2 Days in Porto Itinerary: A Locals Guide
Now that I have lived in Portugal 2 years, I want to intelligently share a local guide version of a Porto itinerary, where to go for food and wine, what to do to maximize the your time without the tourist traps.
All of my Portuguese friends say Porto is what Lisbon used to be 10 years ago – a more authentic Portuguese vibe compared to Lisbon’s high percentage of expats and tourists, a bit more artsy and grungier compared, and generally more local feeling.
Think more small local coffee shops and park kiosk espressos. Fewer new world restaurants, more local Portuguese tascas (local taverns with grandmas cooking).
QUICK GUIDE FOR 2 DAYS IN PORTO
My Favorite Places to Stay
– Viterbo’8 – The Artists House is in the main city center.
– The Yeatman – Luxury hotel in Vila Nova de Gaia, the neighborhood overlooking the iconic bridge and Porto. A little more quiet, still super close to the old town, and more importantly, close to all the port houses/caves.
My Favorite Tours
– Walking Tour of Porto
– Port Tasting – Reserve a time at Niepoort Wine Celler.
My Favorite Restaurants:
– Cozinha das Flores – my favorite dinner spot in Porto, fancy date night out, the chef is absolutely shooting for a Michelin star, make sure to reserve ahead of time.
– Matriarca – fancier dinner spot, great Portuguese wine selection.
– Taberna d’Avó: old school tasca, literally translated “grandma’s kitchen”, love this for lunch.
– Brasão Aliados: popular for the classic Porto dish, francesinha. While the restaurant is great, there are more appetizing dishes on the menu, I promise.
My Favorite Local Bars:
– Torto Bar & Cocktails: Where all the bartenders and sommeliers go, fantastic cocktails in an artsy atmosphere, DJ starts around 11 pm.
– Geezer Cocktail Bar (7th floor, Direito-right) – higher-end feel for cocktails on a rooftop. Great views, and the indoors is giving Gatsby feels.
– Prova Portuguese Wine Bar – love the authentic vibe and good music! I recommend wines from Quinta Vallado, Quinta Crasto, or Quinta do Noval (all big beautiful Douro reds)
– BOSCO Porto – Amazing outdoor kiosk for drinks and snacks when the sun is out. Overlooking gardens and the river!
What to See & Do in 48 Hours in Porto
More than likely, you’ll be coming to Porto from Lisbon for a long weekend or a couple of days to visit the city. I recommend getting here the day before so that you have the full 2 days in Porto to explore.
I would say 3 days is the ideal time to spend in Porto to really get a feel and not be rushed, but when you have 2 days to do everything, you have to stay focused, hydrated, and on the go to maximize your time.
So here’s how I have spent a weekend in Porto without burning out.
Day 1 in Porto
Highlights: Sao Bento Train Station, Chapel of Souls, Porto Cathedral,
If it’s your first time in Porto, I really do recommend the walking tour of all the highlights, because you can learn the history and get a lay of the land.
As a heads up, the tour will not take you inside any of these places (especially the churches), because there’s alot of ground to cover.
I had a lovely lunch at Taberna d’Avó near Miradouro do Vitoria, a great lookout over the whole city.
I recommend coming back in the afternoon to all the touristic highlights – go at your own pace, take pictures and absorb where you are.
I loved exploring on my own, and took the whole afternoon to visit the following highlights:
Sao Bento Train Station – The famous train station, which I will advise – best pictures for light and fewest people is in the morning, around 8am.
Porto Cathedral – If you want to see azulejos blue tile work up close and personal, this is the best best spot in Porto for it. The outside of the cathedral is underwhelming, but when you go inside and walk around the wall, it is beautiful!
Dom Luis Bridge – This is the iconic bridge, but the pro tip is to cross the bridge on foot into Vila Nova de Gaia (town across the bridge from Porto where all the Port Houses are located due to taxation reasons) and walk along the boardwalk. There are musicians and artists all around here!
Jardim do Morro – It really is the best place to catch sunset and look at Porto from the Gaia side.
