How To Spend A Weekend In Porto
WHERE TO STAY
Rosa Et Al Townhouse
For Couples
Porto has a great range of affordable accommodation options, but Rosa Et Al Townhouse ticks all the boxes. The hotel is a 15-minute walk from the city’s riverfront and is surrounded by galleries, boho boutiques and cool bars. A blend of traditional architecture and mid-century design, rooms are spacious and airy with period features and contemporary lighting – some even have garden-facing balconies. The restaurant has become an institution in its own right; locals go for weekend brunch, six-course dinners and even cookery workshops. Children are welcome, but the hotel is best suited to couples after a relaxing break.
Rooms from £105 per night.
Visit RosaEtAl.com
The Editory Boulevard
For A Girls Trip
Whether you’re planning a culture-filled hen do or a weekend away with the girls, The Editory Boulevard is a fun hotel in central Porto. It’s colourful, with quirky artwork, bold interiors and a cool rooftop pool featuring giant rubber duck inflatables. There’s a buzzy restaurant with a pink winding staircase in the middle of the dining room, and a circus-themed bar for champagne and cocktails. Rooms are slightly more muted but all come with pillow menus for a good night’s sleep and marble bathrooms.
From £120 per night.
Visit EditoryHotels.com
Cocorico
For Beautiful Interiors
Cocorico offers the best of both worlds – an excellent location in central Porto that still feels tucked away. The French-inspired guesthouse has just ten individually designed rooms named after French-Portuguese artists. All have oversized windows and spacious bathrooms, while the terracotta-coloured restaurant serves classic French dishes with the odd nod to Portuguese cuisine. The bar has a separate tapas menu.
From £140 per night.
Visit Cocorico-Porto.pt
Mouco Hotel
For Music Fans
Mouco isn’t just a chic hotel with California-cool design. It’s a cultural hub with a performance area for live gigs and events, a bar with its own musical library and a restaurant with a small gallery space. Designed for creatives who want to mingle with likeminded guests, there are 62 rooms and suites (named after songs) containing vintage furniture and top-quality sound systems – you can even ask reception for turntables or musical instruments. There’s also a salt-water swimming pool in the garden and a record room with a 600-strong vinyl collection.
Rooms from £75 per night.
Visit MoucoHotel.pt
Torel 1884
For A Luxury Trip
If you want to experience Porto in style, Torel 1884 is one of the city’s smartest hotels. Set in a former 19th-century palace, the hotel is a five-minute walk from Avenida dos Aliados – Porto’s historic main street. There are 12 bedrooms across three floors, each themed on a different continent (Africa, America and Asia) and linked by a beautiful central staircase. Rooms have separate living areas and grand bathrooms with freestanding baths. If you’re not staying overnight, visit the conservatory-style restaurant to enjoy tapas dishes and local wines.
Rooms from £400 per night.
Visit Torel1884.com
Canto De Luz
For Family Trips
Canto De Luz has studios and two-bedroom apartments that make guests feel right at home. Located in Porto’s Old Town – with its waterfront restaurants and colourful houses – the hotel is set in a restored townhouse with a vaulted glass roof and vintage furniture in every corner. Guests have access to a lounge, communal kitchen, bar, orangery and garden with a terrace. Ideal for family trips, garden-view rooms are particularly spacious while Villa Almada has a private pool. The restaurant serves a generous breakfast (complete with pastel de natas), followed by petiscos (Portuguese tapas). The hotel can help arrange babysitting, and little ones can borrow scooters and a basket of toys.
From £120 per night.
Visit CantoDeLuz.com
WHERE TO EAT & DRINK
Early
For Brunch
Early is a modern brunch and lunch spot in central Porto, just a few minutes from the Crystal Palace Gardens. It’s a zero-waste restaurant and all the ingredients come from local producers. Brunch dishes include fruit bowls with natural yoghurt and granola, chia pudding with almond and banana, and harissa shakshuka with sourdough, while lunch options include salads and open sandwiches. There are also pastries, coffee, juices, smoothies and breakfast cocktails.
