Portugal's second city, its colourful houses stacked up the hills above the Douro: the Ribeira waterfront, the iron Dom Luís I bridge, São Bento station lined with blue-and-white azulejo tiles, the Lello bookshop said to have inspired Harry Potter's author, and the port wine lodges across the river. The terraced vineyards of the Douro Valley, Braga and Guimarães make easy day trips. For francesinha sandwiches and port wine; cheaper and calmer than Lisbon. There are no direct flights — connect via Frankfurt or Istanbul. Mongolian citizens need a Schengen visa; the German Embassy in Ulaanbaatar (VFS Global) issues Portuguese visas on Portugal's behalf.
🛂 Visa: Visa required · 90 days✈ Flight: 16h☀ Best months: May, June, September, October
#port wine#Douro Valley#azulejos#bridges#francesinha#Schengen visa
Orange — daytime average, blue — night, grey bars — rainfall, green — sea temperature. Best months: May, June, September, October.
Things to see (12)
🧸 for kids
Ribeira and the Dom Luís I Bridge
CityFree; cross the upper deck on foot or on metro line D (Z2 €1.40)24 hours
The busiest quarter, with colourful houses, cafés and restaurants along the Douro — a UNESCO site. Walk the upper deck (metro and pedestrians) of the two-level iron bridge, designed by a disciple of Eiffel and opened in 1886, for city and river views from 45 m up; watch the sunset from the Serra do Pilar terrace on the Gaia side. The lower deck takes you across to Gaia on foot.
CultureLello: Silver voucher €10 (deducted from a book bought that day), standard voucher €15.95; under 3 free. Carmo church free, Casa Escondida ~€5
Travel guide
Like a well-travelled friend for a first-timer: before you go, landing, SIM, transport, money, food, safety, manners, apps, leaving — step by step.
🧳Before you goPortugal has no embassy in Mongolia — the German Embassy in Ulaanbaatar issues Portuguese Schengen visas on Portugal's behalf, and VFS Global takes the applications.+
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Schengen visa: German Embassy (represents Portugal)
If Portugal is your main destination, the German Embassy in Ulaanbaatar issues the visa on Portugal's behalf — there is no need to go to Beijing. Book an appointment online with VFS Global and attend in person at the embassy premises to give fingerprints. Fee €90 (ages 6–11 €45, under 6 free) plus a 100,000₮ VFS service fee. Apply between 6 months and 4 weeks before travel; processing takes at least 15 days.
Tip: Your main destination is the country where you spend the most nights. If you combine Spain and Portugal, the German Embassy represents both.
Medical insurance of at least €30,000 valid across Schengen is mandatory. Attach a return ticket, hotel bookings, bank statements and an employment letter. On first entry to Schengen the EES system records your fingerprints and face; ETIAS does not apply to visa holders.
The Lello bookshop, Palácio da Bolsa guided tours and port lodge tours fill up fast in summer. For São João (23–24 June), book your hotel months ahead. Buy only on official sites — look-alike resellers charge more.
🛬Landing and getting to the cityPorto airport (OPO) lies north of the city and is linked directly by metro line E (purple).+
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Metro line E
Line E runs from Aeroporto to Trindade in about 27 minutes; every 15 minutes in the daytime and every 30 minutes early morning and late evening. First buy a reusable Andante card (€0.60) and load a Z4 ticket (€2.30, valid 1 h 15 min). Change at Trindade for other lines; line D goes to São Bento.
Tip: One card is for one person — get a separate card for each family member.
With lots of luggage or children, a taxi, Bolt or Uber is quickest into town. The official taxi rank is outside arrivals; taxis run on the meter and cost more at night and at weekends. Ignore strangers offering 'taxis'.
If you land in Lisbon, the Alfa Pendular runs from Santa Apolónia or Oriente to Porto Campanhã in about 2 h 50; second class (Turística) €35.70, first class (Conforto) €49.90. Discounted fares appear on cp.pt if you book early. From Campanhã, take the metro or a local train to São Bento in the centre.
