São Bento station
Baixa · 20 min
The azulejo panels in the hall: twenty thousand tiles of battles and harvests. Free, and quiet for ten minutes before the tour groups arrive around 9:30 a.m.
Porto · Portugal · 3 days
3 days in Porto
Three days along the river: the cathedral and Ribeira with the bridge at dusk, the port lodges in Gaia and the old tram out to Foz, then the bookshop, the tower and the market before a francesinha. One ride a day, the rest on foot and uphill.
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Checked October 10, 2026. That’s the day we last confirmed the hours, prices and closed days.
- 3 days
- 26 stops
- 8 with a ticket
- from €55 a day
When to go
May, June and September are warm, dry and calmer than July and August. October still has sun and the harvest in the Douro. November to March is mild, wet and cheap; pack for rain and polished granite.
Where to base yourself
Baixa around Aliados or Rua das Flores for everything on foot; Ribeira for the river and the stairs; Cedofeita or Bonfim for quieter streets and the restaurants locals use. Gaia puts you beside the lodges and across the bridge from everything else.
Getting around
Walk; the center is small and steep. Buy an Andante card (€0.60) at any metro machine and load Z2 single trips (€1.40) for the metro and STCP buses, including across to Gaia. The historic trams and the Gaia cable car sell their own tickets. Uber and Bolt are cheap for the climb back up at night.
Day 1
Sé, Ribeira and the bridge
- FromYour hotel in Ribeira
- 1
- 5 min · walk
- 2
Sé do Porto
Sé · 60 min
The Romanesque cathedral on the hill; the church is free, and the cloister with its blue tiles and the tower view are €3 at the desk inside. Open 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. April to October, to 5:30 p.m. in winter; mass at 11 a.m.
€3
- 3 min · walk
- 3
Barredo to Ribeira
Ribeira · 60 min
Down the stairs and alleys of Barredo to the river: washing lines, cats, the Casa do Infante. Stop when the Praça da Ribeira opens onto the quay, about 15 minutes down.
- 5 min · walk
- 4
Palácio da Bolsa
Ribeira · 45 min
The merchants' palace, by guided tour only: 30 minutes, English tours through the day, about €14, ending in the Arab Room. Open 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; book online or at the desk, since it sells out around midday.
€14
- Next door
- 5
Adega São Nicolau
Ribeira · 75 min
A tiny tasca up a side street off the Ribeira: cod cakes to start, then octopus with rice or the fish of the day. Monday to Saturday from noon to 3 p.m., closed Sunday; it fills by 1 p.m., so give your name and wait on the step.
- 7 min · walk
- 6
Dom Luís I bridge, upper deck
Gaia · 90 min
Walk the top deck, 45 meters over the river, then cross to the Jardim do Morro in Gaia and climb five minutes to the terrace at Serra do Pilar for the view back over the city. The monastery has been closed for works; the terrace outside is free.
- 10 min · walk
- 7
Rua das Flores
Baixa · 60 min
Back across the lower deck and up past the Sé to the street of shopfronts and tiled facades: the Misericórdia church, the pastel de nata counters, the small shops. The tourist price for a nata is about €1.50.
- 7 min · walk
- 8
Miradouro da Vitória
Vitória · 45 min
A terrace above the rooftops of the old town with the bridge and the lodges of Gaia lit at dusk. Free, ten minutes uphill from Rua das Flores.
- Next door
- 9
Cantina 32
Baixa · 90 min
Rua das Flores, communal tables and modern Portuguese plates: the Lafões veal, the octopus, the cheesecake served in a flowerpot. Monday to Saturday from 6:30 p.m.; book a day ahead or arrive at opening.
Day 2
Gaia's lodges, then the tram to Foz
- FromYour hotel in Ribeira
- 1
Across the lower deck to Cais de Gaia
Gaia · 30 min
Walk the bridge's lower deck from the Ribeira; ten minutes. The rabelo boats are moored along the quay and the lodges' names stand on the roofs behind.
- 11 min · walk
- 2
Taylor's or Graham's
Gaia · 90 min
Taylor's is self-guided with an audio guide and three ports at the end, about €25, no booking needed. Graham's is a guided tour with a tasting, from about €18, so book a slot; both open at 10 a.m.
€25
- 11 min · walk
- 3
The Gaia quay
Gaia · 60 min
Walk the waterfront past the boats. Cálem and Sandeman are on the river if you want a second glass; the WOW terraces above the quay are free to walk through for the view.
- Next door
- 4
Mercado Beira-Rio
Gaia · 75 min
Gaia's covered market turned food hall on the riverfront: a dozen counters, grilled sardines or a bifana, a white port and tonic. Open every day through the afternoon, and calmer and cheaper than the Ribeira across the water.
- 9 min · walk
- 5
Teleférico de Gaia
Gaia · 45 min
Six minutes up the hill to the Jardim do Morro for €6 (€9 round trip; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in summer, to 6 p.m. in winter). Cross the upper deck back to Porto and walk down past the Sé to the Infante tram stop by the São Francisco church, about 20 minutes.
€6
- 5.0 km · transit or taxi
- 6
Tram 1 to Foz
Massarelos · 40 min
The old wooden tram runs along the river from Infante to Passeio Alegre in half an hour or so; €6 to the driver (€8 for two trips), roughly every 20 minutes until about 8 p.m. Sit on the river side. Andante is not valid on it.
€6
- 13 min · walk
- 7
Foz do Douro
Foz · 90 min
From the Passeio Alegre garden to the Felgueiras lighthouse at the river mouth, then north along the Pérgola to Praia dos Ingleses: swimmers in summer, surfers in winter, cold water in every month.
