How to Spend Two Days in Porto, Portugal

Portugal quickly became one of my favorite countries in the world, and Porto was my first taste of it. The beautiful port town is small but full of life: overflowing with an almost tangible laid-back vibe. The town is small, so you can visit pretty much everything in just a weekend! Here’s how to spend two days in Porto, Portugal.

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Go Port Wine Tasting

A visit to Porto would not be complete without sampling the port wine made in the city. The best places to do so are along the Duoro River on the Gaia waterfront. This is the area along the river just to the west of the Luís I Bridge (Ponte de D. Luís I). The area is jam-packed with restaurants and cellars offering port wine tastings, with beautiful views of the river and the city across the water.

Port wine tasting on the Douro River in Porto, Portugal

When visiting, I was on a fairly tight budget and opted to visit just one restaurant for Port tasting instead of multiple cellars. The cellars will often have a wider selection with a more expensive port, but I got a great deal! I stumbled across the Duoro Velho restaurant, which offered me 6 ports for only €25. I expected small portions of each wine, but as shown above, I got rather full glasses!

Port wine is very sweet, and the longer a port is aged, the more expensive it tends to be. I was offered 5-year and 10-year aged white, tawny, and ruby ports at Duoro Velho. They were all delicious, but I loved the 10-year white the most! The entire time, the serving staff was incredibly friendly and playful, making the entire experience very enjoyable! Try not to spend the entire two days in Porto, Portugal drinking wine!

Get Lost in Porto, Portugal

On my first day in Porto, I simply got lost in the city. Everywhere I looked there was beautiful architecture, fun shops, and delicious food. The city is so laid back, that you really end up missing out on the experience if you head in with an intense sight-seeing attitude.

The Church of St. Ildefonso sporting Portugal's famous blue tiles in Porto — The Church of St. Ildefonso sporting Portugal’s famous blue tiles

If you desperately need recommendations for sightseeing, I wouldn’t miss the Church of São Francisco, the Clérigos Church, Igreja do Carmo, Church of St. Ildefonso, Porto São Bento Station, the bridges, and the Gaia waterfront. This sounds like a lot, however, I ran across every single one of these places just by wandering the city! I highly encourage you to just take in the city and only pull out your map to look up the name of something interesting you’ve come across. Two days in Porto, Portugal is definitely enough time to see the entire city.

Watch the Sunset over the Duoro River

A stunning sunset over the Douro River in Porto, Portugal

Sunsets in Portugal are like nowhere else in the world, and the views from Porto are especially stunning. I watched the sunset twice: once from the Gaia waterfront, and once atop the St. Luís Bridge. Both were absolutely spectacular. I promise you, these sunsets will take your breath away!

Indulge in Local Portuguese Food

The official sandwich of the city is the francesinha, and you will see them everywhere! I was, unfortunately, unable to try it due to my dietary restrictions, but I encourage you to try it if you can! The meaty sandwich is smothered in cheese and tomato beer sauce. Other foods I noticed everywhere (and tried!) were octopus rice, cod, and fish soup.

Booze infused chocolate from Chocoleteria Ecuador in Porto

Of course, port wine is everywhere, but so is chocolate! I wandered into Chocolateria Ecuador in Porto, and walked away with the most delicious chocolate I have ever had! The staff was super friendly and offered me dozens of free samples. I ended up choosing wrapped bars of booze-infused dark chocolate I could fly home with.

Where to Stay in Porto, Portugal

As I mentioned above, I was on a budget when visiting Porto. I’m a full-fledged hostel girl, and I stayed in the very comfortable Yes! Hostel. The beds were comfortable, the staff friendly, and it was located right in the city center, next to the famous Torre dos Clérigos.

I never had an issue in Porto with language barriers, as practically everyone spoke fluent English. The city was easy to navigate, although it has some pretty steep hills to hike up and down!