2 Days in Porto: Best Itinerary for First-Time Visitors

If you are planning your first trip to Porto, this Porto itinerary is perfect for you. With 2 days in Porto, you have just enough time to see the highlights of this incredible city. Enjoy the views from the Dom Luís I Bridge and Torre dos Clérigos, go port tasting at the wine cellars in Gaia, stroll along the Douro River, try Porto’s street foods, and visit the most beautiful bookstore in the world.

Best Things to Do with 2 Days in Porto

Below is a list of the places to visit if you have 2 days in Porto. All of these are included on this Porto itinerary. For a full list of places to go, read our article Best Things to Do in Porto.

• Stroll along the Douro River
• Enjoy the views from the Luís I Bridge and nearby viewpoints
• Dine at the Majestic Café
• Visit Livraria Lello
• Taste port at the wine cellars in Gaia
• Enjoy the view from Torre dos Clérigos
• Visit the Porto Cathedral
• Try Porto’s street foods
• Bolsa Palace

The view of Porto and the Douro River from Gaia

9:00 am: Livraria Lello

Livraria Lello is called “the most beautiful bookstore in the world.” Its whimsical architecture, iconic staircase, and colorful stained-glass ceiling attracts an enormous number of visitors each day. It’s definitely a sight to see in Porto.

Livraria Lello

For the least crowded experience, we recommend starting your day here, right at opening time. This is a site where we recommend booking your ticket in advance.

There are three ticket types: a standard ticket (the silver voucher), the gold ticket (standard entry plus a reserved book), and the platinum ticket. The platinum ticket is by far the most expensive ticket option but you enter through a priority line, plus you get access to the Gemma Room.

If you have a silver or gold ticket, even with a time slot entry, you could wait in line for up to 15 minutes to enter the bookstore. If you have a platinum ticket, you enter right at your allotted time, without waiting in line for the standard ticket.

The bookstore opens at 9 am. If you choose the silver or gold ticket option, it’s a good idea to get here early, because the line starts forming before 8:30 am. If you really want to be one of the first to enter the store, then the platinum ticket is the best option (but it is very pricey).

WHAT WE DID: Our visit was in fall 2023. To get the photos you see here, we were the first to enter the bookshop. Since our visit, the platinum ticket was added as an option. In 2023, the gold ticket gave priority access. We purchased gold tickets for the first time slot (9 am) and arrived 20 minutes before opening time. We were the first ones in the priority line, which allowed us to be the first ones inside the bookstore. However, to now do this same thing, you would need a platinum ticket, which is much more expensive (about 45€ for the platinum ticket versus 16€ for the gold ticket). That’s a big price to pay to snap a photo or two, in my opinion.

On the official website, get hours, pricing, and purchase your tickets in advance. A visit here lasts about 30 minutes, once you are inside of the bookstore.

10:00 am: Igreja do Carmo & Igreja dos Carmelitas

From Livraria Lello, it is just a 2-minute walk to Igreja do Carmo & Igreja dos Carmelitas, two churches that sit side-by-side. Casa Escondida (the ‘hidden house’), is a 1 meter wide house that separates these two churches.

Igreja do Carmo & Igreja dos Carmelitas

Start your visit at Igreja do Carmo. There is a small fee to enter, and on your visit you will see the ornately decorated nave and then tour the three levels of the tiny, hidden house. We didn’t find the house to be all that exciting and it was quite crowded during our visit.

Next, you will enter the catacombs, followed by the Crucifix Gallery, with the option to walk onto the rooftop. The view from the rooftop is just OK, but still worth it while you are here. What is not worth it is waiting to climb the narrow steps for a higher viewpoint. This becomes a human traffic jam and the view is not much better than what you get from the lower level of the roof. Our visit to Igreja do Carmo took about 30 minutes.

Igreja do Carmo rooftop

Next, visit Igreja das Carmelitas. This church is much quicker to visit. It’s also free. Step inside to admire the golden altarpiece and the small museum.

Igreja das Carmelitas

11:00 am: Torre dos Clérigos

From Igreja das Carmelitas, it is a 6-minute, 400 meter walk to Clérigos Church.

Torre dos Clérigos is a 75-meter tower that is attached to Clérigos Church. Climbing this tower for 360° views is one of the best things to do in Porto.

