Is Porto worth visiting? Points of interest

The question shouldn´t be is Porto worth visiting? Instead, you should be wondering why you haven´t visited it yet! Porto is getting more and more touristic every year, just the last year it received around 1.6 million visitors. It sounds like a pretty big number, for such a small city, right? But that´s not it, this number is getting bigger and bigger. Therefore, if you haven´t been yet, I would totally suggest you to visit it before it is too late. That said, let´s get to what really matters, why visit Porto?

Porto sights

There are many things to do and see in Porto, starting with the beautiful and colorful houses of the old town, which are something to highlight and perfect for photography. Other than these charming houses, you will also find something that really caught our attention, which were the famous blue tiles or “azulejos” of Porto and some other famous monuments of the city. You will love discovering more about the architecture of Porto, and the perfect place for it is the old town while walking through its warm and narrow streets.

Here are some of the landmarks and top sights of Porto you shouldn´t miss. Click in the picture or the name to read more about the place:

Sunsets and Sunrises in Porto

Sunsets in Porto are just something truly special, but… is Porto worth visiting just for it´s sunsets? Not just the sunsets, but also Porto sunrise can be spectacular. The sunsets and sunrises in Porto, are some of the best ones in Portugal and you will see them of all kind of colors yellow, orange, purple even more reddish! From all the ones we were able to see, we will never forget when the golden light was brightening the colorful houses of the city!

Does Porto have a beach?

Porto isn´t exactly famous for its beaches and most of the people who visit the city don´t even bother to go. That is something we totally understand, as Porto by itself has already many activities to do in the city. But if you are one of those that need at least some beach during vacations, don´t worry, because Porto do have some good beaches and they are not that far from the old town. Just by taking the tram or the bus and you will be there quickly. These are some the best beaches near Porto:

• Vila do Conde beach: 32 minutes by public transport and 24 minutes by car.
• Foz do Douro beach: In just 26 minutes by public transport and 20 minutes by car. 
• Matosinhos beach: 40 minutes by public transport and 25 minutes by car. 
• Espinho beach: 36 minutes by public transport and 29 minutes by car.

Good food in Porto

Like in many other cities of Portugal, the food in Porto is delicious! The main advantage of Porto is that it doesn´t just have the ocean close, but also the Douro river, therefore you can imagine how wide is Porto gastronomy. As in Miranda do Douro and any other town or city in Portugal, the cod fish is one of the main specialties of Porto.

Other famous dishes of Porto are the Alheira, Tripas à Moda do Porto (which is the main reasons why people from Porto are called tripeiros) and the The Francesinha Sandwich. These are just some of the most popular ones. If you have any other suggestion you think we should add to this list, please let us know in the comments. And if you are looking for good places to eat in Porto here you have our recommendations: Patio do Duque and Travesso.

Getting around Porto

At this point, we hope to have answered the question of is Porto worth visiting? but if it wasn´t clear enough, the answer is yes! And what we are going to tell you know, is going to make it even clearer. Getting around Porto is easier than in any other city! All the main things to do and see are very accessible.

If you go to the city center, you won´t even need public transport from there, you can go walking. Even if you are planning to go to the beach, it is possible to go walking! But if all that wasn´t enough, the Porto tram will take you wherever you want! And one more thing! Porto is a very safe city!!