I visited Portugal way back in September and then life came at me quick and the back half of 2023 really got away from me. We’ve been prepping for yet another cross-country move, taking care of a sick pupper and going on lots of small trips around the Midwest. Sitting down to recap our week in Portugal just fell by the wayside but I’m here now and I’d love to share with you the beautiful city of Porto, Portugal.

Our week-long trip in Portugal started in Lisbon and then we rented a car and drove up to Aviero and Manteigas and concluded with two days in Porto. So we’re going to start this series from the finish because why not!

Porto is the second largest city in Portugal behind Lisbon and is the namesake of port wine, one of the region’s largest exports.

We stayed in a gorgeous and affordable Airbnb in the heart of old town so we were able to walk to a lot of the major attractions and monuments. Porto is super hilly and walking might not be for everyone but we embraced the challenge.

Riberia, Porto’s Historic Riverfront

One of the most iconic and probably the most photographed spot in Porto is the riverside district. You can hop on a boat to see more of the city, it’s bridges and the valley while you learn about how they used the river to transport port wine. There’s lot of shops, restaurants and of course wine cellars and on a nice day it’s the perfect spot to sit and enjoy the views.

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Luís I Bridge

The Luís I Bridge towers over the Riberia district. It’s a double decker bridge with the top level open to pedestrians and the bottom level for motor vehicles. It was designed by Théophile Seyrig, a student who learned under Gustave Eiffel (yes, THAT Eiffel) so you might notice the resemblance in the intricate ironwork .

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Church of Saint Ildefonso

You’ll see lots of stunning tilework all over Portugal and the Church of Saint Ildefonso one of my favorites. It was extra breathtaking in the evenings because it sits atop a hill and is one of the last buildings the light touches.

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Clerigos Church and Tower

We were drawn to the Clerigos Church because of the tower that quite literally towers over the rest of the city. It costs 8€ to tour the church and tower. And if you’re willing to huff it up 200 narrow steps to the top you get incredible 360° views that are well worth the climb.

We visited in the morning and although there wasn’t a line to get tickets yet it was still very crowded on the teeny tiny platform at the top. The walkway is about one person wide so as soon as someone would stop it was virtually impossible to get around them. Other that that, I’m glad we got to see Porto from the sky and the church was really beautiful as well.

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Taylor’s Port

Taylor’s Port is one of the many wine cellars you can tour in Porto. A lot of the oldest and most popular cellars require you to book tickets in advance for the guided tours. It was so busy when we visited that we had a hard time finding same day tickets but Taylor’s Port came to the rescue and I think I preferred the experience at Taylor’s anyway.

It was a short walk away from the river and therefore out of the crowds and it was a self-guided tour with audio devices so we could walk through at our own pace. And we only saw a few other people the entire time – it was a nice break from the craziness.

And my favorite part was that the tour ended with a port wine tasting in their peaceful garden. There were even peacocks wandering around! Talk about a fairy tale.

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Cemitério de Agramonte

I love visiting cemeteries in other countries, especially Europe because they’re so much older and grander than anything we have in the States. We wandered around Cemitério de Agramonte, reading all of the family names and keeping an eye out for the cemetery cats that volunteers take care of.

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Sao Bento Train Station

Sao Bento Train Station is considered one of the most beautiful train stations in the world and you can see why!

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Igreja de Santa Clara

Igreja de Santa Clara is a Catholic church built in the 1400s. We visited in the evening so we weren’t able to tour the inside but there’s a big courtyard where lots of people gather to watch sunset.

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These were just some of my highlights from our weekend in Porto. As I mentioned, it was extremely crowded with tourists when we visited in September and I think if we had a little more time (and a few thousand less people to compete with) there was so much more we could have explored.

The food and wine in Porto was top notch. Lots of local seafood, amazing cheeses, port wine and we were even able to get our hands on a Francesinha which is a Portuguese sandwich unlike any other.

Thanks for stopping by! I’ll be sharing more from our week in Portugal soon!