Bolhao Market
The Bolhao Market is Porto's main traditional market, a neoclassical building in the city center recently renovated but still operating as a working market with local vendors. Free to browse.
City in Portugal
Porto
17 things to see
The best of Porto costs nothing: the UNESCO-listed Ribeira waterfront is free to wander, and walking across the upper deck of the Dom Luís I Bridge gives you one of the city’s finest views without paying a cent. For more free sightseeing, step inside São Bento station to see its hall of blue-and-white azulejo tiles, then climb up to Jardim do Morro or the Jardim do Palácio de Cristal for panoramic viewpoints over the river. Across the water in Vila Nova de Gaia, the port wine cellars offer tastings for just a few euros, and a francesinha sandwich is a cheap, filling local meal. Visit in spring or autumn to dodge the summer crowds and the higher peak-season prices.
What to see
Things to do in Porto
What each one costs, where the cost is known.
Clerigos Tower
The Clerigos Tower is the bell tower of the Clerigos Church, one of the most recognizable landmarks in Porto. The climb up the 240 steps is a paid ticket at a modest price.
Cordoaria Garden
Cordoaria Garden (Jardim da Cordoaria) is a tree-lined public park near the university and the Clerigos Tower, named for the ropemakers who once worked in the area. Free.
Crystal Palace Gardens
The Crystal Palace Gardens (Jardins do Palacio de Cristal) are a set of themed gardens on a hilltop west of the city center, with panoramic views over the Douro River and the Atlantic. Free.
Dom Luis I Bridge
The Dom Luis I Bridge is a double-deck iron arch bridge spanning the Douro between Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia. Free to cross on both levels.
Igreja do Carmo and Carmelitas
The Igreja do Carmo and the adjacent Igreja dos Carmelitas are the "twin churches" of Porto, two churches built side by side with a narrow house squeezed between them (built to separate the monks from the nuns). Free to enter.
Igreja de Santo Ildefonso
The Igreja de Santo Ildefonso is an 18th-century church near the Batalha Square whose entire facade is covered in over 11,000 blue and white azulejo tiles by Jorge Colaco (the same artist who created the tiles inside Sao Bento Station). Free to enter.
Jardim do Morro
Jardim do Morro is a small hillside garden at the Gaia end of the upper deck of the Dom Luis I Bridge, directly above the port wine cellars. Free.
Livraria Lello
Livraria Lello is one of the most beautiful bookshops in the world, with a neo-Gothic facade, a carved wooden staircase, and a stained-glass ceiling. Entry requires a small voucher that can be redeemed against a book purchase.
Miradouro da Serra do Pilar
The Miradouro da Serra do Pilar is a viewpoint at the Monastery of Serra do Pilar on the Gaia side of the Douro, directly above the Dom Luis I Bridge. Free.
Miradouro da Vitoria
Miradouro da Vitoria is a viewpoint terrace on the Porto city side (not the Gaia side), tucked into the hillside between the Clerigos Tower and the Ribeira. Free.
Portuguese Centre of Photography
The Portuguese Centre of Photography occupies Porto's former prison and court building (Cadeia da Relacao), a stark 18th-century structure near the Clerigos Tower. Free.
Praca dos Leoes
Praca dos Leoes (Lion Square) is a small square in front of Porto's university, named for the fountain with lion sculptures at its center. Free.
Ribeira District
Ribeira is Porto's UNESCO-listed riverfront district, a cascade of colorful houses tumbling down to the Douro. Free to wander.
Sao Bento Railway Station
Sao Bento is Porto's central railway station, famous for the 20,000 azulejo tiles covering the main hall. Free to enter.
Se Cathedral Porto
The Se Cathedral is a Romanesque fortress-church on the hilltop above the Ribeira, the oldest and most imposing church in Porto. Free to enter the main nave.
Vila Nova de Gaia Cellars
Vila Nova de Gaia is the south bank of the Douro, directly across from Porto's Ribeira. The hillside is lined with port wine cellars offering tastings and tours.
On foot
Walks and free tours in Porto
Tip-based tours and self-guided routes, which is usually the cheapest orientation there is.
Porto Free Walking Tour
The Hi Porto Free Walking Tour starts at the Fonte dos Leoes fountain and walks downhill through the historic center to the Douro riverfront. Groups are capped at 20 guests, with daily departures at 11:00 and 15:30.
Porto Ribeira to Gaia Crossing
The Ribeira to Gaia Crossing is a self-guided walk from Porto's waterfront across the Dom Luis I Bridge to Vila Nova de Gaia. Free. At sunset it delivers the single most photographic experience in Porto, with panoramic views in both directions from the upper deck of the bridge.
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