Best day trips from Porto, Portugal

Last Updated on March 31, 2024

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Porto in Portugal is a beautiful city, that I cannot encourage you enough to visit. It’s a perfect combination of history, great architecture and world-famous Port wine. 3 days in Porto is a perfect amount of time to explore all it has to offer, but if you can add a couple more days to get out of the city, by all means do it. Besides being an amazing destination itself, Porto is also a perfect base for exploring some great cities nearby. Some of the best day trips from Porto are no more than 1-2 hours away. What’s also amazing is that each one of these places is very different, which lets you see many sides of Portugal.

For all the essential information on how to plan a trip to Porto read Porto tips – know before you go.

Best day trips from Porto, Portugal

Taking day trips from Porto is extremely easy, mostly thanks to the excellent railway system. Trains depart frequently and they’re very cheap. Of course you can rent a car, but keep in mind that the price of gasoline in Portugal is on the higher side and there are a lot of toll roads. You really cannot beat the ease and cheap cost of traveling by train.

Douro Valley

If one day trip from Porto is all you can do, make it a visit to Douro Valley. The scenic wine region in Northern Portugal is truly one of the most beautiful places you’ll ever see. If you love wine, you really cannot miss this. After all, Douro Valley is the only place in the world, where Port wine is made. You can spend your day sampling Ports at different Quintas, take a boat ride on Douro River and admire the spectacular landscape around you.

If you visit Douro Valley in September, you are in for an extra special treat. This happens to be the harvest season, which is a very busy and exciting time to be in the Valley. You get to witness all the activity that takes place during harvest, from picking the grapes to foot treading, the traditional way of crushing grapes.

Distance: about 100 km (62 miles)

How to get from Porto to Douro Valley:

• car – the drive from Porto to Douro Valley takes about 1.5 hr – 2 hrs. You follow the rather boring A4 to Amarante, then N101 and finally N222, which is the most picturesque part of the drive.
• train – Linha do Douro runs from Porto’s São Bento train station reaching the final stop in Pocinho in 3.5 hours. The stretch between Régua and Pocinho is regarded as one of the most scenic train rides in the world. One thing to keep in mind is that with the limited trains a day and the distance, this doesn’t leave much time to spend in Douro Valley (if you plan on just a day trip from Porto). Here you can find Linha do Douro schedule and more information.
• organized tour – if you want to leave all the planning and driving to someone else, taking an organized tour is the best option. Especially if you only have one day to spend in Douro Valley. This way you’ll be able to make the best out of your day and most importantly not have to worry about driving back to Porto after indulging in many Port wine tastings. Porto to Douro Valley is the most popular tour and there are countless options of tours to choose from. They usually include a visit to a couple of wine estates, lunch and a boat tour on Douro River. I can highly recommend Douro Valley Tour with Wine Tasting and Lunch with Cooltour Oporto.

Aveiro

Often referred to as the Venice of Portugal, the coastal city of Aveiro is one of the best day trips from Porto and one of the easiest to take. Comparison to the Italian city stems from the canals that run through Aveiro’s historical center and the colorful boats. The pretty Moliceiros boats, that back in the day were used for collecting seaweed, are now there for the enjoyment of the tourists.

Walking around Aveiro is the best way to see the city’s highlights. You will pass many beautiful Art Nouveau houses, that are one of Aveiro’s main characteristics. For a traditional snack, make sure to try Ovo Mole, made with just two ingredients: egg yolk and sugar.

Aveiro is not too big and you’ll be able to see all the best things in half a day. You can easily add a visit to Costa Nova, a neighborhood on the coast, famous for colored striped houses. The former fishing village is now a popular vacation spot.

Distance: 75 km

How to get from Porto to Aveiro:

• car – Porto to Aveiro is about 1 hour drive via A29
• train – the easiest and cheapest way to get from Porto to Aveiro is by Urban train. You can take one from either São Bento or Campanhã train station. They run frequently throughout the day and return ticket costs €2 – 6 (depending on the day and time).
• organized tour – since Aveiro is not big, most tours from Porto usually take 4 hours. The popular Half day Tour to Aveiro includes a cruise on Moliceiro boat and a visit to Costa Nova. For a full day out of Porto check out this All day tour of Aveiro and Coimbra. Both cities are close to each other, so they’re often combined.

