How to Spend One Day in Porto, Portugal

Porto is Portugal’s second largest town, but because it’s so far away from other notable Portuguese places like the Algarve and Lisbon, it’s sometimes overlooked. We followed our love of Port wine to this city and now I can’t imagine any trip to Portugal without visiting. Even if you only have time to spend one day in Porto, it’s worth the visit. You could easily spend more time in Porto, but here is how I would spend one day in Porto, Portugal.

Cross the River to Vila Nova de Gaia

Now it probably sounds a little silly that one of the top things I recommend for one day in Porto is to leave Porto, but this little town is where all the Port cellars are. It’s a short Uber ride or 5 minute walk across the river from Porto. In addition to its own magic, it offers really beautiful views of Porto’s riverfront and gorgeous old buildings from across the Douro.

There are a lot of little things that you can see and explore in this gorgeous little town. There’s a beautiful church – although you can’t go in. There are little cafes with amazing daily lunch specials serving up local foods, just ask anyone where they eat and they’ll give you loads of options. There’s street art, cozy coffee shops and Port cellar after Port cellar.

Here’s a look inside the super-funky and delicious 7G Roaster. They had delicious, very flavorful coffee and hot cocoa. It was a perfect place to caffeine up for the day and grab a treat to have something on your stomach before those high ABV Port tastings.

The details in the streets are perfect – it’s one of the things I love most about Portugal in general, but Vila Nova de Gaia has a lot of bang for its tiny little buck. Plus, it’s small enough it’s easy to explore a bit in the morning just in time to catch a tour at one of the Port cellars as soon as they open.

Sample Port From the Source in One of the Many Port Cellars

There are many different Port Cellars to choose from. I have two that I tried and loved visiting: Cockburn’s Port Lodge and Croft Port Cellar. Each was incredibly unique. Both Port Cellars included a tour and descriptions of how their Port was made and then you get to try some of the Port. You can choose from different tastings and you’ll come away knowing more about Port.

Be sure to have something to eat before you sample Port. It’s not your average wine, they’ve been fortified with spirit so their alcohol content is quite high. You can also combine your Croft Visit with a City tour.

One of the other things I really enjoyed involving Port was checking out these Rabelo boats. These boats have been used for centuries to move the Port down the Douro River from the valley where the grapes are grown and wine is produced. Here you can see the traditional boats sitting along the Douro River.

Dom Luís I Bridge // “Eiffel Tower Bridge”

Speaking of going back and forth between Vila Nova de Gaia, the best way to do it is by crossing this car/pedestrian bridge. Does it look like another iconic European monument? Like, perhaps the Eiffel Tower in Paris? That’s because it was partly designed by the same architect. It’s a quick walk across and a great, free option to get from one town to the other. It was built in the late 1880’s and is quite iconic along the riverfront.

Eat a Francesinha for Lunch at Cafe Santiago

If you only have one day in Porto, be sure to try Porto’s famous insanely rich sandwich. It’s a super heavy meal, but you won’t be disappointed that you tried it, unless you’re a vegetarian. This sandwich is made up of bread, ham, Portuguese pork sausage (linguiça), fresh sausage (chipolata) and steak draped in melted cheese with a tomato/beer sauce poured over the top. It’s a lot of red meat, and sits really heavily on your stomach, so it’s a great sandwich to split! It’s quite often served with fries that sit directly in the tomato/beer sauce. Locals recommend drinking a beer with it to help you digest. The Sagres + Super Bock are both lagers that will go down easy with your Francesinha.

Every local we asked where we should eat a Francesinha told us Cafe Santiago. It’s in the heart of Old Town, has character and is very reasonably priced. It was super delicious and a must for lunch for your one day in Porto. It’s so good we had it twice.

A Walk Through Porto’s Old Town

There’s a main square with the town hall and loads of statues and such. It was incredibly beautiful to just check out the architecture and read more about the history.

Igreja Carmo // Igreja Carmelitas

When you first look at this, it might seem as though this is one church, however it’s actually two. These two churches are separated by an approximately 1-meter-wide house. Traditionally, one church was for monks, one for nuns. The most iconic part of this church isn’t the interior, or even the fact that there are two churches there. It’s the striking blue tiles along the outside known as azulejos.

