Porto, Portugal 6 Day Itinerary

The bread and olives that appear on your table the moment you sit down are not free anywhere in Porto, no matter how casual the restaurant looks. This is the couvert system, standard across Portugal, and sending it back untouched is the only way to avoid a few extra euros on the bill for food you never asked for.

Day 1: Arrival

The metro’s purple line runs from the airport terminal straight into the city, about 30 to 35 minutes to Trindade station, for a Z4 zone ticket around 2.60 euros plus a small one-time card fee if you need an Andante card. It runs every 20 minutes at peak times, dropping to every half hour late in the day, with the last train leaving the airport around 12:40am. Check into Hotel Infante Sagres for old-world Porto charm or NH Collection Porto Ribeira if you want to be steps from the river. For dinner, Café Majestic’s Belle Époque interior is objectively touristy but the food holds up, and it is worth the one visit even if you never go back.

Day 2: Historic Center

Start at the Church of São Francisco, whose plain Gothic exterior hides one of the most extravagant gilded baroque interiors in Europe, worth the modest entry fee alone. Wander the Ribeira district along the river before lunch at a seafood spot tucked into its narrow lanes. In the afternoon, climb Clérigos Tower for the best rooftop view in the city, then head to Livraria Lello, the bookstore everyone photographs; book your timed entry ticket online in advance for around 8 to 16 euros depending on the tier, since walk-up lines run 30 to 60 minutes in season and the price is deductible against any book you buy inside. My opinion: skip Lello if you are short on time and the line is long, its interior is lovely but not worth an hour of standing when the rest of the historic center offers more per minute. Dinner at Cafe Guarany for a proper plate of traditional Portuguese cooking away from the river’s tourist markup.

Day 3: Douro Valley

Book a guided wine tour departing central Porto between 7:30 and 9am, running 60 to 90 euros per person with two winery visits, lunch, and typically a short river cruise near Pinhão included. If you would rather go independently, the train from Campanhã station follows the river gorge itself, one of the more scenic rail lines in Europe, taking about two and a half hours each way for around 20 euros round trip; trains run roughly every two hours, so plan your return before committing to a full day of wine tasting on your own schedule. Either way, book winery visits ahead, since most quintas do not take walk-ins and the popular river cruises sell out in high season. Back in Porto that evening, try a francesinha if you have not already, the meat-stacked, cheese-drowned sandwich that Porto claims as its signature dish and that no other Portuguese city quite replicates.

Day 4: Foz do Douro and Serralves

The Sé Cathedral anchors the old town’s highest point and rewards the climb with river views. Serralves Foundation, a contemporary art museum set inside an Art Deco villa and modernist gardens, is one of Portugal’s best contemporary art spaces and deserves a full morning rather than a quick pass-through. In the afternoon, head to Foz do Douro where the river meets the Atlantic; the promenade here is where Porto’s own residents actually spend a Sunday, calmer and less staged than the Ribeira waterfront. Casa da Música, an angular concrete landmark that looks like nothing else in the city, is worth a look even without a concert ticket. Dinner at a Foz pastelaria for a lighter evening of pastries and simple plates after two heavier food days.

Day 5: Guimarães and Braga

Guimarães, often called the birthplace of Portugal for its role in the country’s founding, has a genuinely well-preserved medieval core worth a slow morning walk. Braga, a short hop further, is known for its churches, and the Bom Jesus do Monte sanctuary, reached by a zigzagging baroque staircase or a funicular if your legs are done for the day, is the standout stop. Lunch in either town should include tripas à moda do Porto if you are curious, a dish so central to the city’s identity that Porto residents are nicknamed tripeiros because of it, though arroz de pato, duck rice, is the gentler introduction for a first try. Return to Porto in the evening and keep dinner light after two full days on your feet.

Day 6: Departure

Spend the morning revisiting whatever caught your eye earlier in the week, or just wander the Ribeira one last time before the crowds build. One local scam worth knowing about even on your last day: young men sometimes climb the railings on the lower level of the Dom Luís I bridge and demand a euro or two before jumping into the river below, drawing a crowd that pickpockets then work. Keep your bag zipped and your attention on your belongings if you stop to watch. Take the metro back to the airport from Trindade with the same Z4 ticket, and budget the full 30 to 35 minute ride plus security time for an international flight.