1 Day Itinerary: The Best of Porto, Portugal

Porto, Portugal is a lovely city on the banks of the Douro River, famous for its blue and white tiles, and riverfront promenade. If you only have one day to explore Porto, here is our advice for how to make the most of your time.

In this post, we’ll give you a basic outline of how to spend one full day seeing the best sights in Porto, as well as a few options so you can choose the best itinerary for you and your family.

We are an American family that has settled in Porto, so we recommend the places we take our family and friends when they visit. We love living here and sharing this beautiful country with visitors.

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Porto is not a large city (around 250,000 people) with a downtown area that is very walkable, albeit a little hilly. There is a great public transportation system that includes the metro and city buses, but in one day you will be able to walk to everything you need.

The downtown area of Porto is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (listed in 1996), you’ll find narrow, twisting alleyways, leading to an open riverfront area called the Ribeira. The Dom Luis I Bridge, a famous Porto landmark, stretches across the river. Once you cross the river, you are officially in Vila Nova de Gaia (not Porto), which is where all the famous Port wine cellars are.

Travel Tip: If this is your first time in Portugal, make sure to learn a few easy Portuguese phrases to use throughout your visit. If you’re staying the night, book a hotel in the downtown area so you are close to the most popular sites.

Wondering when to visit? We put together a guide of the best times to visit and what each season is like in Porto.

Don’t miss our guide to ordering coffee like a local!

We recommend Manteigaria, one of the most famous brands of Pastel de Natas in the country. Just across from the Bolhao market where you can watch the staff make the pastries by hand at a large marble counter.

There is limited seating and the cafe gets busy, so if you can, have one person stand in line while the other tries to get a table.

Don’t be fooled by the Delta The Coffee House sign, you are in the right place. Rue de Alexandre Braga 24.

Alternate Option

If you are heading to the walking tour, below, and are short on time, or want a less touristy option, head to Café Lobito.

This is a much more local, traditional-style cafe. Here our favorite thing to order is a Torrada com Manteiga, or fluffy white toast covered in butter and sliced into thirds. You can also get Pastel de Natas here, along with other pastries. Rue de Alexandre Herculano 396.

For more coffee options, browse our list of favorite coffee shops in Porto.

Have More Time? Check out our 3 Day Itinerary, or browse our list of the best things to do in Porto and see what appeals!

I honestly wished we had taken it sooner as it brings together the main sights of downtown with the history of Porto and Portugal in general. Plus, you get a local at your disposal to ask all of your questions!

This tour is run by Bluedragon Tours, and they do a great job showing you around the historic center of Porto while minimizing the amount of climbing up and down Porto’s famous hills.

A Note on Timing: Porto is not an early-morning city. Many stores do not open before 10. Check the opening time of anywhere you plan to visit prior to 10 am. Also many stores close between 1 and 3 (lunch), and restaurants often close from 3-7 (between lunch and dinner).

We’ve compiled a list of tasty traditional Portuguese dishes to try while you are in town. Take a look and keep your eye out for menus with these dishes.

The first option is tapas (small plates) at TapaBento, you’ll enter the restaurant from the platform of the main São Bento station (head to the left of the trains). They can get busy, so we recommend making a reservation. If you do not have a reservation, you will probably be fine during the week, or off-season, but the earlier you arrive the better.

They describe themselves as “tapas and international cuisine”. It’s a great place to go with friends and share plates. You don’t want to be in a rush, so choose this option if you have time for a relaxed afternoon, and want to take your time after your walking tour.

The food is inventive and delicious, the atmosphere is lovely and unique. Dishes range from Nasi Goreng (Indonesian noodles) to Tuna Tartare and Cod dishes. Each plate runs anywhere from 8-15 euros depending on your order.

The second option is the Time Out Market. You enter it from the right side of the train station if you are facing the main entrance. Relatively new (opened Spring 2024), there are more than a dozen food options here along one long corridor.

On the second floor you’ll find pizza, burger, and sushi options, as well as a lot of additional seating. All of the food here is delicious, with plenty of vegetarian and vegan options.

We love the pizza from Okra Pizza (top floor), as well as the polenta from Fava Tonka. You’ll find lots of traditional seafood options, as well a other things that are harder to find in Portugal (like a Scotch Egg).

This is a great option when you have a larger group or picky kids, as everyone can choose what appeals to them. This is also one of the faster options for lunch. While everything is prepared to order, you’ll still be served faster than most sit-down restaurants in Porto.

For more dining options, check out our list of favorite traditional restaurants in Porto.

Looking for something more less traditional? From Pizza to Thai, these are our favorite modern or ethnic restaurants.

Head from São Bento up the hill to the Sé Cathedral. You’ll pay 3€ per person (children under 10 are free) and have access to the cloisters (with a small chapel off it). You’ll then head upstairs to see amazing tile work, and some decorative rooms used by church staff, you can climb to the bell tower, and finally visit the cathedral itself.