Visit Early.pt
SO Coffee Roasters
For A Morning Brew
SO is one of the city’s best coffee shops. In central Porto, there’s a shop on the ground floor and communal seating areas on the first floor. The shop also has its own coffee bean storage space and roastery in the basement. As well as the headline brews, there are teas and juices, as well as cakes, pastries and sourdough sandwiches.
Visit SoRoasters.com
Época
For A Simple & Delicious Lunch
Época is a small café next to the National Museum, run by a small team of chefs who create simple and delicious lunches. The menu changes daily but diners can expect dishes like radishes with walnut oil and bread; labneh with carrots, mint and pistachio pesto; toasted brioche with eggs and oxheart tomatoes; and almond and matcha cake with white chocolate mousse. It’s also one of the most affordable and best-value entries on this list – two courses and a drink will set you back about €10.
Visit Epoca-Porto.com
Cantina 32
For Relaxed Dinners
Cantina 32 is on Rua das Flores, one of the city’s buzziest streets, lined with contemporary eateries and old drinking institutions. The restaurant has modern industrial-chic interiors and canteen-style tables for relaxed dining. Food is rustic but hearty – expect generous portions of seafood stews, grilled sardines and roasted meats with herby potatoes.
Visit Cantina32.com
Cozinha das Flores
For Something Special
Nuno Mendes of Lisboeta fame recently opened his first restaurant in Porto. Here, the master mixes flavours from his hometown of Lisbon with traditional techniques inspired by his mother’s northern roots. Expect to try plates like giant squid noodles with white beans, shrimp and steamed egg cake with Balchão ham, and turnip pastel de nata. Before or after, stop for drinks at Mendes’s nearby bar Flor.
Visit CozinhaDasFlores.com
Gruta
For Excellent Seafood
Porto is known for its excellent and abundant seafood. Gruta is a cosy restaurant in the centre of town which recently won a Bib Gourmand award. The all-female chef team is headed up by Rafaela Louzada, who is known for elevating simple seafood dishes with complex flavours. Dishes include langoustine bisque, octopus carpaccio, fish stew and cod fillet with olive oil. We like the sound of the dark chocolate mousse with olive oil ganache for dessert.
Visit GrutaPorto.com
Semea by Euskalduna
For Riverside Dining
Book ahead to secure a table at this atmospheric restaurant along the Douro river. Following its recent change of location, guests can now sit in a sage-coloured dining room or on a terrace to enjoy dishes cooked over the grill and open fire. Nearly everything on the menu comes from Portuguese producers, from the seafood to the wine. Current highlights include grilled mackerel with cucumber and yogurt, wood-fired flatbreads with pork, and hake pil pil.
Visit SemeaByEuskalduna.pt
Le Monument
For Michelin-Level Food
Porto’s food scene has gained traction in recent years, levelling up its calibre of restaurants to match its world-class wine. Le Monument is a Michelin-starred Portuguese restaurant at Le Monument Palace hotel. Headed up by chef Julien Montbabut, it celebrates the country’s different regions by giving classic Portuguese dishes a modern spin. There’s a single tasting menu which features dishes like oysters with creme fraiche and green strawberries, and aged sirloin with marrow and bordelaise sauce.
Mirajazz
For Sundowners & DJs
Set along the waterfront in central Porto, this rooftop jazz bar is a buzzy spot every night of the week, but Saturday nights draw in live jazz musicians and vinyl DJs. The open-air bar has beautiful city and river views, so grab a table well before sunset for the best seats in the house. Order wine, beer, cocktails and – wait for it – ice lollies from the bar.
Follow @Mira.Jazz
Base Porto
For Garden Parties
Base is an outdoor venue in Porto's historical downtown, next to the Clérigos tower. There’s a central bar in the garden which serves cocktails and beers day and night. At this favourite among locals, guests can relax on the grass during the day or drop into one of its weekly events, from DJ sets to live gigs.