To get to the top of the tower, you will climb 240 steps and from here, you can see the Douro River, Gaia, and famous Porto landmarks such as the Porto Cathedral.

The view from Clérigos Tower

This is an extremely popular thing to do and you can save yourself a lot of time by booking a time slot in advance. On the official website, you can get hours and purchase your tickets in advance, which can save you an hour or longer during peak season. If they are sold out, you can also purchase them on GetYourGuide.

While you are here, it’s also worth visiting the inside of Clérigos Church, which is free to do. Again, you can see another ornately decorated nave and walk the hallways on the second level of the church for stunning views of the nave.

Clérigos Church

12:00 pm: Lunch

Sitting down to lunch and dinner is one of our favorite things to do in Porto (and all of Portugal…the food is incredible!).

For lunch, we have several options.

Just off of Rua da Flores, a lovely pedestrian shopping street and a 5-minute walk from Clérigos Church, is Voltaria. This tiny restaurant always had a line when we walked by. It gets rave reviews and serves tapas and seafood dishes. We never got a chance to eat here but if you can get a table, this is our top recommendation for lunch today.

Also nearby is A Sandeira do Porto (a sandwich shop very close to Clérigos Church) and Pregar (a sandwich shop at the bottom of Rua das Flores) which also get high reviews.

If you want to try some of Porto’s street food, you can do that now, but you will do some extra walking (make sure you check our map above for their locations, before committing yourself to this walk). A long walk is probably not a bad idea, because the street foods are very calorie-rich.

At A Regaleira, try the francesinha, Porto’s most famous street food, a sandwich of ham, steak, and sausage and drenched in a creamy sauce (7-minute walk from Clérigos Church and a 13-minute walk to Miradouro da Vitoria). The francesinha was invented at this restaurant.

At Gazela, try a cachorrinhos, which is a slightly spicy hot dog best enjoyed with Super Bock beer. This was our favorite street food experience. From Clérigos Church, it is an 11-minute walk to get here and a 14-minute walk to Miradouro da Vitoria).

Cachorrinho at Gazela

1:30 pm: Miradouro da Vitoria (Optional)

For a panoramic view of the city, climb the steps to Miradouro da Vitoria. It’s a hefty hill climb to get up here, so you’ll burn off some of those calories from lunch. If you’re not feeling up to quick workout, you can skip this viewpoint…there will be several others later in this itinerary.

Miradouro da Vitoria

2:00 pm: Bolsa Palace

From Miradouro da Vitoria, it is an easy, downhill, 7-minute walk to Bolsa Palace.

Bolsa Palace, also called the Stock Exchange Palace, was built in the 19th century, although it took until 1910 for the interior to be completed. Highlights include the Arab Room and the Hall of Nations.

Arab Room in the Bolsa Palace | SvetlanaSF/shutterstock.com

This palace can only be visited on a 30-minute guided tour. Unfortunately, they no longer sell tickets or tours online in advance. To visit the inside of Bolsa Palace, you will have to get in line for the next available tour and then it is your call as to how long you would like to wait.

3:00 pm: The Church of São Francisco

Sitting next to Bolsa Palace is the amazing Church of São Francisco (the Church of Saint Francis).

On a visit here, you will visit the old church and the new church, and the catacombs. There is a small fee to enter.

The new church is worth a quick peek, as are the catacombs, which is where the Franciscan monks and wealthy families in Porto are buried. Don’t miss seeing the bones in the ossuary in the glass floor.

The old church is amazing. Most of the naves are covered in gold leaf. Unfortunately, photos are not allowed in the old church, so you’ll have to wait and see it with your own eyes. It’s definitely worth it.

Church of São Francisco | 2 Days in Porto Itinerary

4:00: Stroll along the Douro River

From the Church of São Francisco, it takes just a few minutes to walk down to the riverfront.

Cais da Ribeira is the promenade that runs along the Douro River in Porto. It’s a short, incredibly scenic walk, dotted with bars and restaurants. You’ll gaze across the Douro River to Gaia.

This is a great place to take your time, enjoy the view, and pop into a bar or café for a glass of wine, Porto tonic, or a snack.

