Visitor and Tour Information

The main municipal tourist office is next to the city hall at the top of Avenida dos Aliados, but there are branches next to the Sé and down in the Ribeira district. The national tourist office has branches downtown and at the airport. The Vila Nova de Gaia municipality has its own tourist offices (closed Sunday) with information on the local port wine lodges. The organization Rota do Vinho do Porto (Port Wine Route), based upriver in Pêso da Régua, can make reservations for Douro boat and train tours, hotels, and wine tastings at many of the valley’s lovely quintas. There’s a similar Rota dos Vinhos Verdes promoting visits and stays associated with vinho verde, the young wine produced across the Minho; its office is in Porto. The regional tourism board for the whole of the north (including Porto) is based in Viana do Castelo.

In town, Bluedragon offers walking tours (twice daily Tuesday–Sunday, from €15 for three hours), as well as bicycle and Segway tours (from €15 and €50, respectively, for three hours; reservations required for all tours) and bike rentals. Those on a budget should look no further than Porto Free Walking Tour, which leaves from Praça de Gomes Texeira (better known as Praça dos Leões) Monday through Saturday at 9:20 am (book online in advance). Vieguini, at the bottom of Rua do Infante D. Henrique, rents out mountain bikes (€5 for two hours, €12 for a full day), but you may find their motorized scooters (€20 for a half day, €28 for a full day, €75 for three days) better for tackling the city’s hills. TukTour Porto offers tours on eco-friendly tuk-tuk wagons departing from two locations (Porto and across the river in Vila Nova de Gaia) to beaches, nearby fishing villages, and port wine cellars for €15–€25. OportoShare is another local tour company that offers customized tours for small groups or families, by van or Vespa.

Several local companies (and some Lisbon-based ones such as Diana Tours and Cityrama) run bus tours of Porto; these usually last a half day and take in all the main sights, including the port wine lodges in Vila Nova de Gaia. The two City Sightseeing routes run by Douro Acima (one covering downtown and Vila Nova de Gaia, including museums; the other downtown, Foz, and Boavista) depart every half hour, and you may hop on and off as often as you wish. Rival bus operator Living Tours has a minitrain you can pick up outside the Sé. Several companies also operate half- and full-day coach tours to the Douro Valley, the Minho, and the Parque Nacional da Peneda-Gerês.

Some of the same Porto-based companies offer cruises on the Rio Douro, often with free hotel pickup. These range from short trips taking in Porto's bridges and the local fishing villages to one- and two-day cruises that include meals and accommodations. Most of the short cruises depart several times daily from the Cais da Ribeira, at the foot of Porto's old town.

Douro Acima specializes in rides on rabelos, centuries-old sailboats traditionally used to transport port wine downriver. The six vessels leave from quays in both Porto’s Ribeira district and across the river in Vila Nova de Gaia.

Douro Azul has the widest range of cruises, including trips upriver of up to a week, on air-conditioned hotel boats: the Invicta (40 double cabins), Douro Cruiser and Douro Queen (65 double cabins each, most with private balcony, plus rooftop pool and Jacuzzis), and newer Viking Torgil (88 cabins, all outfitted with flat-screen TVs). The company’s main Porto office is open weekdays only; the branch in São Bento station is also open Saturday morning.

If you want to get above it all, Helitours offers 12-minute flights over Porto (from €45 per person) and 20-minute flights that take you farther upriver. The three-hour tour (from €325 per person) includes a trip to Mesão Frio, with a stop for lunch. The heliport is in the Massarelos area overlooking the Douro River and next to the Helitours office. Flights are for a minimum of four people.