Getting there
Many roads lead to Porto, but by car you are definitely more than 20 hours on the road from Germany. The best way to get to Porto is by plane. The Aeroporto Francisco Sá Carneiro is then about 11 kilometers from the city center.
According to The Dress Explorer, the flight prices are significantly cheaper than to Lisbon and you can make real bargains here. We always use the Skyscanner flight search engine to find our flights .
Airport transfer by metro
Before you arrive, find out which subway station your hotel is at. The best and cheapest way to get to the center is to take metro line E (Estádio do Dragao – Airport), which takes you to Porto daily from 6:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. From 7:00 a.m. to midnight it runs every 20 minutes, otherwise every 30 minutes and on weekends it only runs until 11:00 p.m.
As an alternative to the metro, bus lines 87 and 601 also run from the airport to the city center.
Airport transfer by taxi
We took a taxi to our accommodation as our flight was delayed after midnight and it was pouring rain. The taxi rank is easy to find by following the signs.
All taxis are metered, 1 kilometer costs 80 cents and from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., on weekends and on public holidays you pay 20 percent more on the fare.
Luggage larger than 55x35x20cm costs 1.80 euros extra. So if you have a carry-on backpack, it’s best to just take it with you to the front of the taxi.
For a taxi ride to the city center you can expect around 15-30 euros depending on the time of day and luggage. The information here applies to a normal taxi with up to four people.
We paid about 29 euros for a ride after midnight with two pieces of luggage to our hotel.
Private transfer
You can also have a private driver pick you up at the airport. This is definitely the most convenient option. The driver will be waiting for you with a sign just inside the baggage claim area and drive you to your hotel.
Public transportation
The ticketing system for Porto’s public transport cannot be called straightforward, so here is a brief guide to the different tickets and options.
Normal tickets
At the machines in the subway stations you can get a paper card (Andante card) for a one-time fee of 60 cents, which you can then use to book trips. The Portuguese call their trips “Titles”. A title is valid for 1 hour.
You need one card per person. It is not possible to book two trips for two people on one card.
You then hold the card up to the validator before you start your journey. This will then show you how many titles you have left. Even if you change trains, you have to hold the card up to a machine again (but it doesn’t cost any more). If you fold, you don’t have to touch the card again.
When booking the titles, you have to tell the machine which zone you want to go to. You can find which station is which zone on the list next to the screen. All trips in the center are usually zone 2.
If you book 10 rides on the card, you get one ride for free. On buses you can either pay cash to the bus driver or you can use your Andante card and simply hold it up to the validator. However, paying cash to the bus driver is significantly more expensive.
Andante ticket for tourists
Alternatively, Andante tickets are also available for tourists. You can get them at the tourist information office at the airport, in some shops and on the bus.
You can then use all means of transport at a standard price. However, these tourist cards are not rechargeable. An Andante day ticket (Andante Tour 1) costs around 7 euros and for 72 hours you pay around 15 euros per person (Andante Tour 2).
Hop on hop off buses
If you don’t feel like dealing with the public transport system and just want to get from one sight to another in comfort, then the hop-on hop-off bus is for you.
The buses cover all the sights on a set route and you can hop on and off at any time. The ticket for 48 hours costs 17 euros and you can buy it online here .
postage card
If you plan to go to a lot of museums, then the Porto Card could be something for you. This gives you a discount in many museums and some are even free.
The Porto Card is available with different terms between 1 and 4 days. You can also choose whether you want the Porto Card including local public transport or not.
With the first variant you can use the metro and buses for free, with the second variant you only get the discounts or free entry.
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Travel Guide
Although Porto is sometimes almost overshadowed by Lisbon, there are now various travel guides for Porto as well. In particular, we can recommend the following three to you.
Reise Know-How City Trip Porto : This series is certainly one of the classics among travel guides, but not without reason. Here you will find all information and good tips for your city trip in a compact and clear manner.
GO VISTA – Porto Guide: At a price of 4.99 euros, it is definitely a very good price-performance ratio. You will be given typical sights, as well as tour suggestions and many practical tips on local culture.
DuMont Direct Travel Guide Porto : The travel guide impresses with its cool design and a wide range of recommendations for going out, eating out and staying overnight. It also contains a good mix of classic and more modern sights.
Basti delved into our Porto travel guide (Travel Know-How Porto).
Overnight in Porto
Your hotel should definitely be in the city center so that you can walk to all the sights, restaurants and bars.
But it doesn’t necessarily have to be in the historic old town. Better to be a few minutes walk outside.
A hotel with breakfast is not absolutely necessary in Porto, as you will find small bakeries with delicacies on every corner. There you can easily join the locals.
We stayed in Porto for four nights and tried two places to stay. Both were not directly in the tourist area, which we found very pleasant.
In a 5-10 minute walk we were right in the middle of the hustle and could return to the less touristy corners in the evening.
The first two days we stayed in an art hotel, the Oporto Loft . There are only five rooms in a renovated old building, all lovingly and artistically decorated.
Top location, great breakfast and a highly recommended place to stay, especially in summer, as you can then also use the wonderful garden behind the house.
The other two days we were in the then only 6 months “old” tree house hotel , which we can warmly recommend to you.
The owner and the responsible interior designer did a great job there. 9 apartments, wonderfully comfortable and tastefully furnished in a minimalist style. We would have liked to have stayed longer. Absolute recommendation!
The breakfast room in the Oporto Loft.
Our little apartment in the tree house.
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