TLDR: Ten attractions cover the Porto basics: Ribeira, Clérigos Tower (€5, 225 steps), Porto Cathedral (free, cloister €3), Livraria Lello (€8), Port wine cellars in Gaia, Dom Luís I bridge, Serralves museum and gardens, a Douro river cruise, the Tram Museum (€8), and the Palácio da Bolsa (€12). All are within a 25 minute walk or short metro hop from Villa Almada. Two amazing days will cover them comfortably.
Planning your stay?
Luxury Villa Stays at Villa Almada — check availability and book direct.
Insider tip from Villa Almada
Climb Clérigos Tower at 9am the day after you arrive, before the queue forms. The 225 steps are easier on cool legs, and the panoramic view orients the rest of your trip — you can see the river, the Gaia hillside, the Douro mouth and the cathedral all from the same balcony. By 11am the wait is 30 minutes; by 9.15am it is none.
Porto rewards visitors who do less but do it well. The city is small enough that you can knock off the headline sights in two unhurried days, and amazing enough that you will keep finding more reasons to come back. The trick is sequencing — the most rewarding things lie close together, and the wrong order means doubling back across hills.
These are the ten things I recommend to every guest staying with us at Villa Almada. They are listed in roughly the right order to do them, with what to pay, how long to allow, and the walking time from the villa. Skip nothing on this list and your three-day Porto trip will not need to be longer.
Ribeira, the cathedral and the bones of the old town
Start at Ribeira, the UNESCO-listed riverside district. Walk down from Villa Almada (about 15 minutes) along Rua do Almada to Praça da Liberdade and Aliados, then continue downhill to Cais da Ribeira. This is the painted-house quayside on every postcard. Restaurants and bars line the river. Do not eat dinner here, the prices are tourist tariffs — but a coffee or pastel de nata sat on the wall watching the boats is one of the great cheap pleasures in Europe.
A 5 minute climb up the cobbles takes you to Porto Cathedral (Sé do Porto), established in the 12th century. The cathedral itself is free; the cloister with its painted azulejo tiles is €3 well spent. Open 9am to 6.30pm in summer, until 5.30pm in winter, closed Christmas and Easter.
Walk down behind the cathedral and you arrive at the Palácio da Bolsa, the old stock exchange building (€12 adult, €7.50 student). The Salão Árabe inside is one of the most amazing rooms in Portugal, decorated in Moorish revival style and only viewable on the guided tour, so book ahead.
Planning a Porto stay?
Why not stay with me at Villa Almada?
Two super king suites, a private heated saltwater pool, and a 15 minute walk to Cais da Ribeira. From €269 per night, sleeps up to six plus two infants.
Check Villa Almada availability →
FTC disclosure: this is our own villa booking page.
Clérigos Tower, Livraria Lello and the city above
Up the hill from Aliados sits Clérigos Tower, the 76 metre baroque tower built 1732 to 1763. The 225 steps to the observation deck are the price of admission to the best view in central Porto. Tickets €5 for the tower and Brotherhood Museum, free for under-10s, open 9am to 7pm with night entry until 11pm. Aim for the 9am opening to avoid queues.
Two minutes from the tower is Livraria Lello, the bookshop you have seen photographed a thousand times. Founded 1906, neo-Gothic facade, the famous red staircase, stained glass ceiling. Tickets €8 and the fee is redeemable against a book purchase, which is the local trick — buy one of the lovely Portuguese poetry collections on your way out and the entry is effectively free.
Allocate an hour at Lello if you can. There is a small café in the basement and the staff are tolerant of slow browsing if you avoid the 11am to 3pm peak.
Port cellars, the Dom Luís I bridge and a river cruise
Cross the Dom Luís I bridge on foot — the upper deck for the panoramic photographs, the lower deck for street-level access to the cellars. The bridge was completed 1886, designed by Théophile Seyrig (a student of Gustave Eiffel), and was the longest iron arch bridge in the world at the time of construction. 45 metres above the water on the upper deck.
On the Gaia side, pick a Port wine cellar for an afternoon tour. Sandeman (1790), Cálem (with Fado included for €25) and Taylor’s (1692, the oldest) are the easiest first stops. Tours run 60 to 90 minutes and end with two or three small tastings. Book online for summer.