Every Harry Potter Fan Should Visit Livraria Lello – One Day in Porto

This more than 100-year old book store is one of the oldest in all of Portugal, and certainly one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. Plus, there’s a link to Harry Potter which immediately sparked my interest. JK Rowling frequented this gorgeous bookstore when she was teaching English in Porto. It is said to be an inspiration for the Hogwarts Library. There is a small fee to enter, but to Harry Potter fans it’s well worth it and to architecture/book lovers I would still highly recommend visiting.

On that Harry Potter note, if you’re a huge Harry Potter fan, consider taking a Harry Potter Inspiration tour!

UPDATE: J.K. Rowling informed the world via Twitter that she’s actually never visited this bookstore. Regardless, I enjoyed my visit to Livraria Lello and I have a personal connection to my visit + Harry Potter because of all the magic they’ve put into the experience of visiting.

Clérigos Church // Bell Tower

This church is a great one to visit if you enjoy getting aerial views of cities because for a small fee you can climb the bell tower. Be very careful if you choose to do it during the rain because it’s open, so the steps can be very slick. This was why we chose not to go up – I have a bad habit of slipping on slick things.

The church was constructed beginning in 1732 and ending in 1750. Inside there are loads of details to discover.

The highlight for me was the organ. I love seeing the massive pipes. The pinky mauvey interior is quite beautiful and makes for a very light, fresh look inside.

Mercado do Bolhão

This classic-style market has a nice mix of a local feel along with trinkets and souvenirs being sold. There is a lower section that has a lot of small food venues, fresh squeezed juices and souvenirs. If you go up the stairs to the top, you’ll find locals purchasing fresh fruits, veggies and even butchers. It’s a beautiful market that you should definitely check out. This is a great morning stop. You might recognize it from Anthony Bourdain’s visit to Porto for Parts Unknown – yes, this is where he was heckled by the fishwife.

A Gorgeous Street Art Scene

I’m a huge fan of street art and Porto has no shortage. I love walking around cities and collecting photos of these gorgeous works of art that are right there for the world to see and enjoy.

Old Town by the Riverfront

I found this section of the old town incredibly striking because of all the bright colors. There’s one extreme of color to the other, often sitting side by side. Some building are freshly painted and flawless, others have chipped paint and seem a bit dilapidated. However, I find that to be part of the charm of this area. In addition to the paint, there are terra cotta roofs and tile facades adding to the rainbow of the riverfront.

In between alleyways and paths, you catch glimpses of the Douro River and Vila Nova De Gaia on the other side. You’ll also see beautiful old churches and statues. It’s just a stunning + charming area. This is also where you’ll find the Hard Club Urban Market.

Hard Club Urban Market

The Hard Club Urban Market is a super cool market. It’s like a craft fair where you can pick up really awesome handmade items that would make for great souvenirs for yourself or for others.

Lisbon Isn’t the Only Portuguese Town with Gorgeous Tile

Lisbon’s old town is famous for its gorgeous tile facades, but did you know that Porto also has loads of gorgeous, brightly colored tile facades too!

Garden of the Crystal Palace

This public garden is gorgeous. The rhododendron were blooming and caught our attention from the street. We popped in just to check them out and found peacocks roaming the ground!

Quick Info For Your One Day in Porto

WHERE TO STAY: We stayed just outside of Old Town in a Guesthouse called A Casa das Margaridas. We could walk into Old Town in about 20 minutes. This was a fantastic destination because we love to walk places. The rooms were private, but had shared common spaces. Their kitchen and dining room were incredibly spacious. The host, Margarida was full of information and incredibly helpful.

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HOW TO GET AROUND: The fastest easiest way for us to get around was Uber. It was much cheaper than taxis and, as always, was very efficient.
In addition to this, we found Porto to be very walkable.
They also have a metro system, but I have to admit we didn’t use this.

PEAK TRAVEL MONTHS IN PORTO: September, May and June. Warmer months are more popular because there is beach access in Porto. We went in March and found the cool weather made it less crowded and gave it an extra coziness.

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