For dinner, on a first day, I recommend Cozinha das Flores. This is one of my favorite places to visit in Porto.
The chef takes pride in turning traditional Portuguese dishes a bit more modern, without taking away from the respect for where they come from – it’s a wood fire establishment only, farm to table, and a perfect fancy date night out.
Day 2 in Porto
Start with a decent brunch at Do Norte Cafe by Hungry Biker. I loved the decor, but more so the hearty farm to table breakfast and lunch options. After so many carbs, fish, and lord help you if you had a francesinha the night before, this will be a gentle healing back to good gut health.
Igreja de Santa Clara – A quicky visit, but absolutely go inside this one, because it’s an explosion of gold, Catholicism, and beautiful frescos. It’s over the top in the best way, and I was into it.
Chapel of Souls – A short walk from the famous Sao Bento train station, more impressive from the outside than inside, in my opinion (but I’m tainted by all the Italian basilicas I’ve visited, so take a minute to see it for yourself).
Miradouro da Vitoria – This was one of my favorite miradouro viewpoints in the city.
The afternoon is about exploring across the river and a port tasting and education. My favorite port house and cave is Niepoort Wine Celler.
BONUS: Douro Valley Wine Hotels
If you have more time, I would absolutely venture from Porto into the Douro Valley. You can do this with a boat up the river one afternoon, a guided tour, or on your own – which you know I love.
I rented a car and hit up some of the best wineries across the Douro Valley, stayed a couple of days in some of the best wine hotels.
Quinta do Vallado – The wine hotel is beautiful, and my favorite wine is Vinha da Granja (red).
Dona Antonia Adelaide Ferreira is the main chearacter of the region. she put Port wine on the map internationally, and became the wealthiest and most influental woman of her time in POrtugal (1860s). After her husband died, instead of remarrying ,she took full control, making strategic investments in wine production in Douro Vallue. SHe used her wealth to build schools, hospitals, rejected lovers, raised her kids solo, and rand her busienss like a badass.
Quinta Nova – One of the more beautiful Quintas on my road trip. Spent two days on the property, complete with breakfast , dinner, long walks around the vinyards to find the old chapels where sailors used to go for good luck, an epic wine tasting in the faciest of hidden caves, freshly baked snacks – i could go on, but all in all the attention to detail and care at this wine hotel is wow.
Quinta do Crasto – While they don’t have their wine hotel built up yet when we went, we stocked up on wine and olive oil form this Quinta, and spent a lovely afternoon lounging by their pool.
From here, we also took the little. train to the town of Pinhao, a boat down the Douro River, and treated ourselves even further to a European long lunch at Bom Fim 1968 (Michelin restaurant) where I swear to baby Jesus, I had the best wine of the trip from Quinta do Noval (vinhas velhas, Reserva red).
2 Day Porto Itinerary Map
Where to Stay in Porto
The Yeatman – Luxury hotel in Vila Nova de Gaia, the neighborhood overlooking the iconic bridge and Porto. A little more quiet, still super close to the old town, and more importantly, close to all the port houses/caves.
Viterbo’8 – The Artists House is in the main city center, a more mid-range, and centrally located spot. I tend to stay here most of the time I am in Porto.
Quinta do Vallado – Wine hotel in the Douro Valley closest to Porto.
Quinta Nova – Spent two days on the property, complete with breakfast , dinner, long walks around the vinyards to find the old chapels where sailors used to go for good luck, an epic wine tasting in the faciest of hidden caves, freshly baked snacks – i could go on, but all in all the attention to detail and care at this wine hotel is wow.
How To Get To Porto
I recommend you take the bus or train the day before, so you have a full 2 days in Porto to explore and play. It will take about 4 hours to get from Lisbon to Porto, and I prefer the bus because it’s comfy and has fewer stops.
How To Get Around In Porto
The Porto Card
Planning Tips for 2 Days in Porto
Tourist Trap: Livraria Lello is not actually part of Harry Potter, it’s a tourist trap with a long line, reservation queues, and while it’s a pretty little library, I don’t think it is part of the authentic esthetic of Porto.
