, and has a massive bay that appears boundless.
- Enjoy the Parque de Cidade
Portugal’s largest urban park is the Parque de Cidade, which is spread out over 83 hectares and goes as far west as the Forte de São Francisco. After you have zigzagged through crowds for hours you can visit these abundant rolling lawns and cool pine groves if you want to coast on a bike or take a stroll. Stacks of rectangular granite stones are a motif you can find throughout the park and they look like ancient foundations. The Parque de Cidade can also be a great detour when you are on your way to the Praia do Matosinhos.
