Indagare's Amelia Osborne Scott
“Chefs, designers, entrepreneurs and the like have been flocking to Porto, lured by the inexpensive rents. The coastline is rugged and dramatic. Porto brims with soulful old-world charm.”
Porto, a hilly city along the river, looks very similar to Lisbon but has a feel that is entirely its own. Recent international interest and local creatives have revived the area with an energetic design scene you won’t find anywhere else. Porto’s greatest attraction is, however, its world-famous port, which you can experience in local restaurants, guiding tastings and a tour of the Gaia wine caves.
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Perfect forArt Lovers | Families | Foodies | Intellectuals | Romantics
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When to goYear-Round
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Ideal length of stay1-2 Nights
Designing Your Journey
Work with Indagare to design the perfect itinerary for an immersive journey. Our travel experts know the destination inside and out, and they can make recommendations based on your travel needs and preferences.
3 Days: Essential Porto
Eat, drink, shop and stroll in the charming city of Porto with a customized itinerary that includes special access to port warehouses and guided touring that offers an insider view of local life. Here is just one example of what our destination experts can create for you.
Day One:
Spend a day visiting the highlights of the city, such as the Serralves contemporary art museum, the Stock Exchange Palace, the ornate Igreja de Santa Clara church and Livraria Lellos, the bookstore on which JK Rowling based the Hogwarts library in Harry Potter. In the afternoon, visit the port caves of Gaia to try Porto’s namesake wine, along with small plates of regional specialties.
Day Two:
For shoppers, Porto is chock-full of sartorial and artisanal delights and is brimming with hidden gems waiting to be discovered. Take a day trip up north to the beautiful coastal town of Matosinhos, which fronts a wide crescent of gold sand and the Atlantic Ocean. On the drive up to Matosinhos, stop at the Forte de Sao Francisco Xavier, a 15th-century fortification with incredible views of the sea. After a lunch of fresh seafood at a restaurant with ocean views, stop for a swim at the pools at Piscinas das Mares.
Day Three:
Enjoy your final day in Porto with an Indagare-arranged private class or tour. Depending on your interests, you can learn to cook typical Portuguese dishes at gastronomic institutions that take advantage of the coastal location, you can experience local music and art scenes in the city’s theaters and galleries and you can dive even deeper into the varieties of wine that the area produces at the Yeatman Hotel.
Where To Stay
We only feature hotels that we can vouch for first-hand. At many of them, Indagare members receive special amenities, including upgrades, early check-in, breakfast, spa credits and more. Look for the Indagare Plus logo in the reviews.
Read MoreMaison Particulière
The Maison Particulière is a ten-room boutique hotel with elegant furnishings in the heart of Porto.
Courtesy The YeatmanRead MoreThe Yeatman Hotel
This luxury hotel, where every room has fantastic views of the city of Porto, is a love letter to Portugal’s rich winemaking heritage.