Cais da Ribeira

5:00 pm: Cruise the Douro River (Optional)

Cruising the Douro River on a 6 Bridges Cruise is a popular thing to do in Porto. These cruises typically last about an hour and start at Cais da Ribeira.

This cruise with Living Tours gets very good reviews and is one of the cheapest 6 Bridges Cruises available. Or, cruise the Douro River at sunset on this party boat.

Evening: Dinner

For dinner, we have several recommendations.

Not far from Cais da Ribeira is Taberna dos Fernandes. This small, compact restaurant is located on Rua da Fonte Taurina. We had lunch here and it was one of our best meals in Porto. The service is impeccable, the octopus was some of the best we had in Portugal (which is saying a lot!), and the shrimp in olive oil and garlic was delicious. They don’t take reservations but it’s worth the wait, if there is one.

MISTU is a short walk from Cais da Ribeira (it is behind Bolsa Palace). This restaurant fuses Asian and South American flavors. We recommend the butterfish with foie gras and the sea bass. Make a reservation in advance.

And if you didn’t dine here earlier in the day, Voltaria is open for dinner some nights of the week, or you can try A Regaleira and/or Gazela.

9:00 am: Breakfast at the Majestic Café

The Majestic Café is an Art Nouveau style café that opened in 1921. It is a historic café and one of Porto’s most beautiful dining experiences.

Majestic Cafe

It is open from 9 am to 11 pm Monday through Saturday (it’s closed on Sunday). Plan on arriving here right at 9 am to save yourself a wait in line for a table. It’s also possible to make a reservation in advance, but first thing in the morning it is probably not necessary.

10:00 am: Rua da Santa Catarina and the Chapel of Souls

The Majestic Café is located on Rua da Santa Catarina, a pedestrian shopping street. In the morning, places will just be opening for the day.

From the café, it’s a 5-minute walk up this street to the Chapel of Souls, a small church that is covered with beautiful blue and white tiles. You can step inside for a quick visit but it’s the outside that amazed us.

Chapel of Souls

10:30 am: Church of Saint Ildefonso & São Bento Station

Walk back down Rua da Santa Catarina until you reach the Church of Saint Ildefonso (8-minute walk, 500 meters). You can admire this church and its blue and white tiles from the outside, or step inside if you have an interest in seeing the interior of this church.

Next, walk down Rua de 31 de Janeiro, enjoying views of the Torre de Clérigos in the distance, until you get to the São Bento Railway Station. Step inside for yet another view of azulejos (blue and white tiles).

São Bento Railway Station

11:00 am: Take Your Pick between 3 Churches

Next, we list three churches to visit. The Porto Cathedral is the most famous and one of the most important landmarks in the city to visit. It’s nice to see but there are two nearby churches that are highly underrated: the Church of Santa Clara and Igreja de São Lourenço. These tend to have small crowds and a big wow factor. You can visit all three or take your pick from this list.

Porto Cathedral

The Porto Cathedral, also called Sé do Porto, is the largest, grandest church in Porto. You can visit the interior of the church for free, and then pay a small fee to visit the cloister and climb the tower for panoramic views of Porto.

Porto Cathedral

View from the Porto Cathedral

Porto Cathedral | 2 Days in Porto Itinerary

Igreja de São Lourenço

This highly rated church (also called Saint Lawrence Church) is a very short walk from the Porto Cathedral. To get here from the cathedral, cross the parking lot in front of the cathedral, take in the view from Miradouro da Rua das Aldas, and take the steps down to the next parking lot. Igreja de São Lourenço will be on your left (you can’t miss it).

There is a small fee to enter, cash only. Climb the spiral staircase to the top of the tower and from here, and the walkway that connects to the second tower, you get amazing views of Porto. You also get a sweet view of the Porto Cathedral. These rival the views at the cathedral and when we did this, there were only two other people here.

View from Igreja de São Lourenço

Church of Santa Clara

The Church of Santa Clara is a 3-minute walk from the Porto Cathedral (in the opposite direction of Igreja de São Lourenço). There is a small fee to enter.

Inside, the nave is covered with gold leaf, even more than we saw in some other larger, more famous churches in Porto. This church is unique in that there are a lot of large windows and the afternoon sun really brightens up this church. Make sure you climb the stairs to the second level where you can look over the nave from the choir room.

