Time Out Porto editors

When it comes to Portugal, the capital city of Lisbon gets arguably more than its fair share of attention. But the savvy traveller has long known that little sister city Porto is crammed with its own must-see charms. Porto’s modest size makes it easy to navigate which, in turn, means you can easily visit more than one of our top ten attractions in one day. Take a dip in a stunning swimming pool, photograph a train station that’s worth visiting in its own right (yes, really) or simply get your fill of the gorgeous Duoro River and the megalithic Dom Luis I iron bridge stretching across to Gaia. And, finally, don’t forget you’re literally in the home of port - a trip to the Vila Nova de Gaia wine cellars to learn more about Porto’s most famous export is basically non-negotiable. Cheers! Recommended: The best places to enjoy brunch in Porto This article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, click here.

Ahh, Porto. Our love for you will never end. This city is cool, swish, chic, full of great food, and incredibly affordable too. And sure, sometimes it can be a little rainy, but there’s nothing like putting up your umbrella and strolling along the water after filling yourself up on fish, meats and cheese. Porto has it all, but it’s not the kind of place with so many must-see tourist traps that you’ll get overwhelmed. Instead, there’s a great set of things to do that will see you through your trip, whether you’re in the city for three days or two weeks – and you can still take it all at a decisively chill pace. So whether you’re here for museums and galleries, fantastic food or simply to stroll through beautiful streets all day, we’ve got your itinerary sorted. Read on for the best things to do in Porto.  RECOMMENDED: 🍹 The best bars in Porto🥑 The best places for brunch in Porto🏛️ The best attractions in Porto🏨 The best hotels in Porto🏘️ The best Airbnbs in Porto 

Porto has tons of green space – lawns where you can lay out your rug for a picnic, places to run, sunbathe or simply breathe in some fresh air. Check out our selection of the best parks and gardens in Porto. 

There are thousands of great things to see and do in Porto – literally. So it’s not been an easy task to boil it down to just 15 unmissable things to see in this city. We’ve done it, though, and this is the hotlist 

O céu está cinzento, o tempo está frio e a sua disposição está em baixo? Então agarre-se a este artigo com 25 refúgios no Porto para esquecer o frio e a chuva e tire partido do que a Invicta tem para lhe oferecer. Depois, só tem de se esconder nestes cafés, restaurantes e bares, com lareiras, vinho e bolos acabados de fazer. Só coisas boas para passar o tempo enquanto lê um livro, conversa com os amigos ou faz scrool no feed do Instagram e sonha com os dias soalheiros e quentes. Recomendado: Seis ideias para se divertir abrigado do frio e da chuva no Porto

Don’t walk around looking down at the ground, or up to the sky – look at the walls around you. In Porto, art is everywhere.

Porto has lots of great little galleries and small art spaces showcasing every kind of work. These are the ones you should go and check out.

Porto does traditional food really well, but it’s not afraid to embrace the new. We also excel in the art of making eggs, pancakes, toasties and coffee drinks. Get up late, have eggs and whatnot – plus a cheeky mimosa – at one of the city’s best brunch places.

There’s nothing more therapeutic than a night out drinking with friends – so whether it’s port wine or craft beer that’s your tipple of choice, all Portuenses and visitors alike should know where to find the best bars in Porto. Here we’ve selected our top ten places to drink in the city, so you can start the evening on the right foot or linger over drinks all night long. Because if you’ve spent a hard day admiring the views over the Douro and ticking off all the great things to do in Porto, then you definitely deserve a drink. Drank somewhere on this list and loved it? Share it with the hashtag #TimeOutDrinkList. You can also find out more about how Time Out makes recommendations and reviews bars.

Hoje é o dia de aniversário da Time Out Porto. Fazemos nove anos. Nove anos em que vimos a cidade mudar. Para melhor, sempre. Em nove anos a cena gastronómica portuense mudou. Os restaurantes clássicos, com boa comida típica, mantiveram-se de pedra e cal, mas ao lado destes abriram outros, novos, com novos conceitos e comida vinda de várias partes do mundo. Também temos hoje muitas lojas, onde artistas dos vários quadrantes expõem o que de melhor fazem. Nove anos depois gostamos de dizer de boca cheia que temos um orgulho desmedido por esta cidade. Aqui ficam, portanto, os testemunhos de seis directores que assistiram, através das páginas desta revista, ao quão maravilhoso o Porto consegue ser. Sempre. Recomendado: 31 coisas incríveis para fazer no Porto

Every year, we agree (eventually) on the 50 best places in Porto to eat for our annual guide. Then the Time Out critics face the hardest choice of them all: the year’s top five. It’s not just about the food; we think about the service, the atmosphere, the experience. These are the places that have it all. Do yourself a favour and book a table at one (or all) of them. You won’t regret it

Portuguese francesinhas deserve all the honors possible. This typical Invicta dish, created in the 50's, conquers both hearts and bellies every day, and even the tourists can't seem to resist it. Scattered throughout the city, so you will be sure to cross paths with a few as you discover Porto, there are examples of francesinhas for all tastes and even less traditional variations, such as vegetarian or chicken instead of red meat. Always ready for a good meal, we took on the arduous task of discovering the best francesinhas in Porto. And if you've had enough francesinhas, be sure to try their cousin, the cachorrinhos. Here's the top places you can find them.

Concerto da Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto que tem a cidade como fio condutor, com obras de Haydn, Mozart e Stravinsky.

The Casa da Música was described by The New York Times as "one of the most important concert halls built in the last 100 years". The building, designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, in association with the Porto Office of Metropolitan Architecture, also houses the cultural institution Casa da Música Foundation, and three orchestras: Orquestra Nacional do Porto (Porto National Orchestra), Orquestra Barroca (Baroque Orchestra) and Remix Ensemble.

If you're in Porto, hungry and bereft of ideas about where to go, then the São Domingos square, at the end of the Rua das Flores, is your better option. This area has the greatest concentration of restaurants in the city, and some of them are pretty good (really good). LSD Largo São Domingos is one of those. Unlike most restaurants, they have a policy of retiring dishes when they get too popular. So enjoy your meal while you can – unless your favourites are “meat, meat, meat” or the black chocolate parfait. Those are menu fixtures.

Brasão is a success story in Porto. Why? Because it is a “son” of O Paparico, in Areosa, and that's always a good sign; and because it is one of the few restaurants to compete on quality in snacks, offering hardcore “francesinha” sandwiches (with lighter options available) and rump or sirloin steaks. The menu is simple but here's our advice: start off with fried onion in black garlic mayo, go for the hazelnut chocolate mousse for dessert. So now you know.

Simply saying that this restaurant is part of entrepreneur Vasco Mourão’s umbrella of businesses gives it a guaranteed stamp of quality in the city. Add 20 years in operation and the chef Camilo Jaña, who came from Chile and fell in love with this regional restaurant’s cuisine on his first ever meal in Porto, and you have Cafeína. The result is gastronomic classics such as beef Wellington or a duo of pork with chestnuts and vegetables, two frequent lunch menu options.

The secret of this Foz classic is simple: food portions are always family-sized, because it's (almost) always good to have company at the table. “Good, affordable, pretty, genuine, everything a man could dream”, wrote one of our critics about A Capoeira. What else is there to say? A lot. We have to mention the cod à la Brás, so good they only serve it once a week, and the octopus rice. Oh, and we'd be remiss to neglect the tongue stew and the “cabidela” blood rice. Indeed, we could just paste the entire menu here with no additional comments. The main thing is, you will leave the Esplanada do Castelo having eaten a fine meal.