Sharing our itinerary for Porto, Portugal today!
Guys. Porto is magic. Everything about it was just wonderful - gorgeous colorful architecture, easy but delicious dining, and a laid back vibe that is not overtly kid-friendly but totally works for families. The city itself is pretty small, and cut in half by a river (boats - yay!). My favorite part of this vacation was that it was just EASY. There is plenty to do, but nothing seems to really book up in advance (note - we were there at the end of August - I am guessing in peak summer season it might be quite busy), so we had the luxury of hopping from one spot to the next on a whim. Also, since the city is so small, and there was no traffic, we could get most places in 10-15 minutes using Uber (which is strangely inexpensive in Portugal).
Below I am sharing our whole itinerary - including where we stayed, ate and visited. This was a last minute trip for us, but I did have some free time pre-trip to research everything we wanted to see and do.
In case it is of use - here is our Google Map with everything we did by day!
Accomodations:
My husband is in charge of finding hotels, and he does not take his job lightly:). This time we opted for a more reasonable hotel for the first nights, and then switched to the other side of the river for a fancy hotel for the end of the trip. I loved breaking up the trip this way!
BessaHotel Baixa baixa.bessahotel.com
This spot was nice - decent location (maybe a 15 minute walk to restaurants and sightseeing), and had a good breakfast spread. Most importantly - they had spacious connecting rooms for families:) AND a pool / sauna!
The Rebello Hotel & Spa www.therebello.com
LOVED this hotel. This hotel is very design-y and modern, with high quality furnishings and a lovely staff. The main perk was the gorgeous spa and pool! You reserve a slot in advance, meaning that it is never crowded. The breakfast buffet was great, and served on their amazing rooftop. We also had a nice dinner on the rooftop, enjoying the killer view.
I hope this inspires someone to go visit this magical city!
DAY ONE - Arrival day
This was just a 1/2 day by the time we got to our hotel, Bessa Hotel.
We kept it simple and just visited the Cedofeita street, and then the TimeOut Market - a huge somewhat upscale food court attached to the beautiful train station.
Time Out Market Porto - this is such a gem and makes dining so easy for families. Time Out is a modern and somewhat upscale dining hall with tons of food and drink options at a myriad of stands. Some of the city's best restaurants have outposts here, but there is also pizza and burgers. It is in a cool repurposed part of the train station. We ate here twice!
Open every day – 10.00am – 00.00am
A Vida Portuguesa - shopping - inside Time Out - this spot was so pretty, and filled with gorgeous local goods like sardines in colorful packaging, woven goods, ceramics...
São Bento Station - Time Out Market Porto Store
DAY TWO
We woke up early to head to the line 1 of the Porto historic tram.
Tram Line 1 -
The tram in Porto is one of the oldest electrified transport systems in Europe, as it was inaugurated in 1895! It was a main mode of transport until the 60s, when it was abandoned in favor of faster ways to get around. We all agreed this was a fun activity!
If you just want to do ONE tram ride, it is probably best to buy the ticket on board – one way costs 5€ / adult and 3,50€ / kid.
The ride starts at the Infante stop, in front of the São Francisco Church, and ends at the Passeio Alegre stop, in the beautiful Jardim do Passeio Alegre; count about 20 mins
Buy tickets on board in cash; go early to avoid crowds! We were on the first tram at 9AM and it was full but not unpleasant.
Piscina das Marés
We got off on the last tram stop, and then called an Uber and kept going in that direction towards the Piscina das Mares public pool. The pool is built into the craggy coast and the pools fill with fresh sea water! It’s quite chilly, but worth taking the plunge. We bought tickets on site, and changed into our suits in the dressing rooms. Again, this is apparently popular, but we didn’t have too many crowds in the morning. Definitely try to go in a warm day!
The stunning pools were designed and built between 1960 and 1973 by Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza Vieira. In 2011, the pools were classified as a national monument and since 2017 they have been considered for UNESCO world heritage.
Open everyday 9AM - 7PM
½ day - adults 5 euros, kids under 13 3.50 euros
There is a cafe and you can rent chairs and umbrellas
Afterwards, we grabbed a quick lunch of empanadas, and headed to the surprise hit of the day - a factory visit of the Pinhais Sardine canning facility!
Pinhais Sardine Canning Facility
We bought the family ticket to the English tour on the way there. We got to visit the gorgeous historic business buildings, and then the operational factory. The best part was when we all had to don protective gear befriended entering the factory! Afterwards, we each wrapped a personalized can of sardines, and went to a very nice tasting of the four types of sardines they make! Highly recommend!