Church of Santa Clara

PRO TRAVEL TIP: If you want to see all three churches, the best order is Santa Clara, then the Porto Cathedral, ending at Igreja de São Lourenço. This will take between one and one and a half hours. Just be aware that it will be a short uphill walk from Igreja de São Lourenço to get to the Luís I Bridge.

12:30 pm: Luís I Bridge

Next up is an incredibly scenic walk across the Douro River on the Luís I Bridge. To get onto the upper level of the bridge, you will have to get to the intersection of Avenue Vimara Peres and Rua de Saraiva de Carvalho. From the Porto Cathedral, it is a 1-minute walk. From Igreja de São Lourenço it is a 5-minute uphill walk.

Walk along Avenue Vimara Peres towards the Douro River. Then enjoy the spectacular views as you walk across the Douro River.

The view from the Luís I Bridge

Once you make it to Gaia on the opposite side of the river, you have the option to add on the view from Jardim do Morro (which is located next to the bridge) and Miradouro da Serra do Pilar (a higher viewpoint but you’ll do a lot of extra walking to get here).

View from Miradouro da Serra do Pilar

To get to Miradouro da Serra do Pilar from the Luís I Bridge, walk down Avenue da Republica, turn left (almost do a U-turn), and immediately walk up Rampa do Infante Santo. It’s an uphill walk on this street to get to the viewpoint. From the Luís I Bridge, it is almost a 1 km walk that takes about 12 minutes (one-way), a little shorter if you start at the Jardim do Morro metro station.

If adding on 30-minutes of walking isn’t worth it to you, you can head right to the good stuff, wine tasting in Gaia. You also have the option to visit Miradouro da Serra do Pilar at the end of the day, at sunset.

1:30 pm: Wine Tasting in Gaia

The remainder of the day will be spent in Gaia, where you can tour a wine cellar, go wine tasting, stroll along the riverfront, and visit the World of Wine. It’s a fabulous way to end your visit to Porto.

Before we get into how to plan your afternoon, I recommend that you take a look at our Guide to the Porto Wine Cellars, which has lots of information about the best wine cellars to visit in Gaia, plus more things to do and restaurant recommendations.

If you simply want to stroll along the riverfront, visiting a few of the more popular wine cellars for a tasting or tour, ride the cable car that has a station next to Jardim do Morro and takes you down to river level. From here, it is an easy, flat walk to big port names such as Caves Ferreira, Sandeman, and Caves Cálem. There are also quite a few restaurants offering lunch.

For lunch with a view, we recommend Vinum, which is part of Graham’s Port Lodge. It’s located far from the Luís I Bridge, so consider hiring an Uber to get you here. Make your lunch reservation in advance. After lunch, you can visit another wine cellar for a tour or tasting, stroll along the riverfront, or walk over to the World of Wine.

If you want to tour a wine cellar, it is best to book this in advance, because tours can sell out. We had our best experience at Niepoort and highly recommend it for port wine lovers, as it is a good, all-around experience in a very small group.

In an afternoon in Gaia, you have enough time to do two tours, if they are short. Again, see our Guide to the Porto Wine Cellars for recommendations.

Finally, you can also visit the World of Wine, a good option for those traveling with kids. There are several informative, very well-done museums about chocolate, wine in Portugal, cork, and rosé wine. We list your options in our Guide to the Porto Wine Cellars.

Gaia promenade

Sandeman, one of the port wine houses on the Gaia riverfront.

World of Wine

Lunch at Vinum

Day 2 Alternative Itinerary: All Day in Gaia

If you want to spend a day in Gaia, tasting port, having lunch and/or dinner, and enjoying the views across the Douro River to Porto, here’s how to do it.

This itinerary is what we did on our first day in Gaia. You can substitute the wine cellars we visited for different ones.

10:00 am: We took the Niepoort and Friends tour and tasting. This ended at 11:30 am, but tours can run late, so keep that in mind if you are making a reservation for your next activity. Alternatively, you can tour a different port lodge, or visit WOW in the morning, saving a wine cellar tour for the afternoon.

1:00 pm: Lunch at Vinum, Graham’s Port Lodge

3:00 pm: 1790 Tour at Sandeman. Alternatively, you could visit a museum at WOW followed by a tasting at Taylor’s (we liked the port and the experience more at Taylor’s than nearby Fonseca).

