Welcome to my 11 hidden gems in Porto, Portugal. I consider this destination a small paradise for the wine lover and food enthusiast. I have visited Porto the first time in 2008 and the last time in 2023. And I can tell you: it changed a lot. So many more hostels, cafés and restaurants. It is an absolute gem of a city. I am still considering moving there for a few months.
It is perfect for the slow traveler and hidden gems seeker. Porto became more popular over the year. Therefore, we share our best hidden gems to Porto. Secret and FUN things to do you won’t find anywhere else.
My “local secrets” introduce you to a cozy wine bar, a delicious local restaurant with a green garden, our favorite beach, day trips. We also take the chance to show you a great vegan restaurant. It’s this kind of place every single meat lover will also enjoy – promised! While discovering these hidden gems, it’s also important to know what to avoid. Check out our guide on things not to do in Porto to ensure a smooth trip.
1. Wine bar: Prova Wine&Food
For sure you want to taste some wine when in Porto, right? This wine bar is a cozy lounge where you can taste different wines from all over Portugal including Port wine. We like this bar for its comfortable lounge, the personal touch and recommendations, and the super-friendly people. Just hop in here, have a wine of your choice, and continue exploring.
For a Porto-Wine Tasting I recommend visiting the oldest Wine Cellar in the town.
2. Tea Room and Breakfast Spot: Rota do Chá
This place is a green, chill-out garden to have breakfast, brunch, dinner, or just a tea. The Rota do Chá is a magic little place where you fill find tons of different teas from around the world, different cakes and pies, smoothies, and plenty of dishes for brunch.
This tea room is a local secret – enjoy!
3. Beautiful beach and a Chapel
Visit the Capela do Senhor da Pedra. We have been looking for a special beach around Oporto, and the result was simply amazing: Capela do Senhor da Pedra.
This tiny chapel is located almost in the Atlantic ocean, resisting the Atlantic waves. The beach around this chapel is long and wide, and usually there are not many people around.
This spot is located south of Porto, a 15 minutes ride with the car, or ~30 min with the train. We recommend to come here in the evening, and stay until the sunset – a magical moment to remember forever! There are a couple of local restaurants around for lunch and dinner, however there isn’t a supermarket nearby, so bring some water, and snacks.
Address: Sr. da Pedra 11, 4405-712 Gulpilhares, Portugal
How to get there: You can get here via car, scooter (~20 min.), or Public Transport. Take the train until the station “Miramar”. Please check the map in the link above to find the schedule of the train, and more detailed information.
This spot is around 20km from the city center. If you plan to come here for sunset, I would not recommend really to come by bike. It means you would need to drive back in the dark. A scooter or car are more comfortable.
4. Vegan & Vegetarian Buffet on a Swing: Cultura dos Sabores
We never had dinner on a swing, and when we heard about Cultura Dos Sabores’ offer of a vegan&vegetarian buffet, we had to give it a try!
You can choose between plenty of different food, everything fresh and tasty! They even have a vegan francesinha available. The staff is very friendly, and happy to help with any questions about the food you might have. The tea is included by the way – as much as you want!
Address: Rua De Ceuta, 80, Porto, Distrito do Porto 4050-189, Portugal
5. Hipster Thing to do in Porto: Combi Café
What an epic, gorgeous place! Okay, to be fair, I am a coffee kind of nerd, but still. This café is a great place to the hipster and coffee lover visiting. We recently discovered is COMBI Café. This is a real hipster Porto paradise, go for it!!
They even have a small van. In this van they stand around the city and sell coffee from this tiny van. Check out their Instagram. This is where they post their daily coffee selling spot. We were lucky enough and found them actually next to The Passenger Hostel.
The coffee shop itself is also just a 10 minutes walk from Sao Bento train station, and 5 minutes from the famous Majestic café.
6. Day Trip to the birthplace of Portugal: Guimarães
A 2 hours ride from Porto, you can spend a day or half a day in the birthplace of Portugal. The city of Guimaraes is a small town with narrowed streets, an impressing castle, and many historical sights.
It is very different from Porto, as it is located upcountry. If you are a couple of days in Porto, it is worth it to jump in the train to visit one of the most important historic cities of Portugal.
You can also join a day tour to Braga and Guimares.
Photo by @visitportoandnorth
7. Best Day Cruise
This is a MUST-DO: A boat trip through the river of the North. So many people do it and it is certainly worth it.
The boat tour starts near the famous bridge and it goes a full day. There is food and a stunning views of the Douro Valley. The unforgettable experience included 🙂
I seriously consider this a must-do, one of many fun things to do in Porto! The price for the tour starts from 75€.
Find schedule and updated prices here.
8. There is a new cool WALKING TOUR
The walking tour is called “Secret Sites of Porto“. And that’s certainly true.
The guide (Katya, Denisa or whoever you get on your day visiting) will bring you to the hidden spots like the mosaic walls and even the bank of tiles. It’s really interesting!
The tour is 15€, but please refer for updated prices and schedules when booking the tour here.
9. Climb the Bridge
This is maybe the best of the FUN things to do in porto. It is definitely unique!
Climb the bridge in Porto! Get unique views of Porto on a 30-minute guided tour of the Arrábida Bridge. (This is not the famous Dom Luis bridge. It is the last bridge before the ocean. You are basically under the highway with views to the ocean and Porto. It’s gorgeous!)
Good to now: Come here before sunset!
10. Vintage Café: Moustache Café
This is another cool coffee shops we like. Super friendly, quick service, yummy café, and pies! Moustache café is one of our favorite cafés in Porto.
You can either sit outside, or upstairs having a look at the bar downstairs. The design is kept in a vintage style with fun quotes over the café – we love it! Oh, and there is free WiFi! 😉
Oh, and it is cheap, too! Read here my guide on the best cheap eats in all Porto.
Address: Praça de Carlos Alberto, 104 Porto, Portugal
11. Restaurant Comme Ça
Last but not least, a yummy restaurant!
You can eat really well in Porto. And a great recommendation for a restaurant on a budget in Porto is Restaurant Comme Ça.
Traditional food in a cool, hipster kind of design!
All dishes are for 2 people. But no worries, we went here with a group of hostel mates we met at The Passenger Hostel. You can do the same, plus you are a hero if you come with this cool and tasty and cheaply restaurant!
More About Porto
Porto is well-known for its port wine and Douro river, the wild Atlantic ocean next to it. And we want to show you the more secret part of Porto, things you do not find in a tourist guide! You will notice that Porto is different than the capital.
We love this city in the north of Portugal for its authenticity, the welcoming character. The open-heart and friendliness is one reason why we always love to come back.
Planning your Porto adventure? Don’t miss our complete Backpacking Porto Travel Guide.
Over to you: Any questions?
Please please bother us!
Drop us a comment below with the questions about Porto you might have. This guide to the cool and fun things to do in Porto should be on top of the game, we want to have it as useful as possible.
Every question you have helps us to improve, so don’t be shy, say hi and drop us your question in a comment below.
Safe travels
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