What to do and see in Porto District, Northern Portugal: The Best Things to do

December 15, 2021 Veronika Gaddis

Discover the best top things to do in Porto District, Portugal including Porto Augusto's, Ponte de Dom Luis I, Douro River, Palacio da Bolsa, Quinta da Aveleda, Cais da Ribeira, Graham's Port Lodge, Nau Quinhentista, Porto Calem, Matosinhos Beach.
Restaurants in Porto District

1. Porto Augusto's

Rua de Franca 8-10, Vila Nova de Gaia 4400-174 Portugal +351 22 319 0614 [email protected] http://www.portoaugustos.pt
Excellent
83%
Good
12%
Satisfactory
2%
Poor
1%
Terrible
2%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 1,396 reviews

Porto Augusto's

Reviewed By Alberto1102002 - Las Rozas, Spain

Fantastic, great experience and highly recommended. Our guide Sandra explained everything very warmly and solved our doubts. Best part is the final taste. The only thing is that Spaniards always like to eat something while drinking

2. Ponte de Dom Luis I

Pte. Luiz I, Porto Portugal
Excellent
68%
Good
28%
Satisfactory
3%
Poor
0%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 24,398 reviews

Ponte de Dom Luis I

Built in 1886, this bridge links Porto and Gaia.

Reviewed By 364anac - Porto, Portugal

This Eiffel style bridge is the perfect spot to see the Rebelo boats where the Oporto wine barrels were carried down the river from the Douro valley, the historic Porto town center and a perfect background for the trip picture from the Gaia cable car (teleférico de Gaia)

3. Douro River

Porto Portugal
Excellent
64%
Good
29%
Satisfactory
6%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 7,397 reviews

Douro River

Reviewed By The_Loup_Garou - Phoenix, United States

A Mighty River of Commerce In November, we were once more on the Douro River, or above it, watching it flow. We spent hours on the patio of our room at the Yeatman in Vila Nova de Gaia, observing the life blood of northern Portugal, the Douro River. Unlike our previous visit, we did not have time to take a cruise on the Douro, higher above Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia, but we actually had more time to just watch the river flow - the water taxis, the tourist cruise vessels, and then the flow of commerce. Looking out at the replicas of the rabelos, the boats used to bring the Port wines down from the vineyards, far upstream, to the Port Houses of Vila Nova de Gaia, and Porto, I could almost imagine those earlier journeys. Though the River has been tamed somewhat, by a series of dams and locks, it is still a powerful current, heading toward the Atlantic, just a few miles away. In some ways, the Douro reminded me of the Mississippi River, in the USA, with the various types of vessels plying it hourly. Just watching commerce, in various forms, became a pastime with us, and with a bottle of wine, we could have spent the entire trip, just watching this river.

4. Palacio da Bolsa

Rua Ferreira Borges, Porto 4050-253 Portugal 223 399 000 [email protected] http://www.palaciodabolsa.com
Excellent
56%
Good
33%
Satisfactory
8%
Poor
2%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 5,347 reviews

Palacio da Bolsa

National Monument, located in the historical centre of the city, classified as World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the Palacio da Bolsa, built by the Porto Commercial Association on the ruins of the Saint Francis Convent, has become by excellence the Porto city’s drawing room, welcoming the most illustrious visitors, amongst which are monarchs, presidents and ministers from almost every country, transforming this building into the most visited monument in northern Portugal.

Reviewed By JimRiesterer - Edina, United States

Formerly the HQ for the rich merchants of Porto and today the center of the chamber of commerce, you will want to take one of the short guided tours of this place next to the famous golden church. Tickets cost €10 and you will be guided through some historic and breathtaking rooms in the Stock exchange palace. Tours are offered in different languages throughout the day and you just need to pop into the ticket office to find out the day's schedule as it varies (apparently). We arrived 9:40 and we able to book the 10:15 English tour. Each group has around 50 people which can be a bit tedious. The tours follow a consistent plan beginning in the lofty hall of nations and ending in the amazing Arabic room. You also see the business court room and several others of note. We were done in a little under an hour.

5. Quinta da Aveleda

N0 2 Rua da Aveleda, Penafiel 4560-570 Portugal +351 255 718 242 [email protected] http://www.aveledaportugal.com
Excellent
60%
Good
29%
Satisfactory
4%
Poor
2%
Terrible
5%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 329 reviews

Quinta da Aveleda

Reviewed By Martinha_Mar - Guimaraes, Portugal

The visits to the historical gardens. The old cellar. The main house. The manueline window, the tea house on the lake and the Nossa Senhora da Vandoma Fountain. The picnic. Everything is gorgeous.????????