Pinhais Tour - Family pack for 48 euros - 1 hour - reserved
(EN) 1 ticket = visit the factory + wrapping of your can + tasting of our preserves!
At this point we were a bit tired so we taxied back into the center of town to have a drink while laying under the olive trees at Base Porto. So relaxing, with great views!
Last up was climbing the Clerigos Tower. Every European trip needs a tower climb, and this was one of the easier ones I’ve done. We bought tickets on site for the next time slot. Highly recommend for the gorgeous views.
Torre dos Clerigos - 8 euros for adults, count 45 mins, bought tickets there
I was not thrilled with dinner this night, but if you look at my Google map above, I have lots of options for meals pinned!
DAY THREE
This morning we had 9:30am tickets for the Lello Bookshop. Honestly - this was SO CROWDED and really not a pleasant visit. We had bought entry tickets a couple days before (8 euros each, including kids 3 and up), and arrived to a long line followed by a mob scene inside! The price of each ticket can be deducted from the purchase of a book, but the book selection was quite limited and the book prices inflated. I wish I had skipped this!
Then we climbed up to the Porto Cathedral, to see the beautiful church and more tile. Adults were 6 euros and kids free.
Porto Cathedral - 6 euros, kids free
Lunch this day was my pick - and I chose a mostly vegan restaurant called Espécie. 10/10, everything was excellent, and even my picky daughter found something (even if it was just a fried egg on rice:)). Don’t miss the crispy cauliflower or the cabbage dumplings!
The afternoon was dedicated to more touristy activities, including a tuktuk ride and a 6 bridges cruise. I had originally booked the tuktuk for our first morning, mainly because I like to get the lay of the land and meet a local who can answer any questions BUT day two was our warmest weather, and it made more sense to make sure we had the pool that day. The tuktuk was fine but not necessary, while the boat ride I would consider a must. We love doing boat cruises in the afternoon, and kids often end up getting a little nap in this way:) I booked these together through GetYourGuide.
Porto: Guided City Tour by Tuk-Tuk and Douro River Cruise, 50 mins
Afterwards it was back to the hotel for swimming, then visiting the Balhao market, and heading back to Time Out Market for dinner.
Visit / Dinner - Mercado do Bolhão - Market
R. Formosa 322, 4000-248 Porto, Portugal
Closed Sundays, Open 8-8 other days, restaurants open til midnight
DAY FOUR
This morning we changed hotels to the Rebello Hotel, on the other side of the river in the Gaia neighborhood. Sometimes it’s fun to change up hotels to experience different parts of the city AND we also like to stick a fancier place at the end of the trip so we can relax there more and go home feeling pampered:) The Rebello was beautiful, with river views and an awesome rooftop restaurant where breakfast is also served. The pool and sauna were top notch - note you have to reserve a time slot and that certain times are dedicated to families.
After checking in, we went to the tram museum (this would be better to do on the day with the pool and sardine factory, but the tram museum is closed Mondays, which is the day we were in that neighborhood). This museum had actual trams spanning over 100 years, including some you could go in. Lovely small museum that we all enjoyed. We bought tickets there.
Porto Tramcar Museum
OPENING TIMES
Tuesdays to Sundays
From 10am to 6pm
Adults 8 euros, kids 6-25 4.50 euros
Afterwards we headed back to the hotel area, and had lunch at the Mercado Beira-Rio market, another food court type space.
The rest of the afternoon was dedicated to activities right by the hotel. We started with a visit to the Ferreira Port house, recommended by the tuktuk driver. There was an hour long tour of the caves in English, followed by a tasting of three ports (with juice for the kids).
Ferreira port visit - total 42 euros, booked online the morning of
Afterwards we took the Téléférique de Gaia up to the top of the hill - this was fun and kids always love trying odd forms of transport. We bought a family pack of round trip tickets for 22 euros on site.
Once at the top, we sat in the park and listened to music, and walked the Luís I Bridge bridge.
Dinner was at the Rebello rooftop, surely one of the best views in Porto!
DAY FIVE
This was departure day - noooo! We enjoyed the hotel breakfast on the rooftop, and swam at the hotel.
Honestly - Porto might be one of my top cities to visit as a family. The size of the city was perfect, people were friendly, there was plenty to do that was interestig for all ages, it was affordable... I could go on and on!
Have you ever been to Porto? Would you add it to your family travel bucket list???
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