Wrap up the afternoon with a Six Bridges Cruise from Cais da Ribeira or Cais de Gaia — 50 minutes, around €15, every hour from 10am. For a longer day, the Douro Valley boat-up-train-back excursion runs 8 hours with a winery lunch and costs around €100.
“Lovely place. When you come through the front door, you will be happy to see that everything matches the gorgeous photos online. And the service complements the beauty of the place as well. You will not regret staying here.”
Nailah Anderson · Couple holiday
Two extras that locals love — Serralves and the Tram Museum
Serralves Museum and Gardens sits 25 minutes by Bolt from the villa. Thirty-five hectares of landscaped grounds, a minimalist contemporary art museum by Álvaro Siza Vieira, the Casa de Serralves art deco villa, and a treetop walkway through the canopy. Combined ticket around €20, free Sunday morning entry until 1pm.
Museu do Carro Eléctrico (the Tram Museum) on Alameda Basílio Teles 51 is a delightful small museum on the riverside. €8 adults, €4 reduced, free under-5s, and your ticket includes a single journey on a vintage tram or bus. Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 6pm, closed Mondays. Walk distance from Villa Almada is about 30 minutes downhill, or take Tram 1 from Praça do Infante.
- Ribeira: free, always open. 15 min walk down from Villa Almada.
- Clérigos Tower: €5, 9am-7pm, night entry to 11pm. 12 min walk.
- Porto Cathedral: free entry, €3 cloister. 14 min walk.
- Livraria Lello: €8 (redeemable on book). 13 min walk.
- Palácio da Bolsa: €12 adult, guided tour only. 18 min walk.
- Port cellars in Gaia: €18-€30. 25 min walk via the bridge.
- Serralves: €20 combined ticket. 25 min by Bolt.
- Six Bridges Cruise: €15, 50 min, hourly from Ribeira.
Photos of Villa Almada
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Stay with us in Porto
Villa Almada — luxury family villa with private pool
Located in the garden of our Canto de Luz Boutique Maison, Villa Almada is a self-contained luxury home for up to six guests plus two infants. Two super king suites, private heated saltwater pool, daily homemade breakfast served at the villa or in the Orangerie, daily cleaning, and a 15 minute walk down to the heart of Porto’s old town. A far cry from the soulless chain hotels of yesterday, with eco-conscious comfort built in.
From €269/night. FTC disclosure: this is our own villa booking page.
Frequently asked questions
How many days do you need in Porto to see the main sights?
Two unhurried days will cover all ten of the headline attractions. Three days lets you add Foz, the Douro Valley and a slower restaurant evening. A long weekend (3 to 4 days) is the sweet spot for first-time visitors.
What is the Porto Card and is it worth it?
The Porto Card bundles unlimited public transport with discounts on most museums and attractions. The 1-day version costs €13, the 2-day €20 and the 3-day €25. It is worth it if you plan to do at least three paid attractions and use the metro and bus. Most of our guests find the 2-day version pays for itself easily.
Is Porto better than Lisbon?
Different rather than better. Porto is more compact, hillier, riverside-focused and known for Port wine. Lisbon is bigger, with more nightlife, a wider food scene and the trams. If you have a week in Portugal, do both — the train between them takes 3 hours and runs hourly.
When is the best time to visit Porto?
May, June, September and early October are the calmest months with the best weather. July and August are warm and busier with cruise ships. November to February is quiet and chilly but Christmas markets and Port lodge tours are at their most peaceful.
Are the main Porto attractions accessible for wheelchairs and pushchairs?
Mixed. The metro stations are all step-free. Ribeira and the bridge upper deck are walkable for pushchairs but tough for wheelchairs because of cobbles. Clérigos Tower has 225 steps and no lift. Livraria Lello has a small lift. Serralves is fully accessible. Port cellars vary — Sandeman and Cálem are mostly accessible, the older lodges less so.
If you are planning your stay around this, take a look at the rest of our Porto travel blog for restaurants, walking routes and seasonal tips.