Since 2013, Flytographer has captured millions of vacation photos all around the globe and know our customers have the best travel tips to share! Explore their favourite things to do in Porto, best restaurants in Porto, and general travel tips to get fresh inspiration and start planning your trip to Porto.
Grill It: great service, outdoor/indoor seating, traditional Portuguese food with American food touches. So good, we ended up going back Conga: best Bifana in town! Quick service, either sit-down or takeaway Muti: Amazing atmosphere. You will need reservations. Don't skip out on the bruschetta
Take the Douro Valley tour with Efun Tours - small tours, AMAZING tour guides & quaint wineries. Lunch spot felt like it was green screen with how beautiful it was! Take a private tour with Meridan4People, ask for Jorge. This was our favorite tour (we took a 3 town tour down to Lisbon area/all day tour). We still are talking about this tour days later.
Visited Porto in October
Photo Shoot Location: São Bento Train Station
Not necessarily in Porto - but make time to experience Duoro Valley - and where all the delicious Port Wine starts!
Walking the river front day and night was absolutely spectacular. Sunset was the best! The sky-tram on the Gaia side of the river was absolutely worth the views from both the gondola and the top of the pedestrian bridge!
Taberna Dos Mercadores was a great small local restaurant- close to the river, intimate and delicious! The seabass and lamb chops were excellent!
Livraria Lello is a must visit - certainly the most beautiful bookstore! A Douro River cruise is a must to take in the sights and all of the beautiful bridges of Porto - including the Dom Luís I bridge! For a Birds Eye view, visit the Jardins do Palácio de Cristal! Wonderful views and beautiful gardens.
Though Porto is a lot of walking, kids are always up for an adventure! Make the most of it by seeking out small cafes to stop at when the hills of Porto get to be tiring! Plan for time at Jardins do Palácio de Cristal to wander and play — there is a great playground for the kids! And make sure to make a stop for an eclair donut or some gelato to sweeten the deal!
FLOW Restaurant and Bar
Uva along the river - beautiful view and food was good
Port tasting at Grahams
The Sandeman winery was amazing and really informative. Stayed at the Guesthouse Douro.
Can there be a better way to know a city, its people, and its culture, than through a culinary food tour? We met Marlene of Bluedragon Tours at the C'alma Specialty Coffee Room at Rua de Passos Manuel shortly before 10:00 am. Almost fresh from graduating from college at 22 years old, Marlene was bright-eyed, friendly, engaging, and passionate about people and places. I'm not sure if there is anyone better than Marlene to show us the watering holes to find the best local cuisine. She was simply perfect, the best person to guide anyone who knows very little about Porto. The first stop was the meeting place, C'alma coffee room, where we had Colombian coffee and pastel de nata, the perfect way to start a weary traveler's day. The next stop was the busiest commercial street in Porto called Rua Sta. Catarina. At Confeitaria Império, we were served the local pasteis de bacalhau and vinho verde (green white wine). These are made from green grapes that have not reached maturity. This worked so well with our codfish cakes. As they say in Portuguese, "Saúde!!" And where do the locals go after a hard day’s work to enjoy spicy bifanas? At Sol e Sombra, only the brave will add their local chili sauce to heat your taste buds further. I am not a beer-drinker but is Super Bock outstanding, or does the bifana pairing make it an excellent booze of choice? For another authentic Portuguese charcuterie experience, Quejaria Amaral served their in-house sheep cheese, goat cheese, smoky chorizo, and prosciutto with pumpkin jam. Paired with Gravuras do Côa, this deserves another toast to life!! Finally, our last stop was the newly re-opened Mercado do Bolhão, a must-see public market in the city center where you'll find fresh fish, meat, fruits, veggies, and flowers, not to mention a sampling of the famous liquor Porto is known for, port wines. Francesco was kind enough to explain how these sweet liquors are made and the different kinds to choose from: ruby, tawny, white, rosé, or vintage. I returned to our apartment with a smile, and despite being slightly intoxicated, we were delighted with our authentic Portuguese experience. Thank you, Marlene, for showing us around:)
Our photo shoot with Ivo was quite special. Photos are investments that will only grow and stay for a lifetime.
Sorry, I didn’t travel with kids.
Cable car, and tram rides
Bring a good carrier and light travel stroller!
Visited Porto in October
Photo Shoot Location: São Bento Train Station
Nathalia and Pedro in Porto for Flytographer
Cantinho Avillez
Just strolling through the streets and alleyways
The Yeatman Gastronomic Restaurant - stunning views and great tasting menu with wine pairings. The perfect spot to celebrate an engagement!
Sailboat cruise, walking the coastline, Graham's Port Tasting and Tour
There were lots of places with big outdoor terraces. Sitting at any of them and enjoying the city views or people watching was a lot of fun
Seeing the city from the river. I watched the sunset from the Jardim do Morro and it had such a fun ambiance. Locals and tourists were hanging out while musicians played and enjoying the city views. It was also beautiful crossing the bridge at night and seeing the city all lit up.
The city is on the smaller side, so things are pretty accessible. I really enjoyed scheduling a walking tour of the city and a day trip to go wine tasting in the Duoro Valley.
Visited Porto in May
Photo Shoot Location: Ribeira do Porto
Nathalia and Pedro in Porto for Flytographer
Sit along the river at sunset and enjoy all the wine and cheese!
Bring comfortable shoes! While it's a small city and easily walkable there are a lot of hills.
You must see Pena Palace. The history and castle are a must-see. Absolutely incredible.
I would highly suggest staying in Gaia which is just on the other side of the Duoro river from Porto. The views of Porto from this side are amazing. Also, all the Port wine tasting cellars are on this side and it is a quick 5 min walk across the bridge to get to Porto.
Give yourself at least 3 days in Porto.
Visited Porto in June
Photo Shoot Location: Dom Luis Bridge
Nathalia and Pedro in Porto for Flytographer
Get outside and enjoy! The city is incredible and the landscape is beautiful. The river really makes this city unique. The views from below or above any of the bridges or higher points are breath taking any time of day.
Book at least 4 days in Porto. 2 full days will be plenty to explore the city but an additional day to cruise up to wine country and another to explore Aveiro would be ideal.
Eat a franceshina!
My top travel tip for this city is to spend a day in the city but also to check out the outskirts of the city to see authentic porto and not just the tourist sites. We visited a ceramist and learned about Portuguese tiles and even made some. The studio was 15 minutes outside of the city and it was a beautiful neighborhood! Porto has such an amazing art culture so it was fun to be part of it in this way! Oh! one more thing - visit the Miguel Bombarda area - the city's art district. You will find unique souvenirs here!
Our favorite restaurant was Tapabento on Rua da Madeira. This restaurant perfectly melded together Portuguese dishes with a fun and playful Asian flair. Coming from Hawaii where we have a lot of Asian influence on our food, we were able to appreciate the inventive use of the ingredients.
Hire a flytographer! Just walk around and see the tiles.
The food in Porto is absolutely amazing. Every meal we had was out of this world, so definitely come hungry! :-) (Oh, and bring comfy sneakers. Truly — those hills are no joke!)
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