Day 5 ·
Lisbon to Porto by train, azulejos and our first sunset
Porto · Portugal · 3 min read
The Alfa Pendular from Lisbon to Porto, the azulejos at São Bento, francesinha, Clérigos Tower, the Arab Room at the Bolsa, the gilded Church of São Francisco and sunset at the Passeio das Virtudes.
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São Bento Station
We arrived on the urban train from Campanhã, included with the Alfa Pendular ticket. About 20,000 tiles by Jorge Colaço: read the left wall first, then the right one.
Our guide Yes, it's worth it, and it's free. But give it 20 minutes and read the walls: the quick photo of the ceiling is the least of it. Read the full guide - 2
Café Santiago
The francesinha Time Out has ranked among the best in Porto. They don't take reservations: get there before one to avoid the line.
Our guide Yes, it's worth it for your first francesinha: according to locals it isn't the best in Porto, but it's the most representative. Get there early and come hungry. Read the full guide - 3
Carmo and Carmelitas churches
Two churches separated by a house one meter wide. The big 1912 tile panel is on the side wall of the Carmo, and you photograph it from the sidewalk across the street.
Our guide Yes, it's worth it, especially from the outside: the azulejo panel is free to see from the sidewalk, and both naves are free too. The paid tour is worth it if you want to go inside the hidden house. Read the full guide - 4
Clérigos Tower
Ticket with priority line bought on the official website. About 240 steps up to the only 360-degree view in central Porto.
Our guide For a first time in Porto, yes: it is the only 360-degree view of the center. If you already know the city, the Miradouro da Vitória gives you a good part of the view for free. Read the full guide - 5
Miradouro da Vitória
A free terrace in the old Jewish quarter, on the way to the apartment. The Ribeira, the Luís I bridge and the Sé from above, without climbing any stairs.
Our guide Yes, it's worth it: ten minutes, free and on the way if you're walking down from the Clérigos toward the Ribeira. It's small and has nothing but the view, so come to look, not to linger. Read the full guide - 6
Palácio da Bolsa
You can only go in on the 30-minute guided visit. The language is assigned at the ticket office on a first-come basis: we arrived with time to spare and asked for Spanish.
Our guide Yes, it's worth it, above all for the Salão Árabe. The tour is short and sometimes rushed, so ask for Spanish and arrive with time to spare. Read the full guide - 7
Church of São Francisco
Right next door to the Bolsa. A Gothic church covered inside in carved wood and gold leaf. Don't miss the Tree of Jesse or the catacombs.
Our guide If you're only going into one church in Porto, make it this one. On the outside it's plain; on the inside, almost everything is carved and gilded wood. Read the full guide - 8
Cais da Ribeira
Ten minutes by the river before dinner, among the rabelo boats that used to bring the wine down from the Douro.
Our guide Yes, it's worth it for the view, at golden hour and on foot. It's more stage set than living neighborhood: don't eat on the quay and watch your bag. Read the full guide - 9
Adega de São Nicolau
Our first dinner in Porto, booked for 7:00 PM by the apartment host. The table is yours for 90 minutes.
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Passeio das Virtudes
A terraced garden above the Douro, five minutes from the apartment. The sun sets around 8:45 PM; the lower terraces have the clearest view.
We left Lisbon on the 9:00 Alfa Pendular and by midday we were in Porto. It was a transition day, but we didn’t want to lose it: azulejos as we stepped off the train, francesinha, the upper part of the city in the afternoon, the two most impressive interiors in Porto before dinner and sunset five minutes from the apartment.
Why we planned it this way
The train arrives at Campanhã, and the included urban train drops you at São Bento in four minutes. That’s why the station’s azulejos came first: you step off the platform and you’re already inside.
We moved Livraria Lello to first thing the next morning. A timed entry on the same day as a train trip seemed fragile to us: any delay would ruin it.
After lunch we dropped off our bags and went up to the Carmo area and Clérigos Tower, with the priority line at 3:00 PM. Coming down from the tower, the Miradouro da Vitória is right on the way to the apartment in Miragaia.
The Palácio da Bolsa and São Francisco share a wall, so we put them back to back. The Bolsa at 5:00 PM because the last visit slot is early, and São Francisco right after, before it closes. From there we went down to the Ribeira for dinner at 7:00 and ended at the Passeio das Virtudes for sunset, at 8:45.
What to know before you go
Check-in at the apartment started at 4:00 PM and it only has stairs. If yours isn’t ready when you arrive, São Bento has luggage lockers. And if it rains, everything on this day except the sunset is indoors.
What we booked and tasted
Guided visit to the Palácio da Bolsa
- Ticket with fast access at the ticket office
- Required guided visit in Spanish, Portuguese, English or French
- The Arab Room, the Pátio das Nações and the grand staircase
There's no way to see it on your own. With fast access we skipped the ticket line, although you still have to ask for the Spanish slot at the ticket office.
See the visitWeb oficialRibeira Stay Apartments
Miragaia is right next to the Ribeira but quieter. The whole center is walkable, the Passeio das Virtudes and the fado are around the corner, and the apartment has a kitchen and a washing machine. Stairs only, no elevator.
Café Santiago
Order Francesinha Santiago with its fries and um fino (draft beer)
The beer sauce is the reason to go. The first time, order it without the egg on top to taste it as is. Closed on Sundays.
Adega de São Nicolau
Order Caldo verde, bacalhau à Narcisa or vitela de Arouca, and an Alvarinho vinho verde
Classic Ribeira cooking, two minutes from the river and without the prices of the tourist menus on the waterfront. Closed on Mondays.
Chiado Santa Apolónia Station
Uber for about €8–10. It's 2.7 km downhill and uphill: not worth walking with suitcases. We got there at 8:30 for a 9:00 train.
Lisbon Santa Apolónia Porto Campanhã
Alfa Pendular in first class (Conforto), bought on the CP website. The seats on the left side have the river views past Santarém. The bar car has sandwiches.
Porto Campanhã Porto São Bento
The urban train is included with the Alfa Pendular ticket. Follow the "Urbanos" signs when you get off.
What we learned
Tips
- At São Bento, go up a few steps toward the platforms and turn around: from there you read the panels the way Colaço composed them.
- At the Bolsa, ask for the Spanish visit when you pay and confirm the language before going in. If you don't say so, they assign you the next open slot and don't give refunds.
- Porto is very steep: from the Ribeira to the Clérigos you climb about 80 meters. Chain your visits downhill, like we did coming down from the tower to the viewpoint and the apartment.
Do
- Wear your bag in front at São Bento and in the Ribeira, the two areas with the most pickpockets in the city.
- Buy a bottle of vinho verde for sunset at the Passeio das Virtudes. It's what the locals do.
Don’t
- Don't eat at the São Bento café or on the terraces in the square across the street: three minutes away you eat better and for less.
- Don't buy your Bolsa ticket from resellers: they charge more for the same visit and don't guarantee the language.
- Don't buy the Porto Card for this day: with tickets already bought, it doesn't pay off.