5:00 pm: Spend some time along the riverfront in Gaia with the option to do tastings at the wine houses here. Kopke and Burmester would be our top picks (we are big fans of these ports).

7:00 pm: Dinner or watch the sunset from the Luís I bridge. We had dinner at Enoteca 1756. Of course, you can pick a different restaurant in Gaia or return to Porto, if you are staying in Porto. Walking across the Luís I bridge at sunset is a great thing to do in Porto. You can walk up to the bridge from the riverfront or ride the cable car.

Enoteca 1756

Make Your Reservations in Advance

Below are places in Porto that we recommend making an advance reservation, plus the links to make your planning easier.

• Livraria Lello
• Torre de Clérigos
• Bolsa Palace

You should also make a reservation in advance at any wine cellars you plan to tour as well as dinner restaurants.

How to Get Around Porto

The best way to get around Porto is on foot. It’s a relatively small, compact city and easy to walk between most sites. However, it’s also good to know that Porto is hilly, so you will walk up and down some hills and stairs, especially the closer you get to the Douro River.

There are a few trams and funiculars that connect the riverfront area to the hillier areas of Porto, which can save you a big uphill walk.

In Porto, Funicular dos Guindais has a bottom station on the Douro River next to the Luís I Bridge and ends near the Church of Santa Clara. So, if you are strolling along Cais da Ribeira and then need to walk to the city center or to Luís I Bridge, you can take this tram to save yourself the uphill walk, or walk the winding streets and staircases up the level of the Porto Cathedral. There is a small fee for the tram and there could be a line, so in some cases, walking is faster.

And in Gaia, the Gaia cable car connects Jardim do Morro and the upper level of the Luís I Bridge to the riverfront area.

There is a metro but there are only a few stations in the city center. You can use the metro to get from Porto (station: Sao Bento) to Gaia (station: Jardim do Morro).

To connect points that are farther apart, hire a taxi or use Uber or another ride share app. We used Uber to get from our hotel (near Liberty Square) to and from Gaia.

How to Get to Porto

You can get to Porto by plane, train, bus, car, and on a tour. Porto has an international airport, so you can fly here from other locations around the world.

São Bento Railway Station has a convenient location in the city center. If you are coming from Lisbon or another city in Portugal, getting to Porto by train is fast, budget-friendly, and convenient. Buses are also budget friendly but sometimes have longer travel times, so check timetables when planning your journey.

If you are road tripping through Portugal, you’ll need to park your rental car while in Porto. Driving and parking is challenging in Porto, so I don’t recommend driving from place to place. When choosing a hotel, it’s best to choose one that offers parking.

Livrario Lello

The Porto Card

The Porto Card offers free, unlimited use of public transport (excluding the historic street cars), taking the metro from the airport to the city center, free admission to several museums (none of which are in this itinerary), and small discounts on other sites, such as Clérigos Tower and the Porto Cathedral.

The savings is minimal and I don’t think it is worth it, unless you plan to use public transportation frequently (such as taking the metro from the airport to the city center and using the metro or buses to get around the city) or plan to visit a few of the included museums (which are relatively obscure and probably not of interest to most first time visitors).

Learn more here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 2 days enough in Porto?

Two days gives you just enough time to see Porto’s must-see landmarks, churches, and historical sites, plus stroll through the scenic old town and the Douro River, and go wine tasting in Gaia.

When is the best time to visit Porto?

Porto can be visited all year. Spring and fall are the best times to visit, when the weather is pleasant but crowds are manageable. Summer is the hottest, busiest time to visit Porto. Our visit was at the end of September. Porto still felt busy, but it was warm and sunny every day we were here.

Is a day trip to Porto from Lisbon worth it?

To travel from Lisbon to Porto by train, it takes between 3 and 4 hours one-way. That totals 6 to 8 hours just in travel time, so you aren’t left with much time to see Porto. It takes at least one full day to visit a few of Porto’s highlights and go port tasting, and on a day trip, your time will be even more limited, so a day trip to Porto from Lisbon is not worth it.

If you have any questions about this 2 days in Porto itinerary, let us know in the comment section below.

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