The space is quite lovely and well worth a visit. Kids love running off energy climbing the steep stairs. Allow at least an hour to visit the site. From the courtyard outside the Cathedral, you’ll have beautiful views over Porto and the Douro River. This cathedral is also the official start of the Camino de Santiago from Porto.

If you are short on time, you can take the stairs from the terrace down towards the river. This is a fun way to explore traditional narrow streets.

If you have more time we recommend backtracking toward the Porto City Hall and up to the iconic Clergios Bell Tower.

The Clergios Bell Tower is an icon of Porto. Standing next to the tower, since it is located on top of a hill, doesn’t seem so impressive, but from the vantage of the Sé Cathedral, you can see how the tower dominates the skyline of Porto.

You can climb the Bell Tower, you’ll pass through a series of religious museums on the way. Head inside to get a timed ticket, then return for your specified entry window.

Across from the bell tower, you’ll find a series of stores and restaurants with a green roof and olive trees on top. Head through here to see some of Porto University and the famous Livrario Lello Bookstore.

The Livrario Lello Bookstore is famous for (possibly) inspiring J.K. Rowlings moving staircases inside Hogwarts Castle in the Harry Potter Books. The bookstore itself is unique, gorgeous, small, and almost always crowded.

This bookstore charges an entrance fee. It’s best to pre-book a time, but you can also book the next available time slot via a barcode on signs outside the store as well. Your 10€ entrance fee can be used towards a book purchased inside the shop.

This is a great stop for avid Harry Potter fans and is best viewed from the outside, by other visitors. At all times of day, you’ll see lines snaking around the block.

Look for university students dressed in their traditional uniforms including thick black wool robes- also considered inspiration for those famous Hogwarts uniforms.

From here head to the Ribeira to take in the sunset, relax with a glass of famous Portuguese wine, and watch boats head along the river.

Since you are short on time, we recommend using a tour guide to get the most out of your visit to Gaia. If port is high on your list of reasons for visiting Porto, you won’t want to skip this.

You can also arrange a single tour at any array of Port wine cellars, but it is difficult to line up several at once on your own. Make sure to book ahead as tours do fill up. We have taken the Tour of Cálem Cellars, and enjoyed it.

If you plan to walk to Gaia, allow time to cross the river and wind your way around to the cellars.

There are lovely alleyways, a cable car connecting the upper and lower parts of Gaia, a large park to enjoy the sunset, and a series of museums at WOW (World of Wine), that cover everything from cork to chocolate.

Alternate Port Tasting: If you are interested in checking out port wine, but don’t want to spend several hours on the other side of the river, head to Lado Wines. It’s a small shop and also has a few tables outside.

You can share a tasting of 6 different ports. There isn’t an educational component included in the basic tasting, but the staff is lovely and happy to answer your questions and make sure you know what you are drinking.

We started with the “Port Initiation” which includes 6 different ports of different ages including a white port. We shared between 3 people which made it very affordable, and no one had too much to drink!

You can also choose by vintage- 3x 10 years, 3x 30 years, etc. The location is on a beautiful narrow street just off the Ribeira, so you’re ready to stroll and view the river once you’ve finished your drinks. Rua da Fonte Taurina 89.

For dinner, if you want a nicer (but not too fancy) meal in the historic area, we recommend either Bacalhau (Muro dos Bacalhoerios 154) or Adega Sao Nicolau (Rue de S Nicolau 1). To be safe, make a reservation. Both have traditional Portuguese food and get excellent reviews for both taste and value.

If you are looking for something more traditional, try a francesinha. This “pub-style” sandwich is native to Porto, and locals will argue over who has the best version in town. Expect layers of various meats between slices of bread, covered in sauce, with a fried egg on top, then covered in melted cheese and served with french fries.

Some restaurants allow you to order a half, as they are quite filling. Try Cafe Santiago (R de Passos Manuel 226) or Lado B (R de Passos Manuel 190). Lado B has a highly rated vegetarian version as well.

Note that live performances often start “on Portuguese time,” meaning an 8 pm performance may begin closer to 9 pm or later.

This fado show highlights styles of Fado from different regions of Portugal and gets great reviews. It is a one-hour show, and since it is specifically for tourists, includes some education about fado, and has a much earlier start time than fado shows in restaurants and more local venues.

For jazz lovers, we suggest heading to Hot Five Jazz Club. Located near Casa da Musica on R. de Guerra Junqueiro 495. Check their website for the latest events.

The general advice is that from October through May you should be prepared for a rain shower, though it may be fleeting. The rainiest times are January and February, though that varies greatly by year.

There You Have It

A full one-day itinerary with some options for exploring Porto. You’ll see the highlights of this beautiful city including famous azulejos (blue and white) tiles, taste some pastries, port wine, and traditional food.

There’s a lot more to see, but you’ll need extra days to pack it all in. We hope you love this city as much as we do!

Ready to spend more time in Porto? Check out our itinerary for a busy three days in Porto. Ready to leave the city? Add a day trip into your plan.

Don’t miss our list of the best things to do Porto, or head to the beach in Matosinhos for a quieter day out!