Visit BasePorto.com
Gito Bar & Bottleshop
For Natural Wines
This new spot near Trindade metro station is a bottle shop and wine bar with a selection of natural wines. There are 45 to choose from, including local bottles and wines from France, Austria and Germany. Guests can order glasses or carafes alongside cheese and charcuterie boards from nearby Bolhão market.
Follow @GitoWine
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WHERE TO VISIT
Old Town
Porto’s Old Town is a Unesco Heritage Site thanks to its mix of neoclassical buildings and towering warehouses that cascade down the hillside towards the Douro river. You can walk the perimeter of the oldest part of the city in about an hour, taking in the colourful buildings and cobbled alleys.
São Francisco Church
This impressive gothic church is decorated with nearly 100kg of gold leaf. Ornate and OTT, the building dates to the 14th century with baroque columns, ornately decorated cherubs and a gilded roof. It also has a convent, catacombs and a small exhibit of objects and artifacts.
Serralves
Serralves is a cultural institution comprising a museum, gardens and a mansion. Tickets include admission to the Museum of Contemporary Art, Serralves Park and Villa, the House of Cinema and the Treetop Walk, which has great city views. The 1930s villa, with its cool and quirky art-deco design, is a real highlight, as are the 45-acre gardens which have formal landscaped areas, woodlands and a farm.
Crystal Palace Gardens
Porto’s botanical gardens are a lovely spot for a picnic or longer walk. Visitors will find ornate sculptures, fountains and a diverse range of flowers and plants, including cypress and olive trees and giant magnolias. Set on a hill in the city centre, climb to the top to take in panoramic views of the city and the Douro running through it.
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Dom Luís I Bridge
This bridge is one of the city’s most recognisable sites. Erected in 1886 by a student of Gustave Eiffel (look out for the similar architecture) you can now walk along the lower deck to cross the river.
Port Houses
A trip to Porto isn't complete without a visit to one of the city's famous port houses. Visitors can see where the port is made and fortified in traditional houses before trying a selection of bottles. Kopke Port House is the oldest in the city, while Vinhos Quinta Do Noval (just a few doors down) is another institution which offers drop-in tastings.
World of Wine
World of Wine is a cultural hub with seven interconnecting museums dedicated to Portuguese food and wine. The Wine Experience is one of the biggest wine museums in the world, where you can learn about grape varieties and try the city’s most famous export – port. Then there’s the Chocolate Story, an immersive experience on all things chocolate, and the Pink Palace dedicated to rosé wine.
Almas Chapel
You’ll spot Capela das Almas Rua de Santa Catarina from a few streets away. The historic building is decorated with blue and white tiles depicting scenes from the lives of various saints. It includes 1,600 panels which were added in the 1920s.
Matosinhos
Matosinhos is one of the city's coolest areas with some of Porto's best beaches. Locals hang out here to try the freshest seafood, often grilled on the street. It also has some excellent seafood restaurants if you'd rather sit down with a glass of wine. If you have time, walk along the Avenida da Liberdade coastal path for beautiful views.
Bolhão Market
Mercado do Bolhão is one of Porto’s biggest and oldest outdoor markets. It’s split into different sections for meat, fish, fresh produce and flowers. There are also a few small restaurants selling cheap and local dishes.
Ingleses Beach
Head of out the city centre and you’ll find Porto’s small but pretty coastline. Praia do Carneiro is one of the nicest in the upmarket Foz do Douro district. Visitors can sunbathe, swim in the sea, and walk along the promenade which is lined with bars and restaurants.
How To Get There
Flying from London to Porto takes around 2 hours 25 minutes. There are regular direct flights from Gatwick, Luton, Stansted and Heathrow. Porto airport is a 20-minute drive from the city centre.
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