- 1.9 km · transit or taxi
- 8
Praia da Luz
Foz · 120 min
A beach restaurant on the rocks at the end of the Pérgola: grilled fish or a steak with the sun going down behind the tables. Bus 500 (Andante Z2) runs back along the river to the center every 20 minutes or so.
Day 3
Lello, Clérigos, Bolhão and a francesinha
- FromYour hotel in Ribeira
- 1
Livraria Lello
Clérigos · 40 min
Book the 9 a.m. slot online the week before: every ticket is a voucher against a book (around €10 for the basic one), and walk-ins are turned away when slots sell out. Open daily 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; twenty minutes is enough for the red staircase before the room fills.
€10
- Next door
- 2
Igreja e Torre dos Clérigos
Clérigos · 60 min
240 steps up the baroque tower for the whole city; €8 for the tower, church and museum, open daily 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Go before 10 a.m.: the stairs are one lane and the line builds from 11 a.m. The church alone is free.
€8
- 4 min · walk
- 3
Carmo, Cordoaria and the Praça de Lisboa
Cordoaria · 60 min
The tiled flank of the Igreja do Carmo, the plane trees of the Cordoaria garden, the olive grove on the roof of the Praça de Lisboa. The Lello crowd is below you by now.
- 14 min · walk
- 4
Mercado do Bolhão
Bolhão · 45 min
The 1914 market, back in its own building after the rebuild: fish, flowers, cheese, the tremoço and olive stalls, snack counters upstairs. Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday to 6 p.m., closed Sunday; the fresh stalls wind down after 2 p.m.
- 6 min · walk
- 5
Café Santiago
Bolhão · 75 min
The francesinha: steak, sausage and ham in a sandwich under melted cheese, a fried egg and a beer-and-tomato sauce, with chips, around €12. Rua de Passos Manuel, Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m., closed Sunday; Brasão Aliados nearby does a good one every day.
€12
- 13 min · walk
- 6
Rua de Santa Catarina
Santa Catarina · 75 min
The shopping street: the blue-tiled Capela das Almas at the top, Café Majestic's belle époque room halfway down (a coffee, at a tourist price, for the room), the Via Catarina arcade. The Praça da Batalha and the São João theater at the bottom.
- 1.8 km · transit or taxi
- 7
Jardins do Palácio de Cristal
Massarelos · 90 min
A 25-minute walk west or a short ride: terraced gardens with peacocks, the domed pavilion, and the river far below. The lower terraces face Gaia and the sea for the sunset.
- 1.9 km · transit or taxi
- 8
Casa Guedes
Poveiros · 60 min
Praça dos Poveiros: the pernil sandwich, slow-roast pork with Serra da Estrela cheese melting over it, for a few euros with a glass of vinho verde. Stand at the counter of the old café or take a table at the newer one beside it.
- 15 min · walk
- 9
Galerias de Paris
Clérigos · 90 min
The bar street behind Clérigos: a glass of Douro red at Aduela on Rua das Oliveiras, then the terraces that run until late. Quiet on Sunday, loud on Friday.
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Pins are approximate. Tap one for the stop; the directions links open Google Maps.
The practical bits
From the airport
Metro line E runs from the airport to Trindade in about 25 to 30 minutes; buy an Andante card (€0.60) and a Z4 trip (€2.30) at the machine. Uber and Bolt are €10 to €20 to the center from the marked TVDE pick-up; a taxi is €20 to €30 and 20 minutes outside rush hour.
What a day costs
About €55 to €85 a day per person. A tasca lunch is €10 to €15, a francesinha about €12, a lodge visit €18 to €25, and the sights are €3 to €14 each. The metro and buses are €1.40 a trip with an Andante card.
Where to stay
Got a day to spare?
Worth knowing
- Load Z2 trips on an Andante card and validate every time you board, including when you change; inspectors fine an unvalidated card.
- The historic trams, the Gaia cable car and the Guindais funicular each sell their own tickets. Andante covers the metro, STCP buses and the urbano trains to Braga and Guimarães.
- Lello and the Clérigos tower both open at 9 a.m. and both are empty for the first half hour. Book Lello the week before; climb Clérigos before 10 a.m.
- Bolhão and most tascas close on Sunday. Put Gaia or Foz on the Sunday; the lodges open every day.
- Port is poured in the lodges at 10 a.m. without comment. Taste the white and the tawny as well as the ruby, and eat something first.
Things you can ask once it’s in the app
Plans change. Ask Chat and it proposes a reshuffled day you can apply, or just answers the question.
Swap Foz for Serralves if it rains on day 2Which port lodge takes walk-ins at 10 a.m.?Build a Douro train day from São Bento for ThursdayFind a vegetarian francesinha near BolhãoHow do we get from Jardim do Morro back to Rua das Flores?
Questions
What do I leave out in three days?
The Douro valley by train, which takes a full day, and Guimarães or Braga. The center, Gaia and Foz fit at an easy pace.
Which day works in the rain?
Day 3: Lello, the Clérigos church, Bolhão and a francesinha are all under a roof, and the lodges on day 2 are cellars. The Foz tram afternoon on day 2 is the part to move; Waystop can hold a rain version of that day.
Do I need to book the port lodges?
Graham's, yes, a day or two ahead for a slot. Taylor's is self-guided and takes walk-ins; the smaller houses on the quay will take you on the spot outside August.
Is the Andante Tour card worth it?
Rarely. Three days here are mostly on foot, and five Z2 single trips cost less than one Tour day card. Buy singles, and a Z4 for the airport.
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