6. Cais da Ribeira

Rua Cais da Ribeira Praca Ribeira, Porto 4050-510 Portugal http://www.guiadacidade.pt/pt/poi-cais-da-ribeira-porto-15385
Excellent
62%
Good
32%
Satisfactory
5%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 10,851 reviews

Cais da Ribeira

Reviewed By rhmclapham - Swansea, United Kingdom

The beating heart of an incredible city, just sitting in one of the myriad cafes and restaurants and watching the world bustle past....one of life's must do moments that will linger for a lifetime. Ships ploughing their way up the river, ferries making their way between banks, couples laughing, glorious food, wine and vistas to die for... Did I mention it was a nice place to visit?

7. Graham's Port Lodge

Rua de Agro 141, Vila Nova de Gaia 4400-351 Portugal +351 22 377 6484 [email protected] http://grahams-port.com/visit-grahams-lodge/the-grahams-1890-lodge
Excellent
74%
Good
22%
Satisfactory
3%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 2,498 reviews

Graham's Port Lodge

RESERVATION REQUIRED. Graham’s Port is owned and managed by the Symington family, ten of whom work in the company (four from the 4th generation and six from the 5th generation of Port producers). They and their ancestors have made some of the greatest Port Wines of all. The magnificent Graham’s cellars were built in 1890 and contain a priceless collection of Port ageing in seasoned oak cascks and in bottle. Visits can only be made by prior appointment so that you will be met on arrival and shown around the cellars by a highly trained guide in the language of your preference.

Reviewed By ddkine - Huntington Beach, United States

Educational tour with a view! Prior to our visit, our favorite port was Taylor Fladgate and we visited their distillery as well. But from an interest/educational and overall value standpoint the Graham distillery tour was much better. It was led by a guide (Taylor’s is self guided) who was very informative and fun to listen to. The tour was followed by a guided tasting as well and there were several options to choose from that was included in the tour price. And you could add to your tasting as well. The tasting room/lodge is located in the perfect place on the Gaia side of the Douro River with excellent views of Porto and Gaia and the river.

8. Nau Quinhentista

Rua Cais da Alfandega, Vila do Conde 4480-702 Portugal +351 252 617 506 [email protected] http://www.cm-viladoconde.pt/pages/502
Excellent
51%
Good
45%
Satisfactory
2%
Poor
0%
Terrible
2%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 124 reviews

Nau Quinhentista

Reviewed By hans-jaguar - Santa Comba Dao, Portugal

The Nau Quinhentista is located just across the street in front of the museu “Alfandega Régia”, it is a replica from a Portuguese vessel from the North Atlantic career of the beginning of the 16th century, the vessel was designed by Admiral Rogério d'Oliveira and built at the Samuel & Filhos shipyards, which until 1993 were located in this same place. With a length of 27.50 meters, a width of 7.70 meters, a height of 4.75 meters, and a weight of around 300 tons. On the inside, you can see various reproductions of life on board that time, such as the crew members' quarters, places and ways of storing goods, disposal of cartographic material and instruments to aid navigation, artillery pieces, ballast, among others , in order to represent the complexity faced by navigators on their voyages on the high seas. O location not to be missed.

9. Porto Calem

Avenida Diogo Leite 344, Vila Nova de Gaia 4400-111 Portugal +351 916 113 451 [email protected] http://tour.calem.pt
Excellent
45%
Good
35%
Satisfactory
14%
Poor
4%
Terrible
2%
Overall Ratings

4.0 based on 1,987 reviews

Porto Calem

Welcome into the world of Port Wine. Welcome to Porto Cálem, a house that produces wines of a superior quality, widely recognized through successive international awards. Visit the cellars where our wines age for many years until they achieve their perfect balance and learn how to distinguish the different aromas and flavours in a wine tasting. Learn more about the unique landscape of the demarcated region of Douro Valley and get to know the features which make this wine a special and unique one. Take part in an unforgettable experience which will teach you how to really enjoy a Port.

Reviewed By 354tl - Wiesbaden, Germany

We learnt about the Calem family from the stock exchange tour. Isabel, our guide, gave us a professional and informative presentation of the history and production of various type of port wine and the Douro Valley. We did the €16 tour and tried 3 wines. Very generous portion! We cant compare the experiences but we had a good time in there and would recommend this tour.

10. Matosinhos Beach

Avenida General Norton de Matos, Matosinhos 4450-208 Portugal
Excellent
39%
Good
43%
Satisfactory
15%
Poor
2%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.0 based on 1,111 reviews

Matosinhos Beach

Reviewed By vanssa_21 - Bratislava, Slovakia

Romantic place for couples or nice place for surfers.. your choice :) we totally recommend.. love this beach :)

ThingsTodoPost © 2018 - 2024 All rights reserved.