Coimbra

Located roughly halfway between Porto and Lisbon is the ancient city of Coimbra. It was Portugal’s capital for over 100 years, from 1139 until 1260, before getting replaced by Lisbon. Coimbra is also home to one of the world’s oldest Universities, that was established in 1290 and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

One of the best features of the University is the 3 level Biblioteca Joanina, a stunning library with over 56,000 volumes, with many dating back to 16th – 18th century. The beautiful library is a must on your day trip to Coimbra, but make sure to get your ticket right away. Visiting the library is very popular and only 60 people are allowed at a time, so the tickets are timed, and you might have to wait a bit. My tip would be to get your tickets first, then explore the square and surroundings while you wait.

Even though the University of Coimbra is the city’s main attraction, there is more to explore. Some of the highlights include visiting some of the many churches and monasteries. Sé Velha (Old Cathedral) dating back to the 12th century and Santa Cruz Monastery are not to be missed.

Distance: 127 km

How to get from Porto to Coimbra:

• car – the drive from Porto to Coimbra via A1 takes about 1 hr 30 minutes.
• train – you can take either the Urban train (close to 2 hr ride) or Alfa Pendular train (1 hr 15 min) from Porto to Coimbra. Either one arrives at Coimbra B station. From there you need to hop on another quick train ride to Coimbra A station, which is downtown. Your ticket covers both rides.
• organized tour – a lot of the organized trips from Porto combine Coimbra with Aveiro or Fátima.

Braga

Braga is the 3rd largest city in Portugal, but definitely doesn’t feel like it. It has more of a small-town charm and it’s best explored by foot. The city has a distinct medieval feel to it, full of alleys, beautiful gardens and Gothic buildings. Braga is also considered a religious center of Portugal. You’ll understand why when you start walking around and notice, that there’s a church literally on every corner. In fact, there are more than 30 churches in the city. While it’s impossible to visit all of them in one day, make sure to check out Sé, the oldest cathedral in the country, dating back to 12th century.  

However, the biggest attraction and a reason many visit Braga, myself included, is Bom Jesus do Monte. The beautiful sanctuary along with the stunning Baroque staircase is one of the most photographed churches in the world. If you choose to climb the 577 steps to the top, you will get a close look at the amazing staircase, something I highly recommend. Alternatively, you can reach the top by taking a ride on the antique funicular. Bom Jesus do Monte is located just outside of the city and easily reachable by local bus. Here’s a more detailed guide on How to visit Bom Jesus do Monte.

Distance: 55 km

How to get from Porto to Braga:

• car – Braga is a 45 minute drive from Porto via A3
• train – regular Urban trains run from Porto’s Campanhã train station to Braga (you can also catch some trains from São Bento). This is definitely the cheapest way to get there. Check the timetable and pricing. From there it’s just a short walk into the city center.
• organized tour – day trips from Porto to Braga are often combined with a visit to the nearby Guimarães. The short distance between the two allows to see all the highlights of both in one day. Braga & Guimarães Full-Day Tour with Lunch and Full-Day Braga & Guimarães Medieval Tour are great options to explore both cities.

Guimarães

Guimarães is a city of huge historical significance. It’s considered to be the birthplace of Portugal, as this is where Portugal’s first King Afonso Henriques was born. A sentence “Aqui nasceu Portugal” (“Here Portugal was born”) is engraved on the walls of Guimarães as a friendly reminder of that fact.

Guimarães is not a big place and most of the attractions are located in and near the UNESCO classified Historical Center. The two main plazas of the city: Largo da Oliveira and Praça de São Tiago are in the heart of town and it’s where you can spot many traditional houses. Some other highlights of Porto to Guimarães day trip include visiting Castelo de Guimarães, Palace of the Dukes of Braganza and the Gothic church of Nossa Senhora da Olveira. For some stunning views of the city, take the Funicular to the top of the Penha mountain.

Distance: 55 km

How to get from Porto to Guimarães:

• car – a drive from Porto to Guimarães shouldn’t take more than 45 minutes.
• train – getting to Guimarães from Porto is very easy by train. Direct trains run frequently from São Bento train station and will get you there in 1 hr 10 minutes. It’s also the cheapest way to travel, with round trip tickets costing anywhere from €2 – 6. The town’s center is about 15 min walk from the train station.
• organized tour – if you choose to visit Guimarães on an organized tour, you will find, that it’s often combined with a visit to Braga. This makes sense, since both places are just 25 km apart and visiting both in one day makes for one of the best day trips from Porto. Braga and Guimarães Full Day Tour with Lunch from Porto If you start your day early, you can visit both in one day, and see all the highlights in both.

READ NEXT:

• 10 Days In Portugal – The Perfect Itinerary by Train
• Aveiro – the “Venice ” of Portugal in one day
• Things to do in Braga, Portugal in one day
• Exploring the spectacular Douro Valley in Portugal

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