Destination Information – Porto, Portugal

Originally published in 2017

Porto, the official name, Oporto, gets overshadowed by Lisbon, but if you take the journey north of Lisbon, I can guarantee this will be your new favorite European city.

Porto is also a free stopover city in the TAP Stopover program

It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and has no shortage of narrow cobblestone streets, red-roofed buildings and endless places to eat.

Where Is Porto, Portugal Located?

Porto is located just north of Lisbon on the west coast of Portugal.

 

How To Get Here

Porto, Portugal is served by air, rail and buses.

Airports Serving The Area

Porto is served by the Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport (OPO). The airlines serving this airport are:

Aegean Airlines (A3), Air Canada – Star Alliance (AC), Air Europa – SkyTeam (UX), Air France -SkyTeam (AF), Air Serbia (JU), Air Transat (TS), AirBaltic (BT), Austrian Airlines – Star Alliance (OS), British Airways – oneworld (BA), Brussels Airlines – Star Alliance (SN), EasyJet Airlines (U2), El Al Airlines (LY), Eurowings (EW), Iberia Airlines – oneworld (IB), Jet2.com (LS), KLM Royal Dutch Airlines – SkyTeam (KL), Lufthansa German Airlines – Star Alliance (LH), Luxair (LG), Neos Air (NO), Norwegian Air International (D8), Norwegian Air Shuttle (DY), Play (OG), Royal Air Morac (AT), Ryanair (FR), Ryanair UK (RK), SAS (SK), SATA International (S4), Swiss Airlines – Star Alliance (LX), TAAG ANGOLA AIRLINES (DT), TAP Portugal –  Star Alliance (TP), Transavia (HV), Transavia France (TO), Turkish Airlines – Star Alliance (TK), United Airlines – Star Alliance (UA), Volotea (V7), Vueling (VY), Wizz Air (W6) and Wizz Air UK (W4)

The national airline is TAP Portugal (TP), a Star Alliance member.

Nonstop Service To North America

Air Canada (AC) flies to Montreal, while Air Transat flies to both Montreal and Toronto. SATA International flies to Boston and New York while TAP Air Portugal flies to Boston, Newark and New York-JFK via Ponta Delgada, Azores (PDL) and United flies to Newark.

Bus Services

Here are some bus services that will get you to Porto from around Europe:

• Flixbus

Train Services

You can use the following services to book trains to/from Porto. But you can use their high speed train called Alfa Pendular. Head over to https://www.portugaltrain.com/ to book:

• Rail Europe
• Renfe
• The Train Line

Airport Lounges

There are several lounges at the airport.

• The ANA Lounge
• CIP Lounge

You can find more details here.

Currency

Euros (EUR).

Language

Portuguese. English is also spoken.

Visa and Health Requirements

If you are a U.S. citizen, a visa is not required at this time. Here is some additional information from the U.S. State Department including visa and health requirements. Use this link to check visa requirements for other citizenship.

Accommodations

I’ve been here twice. Te second time I decided to stay in the heart of the city at the Intercontinental Porto. I highly recommend this property. The views are just simply amazing.

Here’s a map to help you get started. The city is quite large and there are different areas you can stay.

 

Where To Eat In Porto, Portugal

There is literally no shortage of places to eat in this city. Just walk down any street and you will find countless places to eat. Plus Porto is the home of port, so obviously you must try some either at a winery or at a restaurant.

 

Things to Do In Porto

You definitely should visit a vineyard and see how port is made. You can take a cruise down the Douro River and stop at one of the many vineyards along the way.

You can also use this site to find 10 things to do in 24 hours in Porto: https://www.10in24.c0m.

One of the more famous things to do is to visit the bookstore. Livraria Lello that became famous due to Harry Potter.

 

 

 

 

Additional Information

Tourism Board

• Visit Portugal – https://www.visitportugal.com/en/destinos/porto-e-norte/73735.
• Visit Portugal Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/visitportugal/
• Visit Portugal YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/VisitPortugal

Please leave a comment below about your own experiences and tips.