So you’ve got a couple of days left over on your Portugal trip and you’re wondering: is 2 days in Porto enough time?
I actually spent a month living in Porto earlier this year so I know it pretty well.
In this guide, I’ll let you know if 2 days in Porto is enough and how you can plan your stay.
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Is 2 Days In Porto Enough?
Yes, 2 days in Porto is enough to see the city. This gives you enough time to see Porto’s most famous sites, try out the local cuisine and really get a feel for the city.
Porto is a walkable city and it’s very compact meaning all the main attractions are pretty close together so even if you only have 2 days, it’s still worth visiting Porto.
You can easily walk from one attraction to the other without needing to take the metro or a taxi.
Additionally, the city is fairly small (there’s only just over 200,000 residents) so there’s not that much to see.
When I first arrived in Porto, I planned to spend the first week or so just exploring the city but I found that after 2 days, I’d already seen most of what the city had to offer.
Having an extra few days though will allow you to explore the city in its entirety and maybe even take a day trip to another nearby town or visit one of the nearby beaches.
If you’re spending just 2 days in Porto then you’ll want to make sure you stay right in the heart of the city.
One of the best hotels in Porto is Torel Palace Porto. For a 5-star hotel, it’s super reasonably priced meaning you don’t have to break the bank to stay in luxury.
It’s also located right in the heart of the city, close to many of Porto’s best attractions so you won’t waste any time traveling into the city each day.
How To See Porto In 2 Days
With two days in Porto, you’ll be able to see all of Porto’s most famous attractions including the 800-year old cathedral, the famous double-decker bridge and the cute riverfront area.
You may not be able to visit some of the attractions on the outskirts of the city though, including the beach (you’ll need a few extra days for this).
With such limited time, I’d really recommend booking a Porto walking tour to make the most out of your time.
This tour is just 3 hours long but packs in lots of Porto’s most famous attractions.
A bonus is that the guides know pretty much everything there is to know about Porto and it’s history so you’ll learn a lot.
Alternatively, you could join an electric bike tour of Porto instead. This one is a bit more relaxed and less tiring than walking.
As you’re on a bike, you’ll be able to move around the city even faster, seeing as much as possible in just a few hours!
(plus you’ll be glad it’s an electric bike once you realize how hilly Porto is!!)
2-Day Porto Itinerary
With just 2 days in Porto, you’ll want to make sure you have an itinerary to follow to ensure you don’t waste too much time.
Luckily, many of the attractions are grouped together in certain areas of the city with some just being a few minutes walk away.
I’ve grouped the attractions together for you below and put together a DIY walking tour of Porto.
As I mentioned, if you fancy having someone else showing you around you can join a Porto walking tour or an electric bike tour.
You’ll learn so much more about the city on a tour compared with doing it yourself.
If you’re set on doing it by yourself then I’ve put together an ideal 2-day itinerary that includes all the key sights.
Here’s a quick overview of my 2-day Porto itinerary:
Day 1:
- Ribeira (Porto’s historical riverfront area where you’ll find colorful houses and authentic restaurants)
- Dom LuÃs I Bridge (sunset is the best time to visit Porto’s most recognised bridge)
- Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar (an old monastery that overlooks the city)
- Jardim do Morro (a peaceful garden that offers great views of the city)
- Porto Cathedral (Porto’s oldest monument, a cathedral that’s 800 years old)
- Douro River cruise (get out onto the river for a new perspective of the city)
Day 2:
- Food & wine tour (taste all of Porto’s most yummiest foods)
- Livraria Lello (one of the world’s most beautiful bookstores)
- Clérigos Tower (the tallest campanile in Portugal)
- Igreja do Carmo (a huge church covered in pretty white & blue tiles)
- Miradouro da Vitória (one of Porto’s best viewpoints)
- São Bento train station (a train station decorated with 20,000 tiles showing Portugal’s history)
I’ve listed the attractions in the order you should visit them in. Attractions in the same area have been grouped together to make the most of your time.
Although it might seem like a lot, visiting all of the above attractions in 2 days is completely do-able.
I lived in Porto for a whole month and my parents actually flew out for 2 days to visit me.
In those 2 days, I showed them most of what Porto has to offer and they didn’t feel like they’d missed out on much.
I took them to see pretty much everything on the list above and we still had left over time to have dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe and squeeze in a visit to the Vila Nova de Gaia riverfront too.
Is 3 Days In Porto Too Much?
No, 3 days in Porto is definitely not too much. 3 days gives you the chance to explore all of Porto’s best attractions and you could include a day trip to another nearby Portuguese town.
Porto isn’t the only northern city in Portugal that’s worth visiting so why not extend your trip by a day and check one out.
Some popular day trips from Porto include Coimbra, Braga, the Douro Valley and Aveiro.
I’d personally recommend joining a Douro Valley Wine Tasting Tour if you can as it’s such a memorable experience.
You’ll learn all about how they make port wine and you’ll get to try some for yourself.
This particular tour is a small-group tour so it feels much more personalized and intimate.
Alternatively, you could just spend the third day in Porto.
Porto does have a lot to offer and you could easily spend an extra day exploring it, trying out more cafes and seeing some of the lesser known (but equally as stunning) sights.
With a third day in Porto, you should definitely add Jardins do Palácio de Cristal to your itinerary.
These landscaped gardens are 8 hectares and offer panoramic views of the city, a prime sunset spot, fountains, sculpted gardens, hidden seating areas and more.
It’s essentially a series of gardens, each with a different theme. It’s kinda like a maze – I’ve visited several times and each time I always seem to find a new area that I missed the first time.
You can also stick around for sunset to see skies like these:
Dreamy right?!
A third day will also allow you to visit Porto’s beaches. Yep, Porto has beaches – who knew?
The beaches are just a little bit too far to walk from the city center so you’ll need to take a taxi or the metro.
There’s actually several different beaches in Porto and they’re all super stunning. Praia dos Ingleses is my personal favorite as it’s really spacious so it nevers feels busy.
If you’re visiting in the summer then you could add a beach day to your itinerary.
If you have extra time then you could even extend your Porto trip to 4 or even 5 days. Yep, 5 days isn’t too long in Porto at all!!
And that’s it!
Thanks for reading this post on if 2 days is enough time in Porto.
If you’re planning a Portugal trip then you might be interested to know if it’s cheaper to fly to Porto or Lisbon (the answer could save you $280) and whether Porto or Lisbon is colder.
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