📶Phone and internet+
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eSIM — the easiest
If your phone supports eSIM, buy and install a travel eSIM from Airalo, Holafly or similar before you leave: it works as soon as you land in Frankfurt or Porto. Pick a Europe-wide plan and it works in your connecting city too.
Tip: Download Porto and the Douro Valley in Google Maps and Portuguese in Google Translate for offline use — coverage is patchy in the valley.
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Portuguese prepaid SIM
Buy a SIM with your passport at MEO, NOS or Vodafone stores or the airport kiosks. City stores are cheaper than the airport and offer bigger data bundles. An EU SIM works in other Schengen countries at no extra charge.
🚇Getting aroundThe centre is compact and walkable; metro, buses and suburban trains all use one Andante card.+
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Andante tickets
Most trips in the centre are zone Z2: a single costs €1.40, Z3 €1.85, and the airport (Z4) €2.30. A ticket allows transfers for a set time after the first validation. Always tap your card at metro stations and when boarding buses.
The Ribeira is on the river and the centre on the hill, so expect plenty of climbing. The Guindais funicular runs up from the Ribeira to Batalha. Vintage Tram 1 follows the river to Foz and Tram 22 loops the centre — more a ride than transport.
Tip: If heights don't bother you, walking across the upper deck of the Dom Luís I bridge gives the best view.
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Trains to the Douro Valley, Braga and Guimarães
CP trains on the Douro line take about 2 h 20 from São Bento to Pinhão, ~€12–13 one way. Suburban trains reach Braga and Guimarães in about an hour. On the Douro line, sit by a right-hand window for the river.
Most places take cards and phone payments; keep some cash for small cafés, markets and some churches. Withdraw euros from bank ATMs marked Multibanco; tourist ATMs such as Euronet charge high fees. Tipping isn't required — round up for good service.
Tip: If an ATM or card reader offers to charge you in tögrög, say no — choose euros.
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City tourist tax
In Porto, guests aged 13 and over pay €3 per night, up to 7 nights per stay (€21). Hotels collect it separately. Vila Nova de Gaia across the river has its own tax.
Non-EU visitors get a form at shops showing the Tax Free sign by presenting a passport. Validate it at the customs e-kiosk at your last EU airport — in Porto, or in Frankfurt if you connect there.
🍜FoodNorthern Portuguese food is hearty; port wine and vinho verde both come from this region.+
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What to eat
The 'francesinha' — a meat sandwich under melted cheese and hot sauce; 'tripas à moda do Porto', a bean-and-tripe stew; 'bacalhau' salt cod; 'bifana' pork sandwiches; and grilled fish in Foz. Children usually like 'frango assado' roast chicken and 'pastel de nata'.
Tip: Bread, olives and cheese put on the table without ordering ('couvert') are charged — send them back if you don't want them.
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Mealtimes
Lunch is at midday and dinner starts late. The weekday 'prato do dia' (dish of the day) is cheap and good. Riverside restaurants in the Ribeira are pricey; a few streets uphill, small 'tascas' are cheaper and tastier.
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Markets and groceries
Shop at Pingo Doce, Continente, Lidl or Minipreço. The Bolhão market has fresh fish, fruit, cheese and tinned sardines. Tap water is drinkable.
Police, ambulance and fire are all on 112 — free, 24 hours, from any phone. Health advice is on the SNS 24 line. The emergency department is called 'Urgência'; Hospital de São João has a children's unit.
Pickpockets work the Ribeira, Rua de Santa Catarina, São Bento station, the metro and Tram 1. Ignore people offering drugs in the street. Don't leave your phone unattended on the bridge or the riverside.
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Sea, hills and a lost passport
Atlantic waves and currents are strong — swim only where there are lifeguards and a green flag. Cobbles are slippery in the rain and the hills steep — hard going with a pushchair. If you lose your passport, report it to the PSP police and contact the Mongolian embassy covering Portugal — check details at consul.mn.
'Bom dia' (good morning), and 'Obrigado' (said by a man) or 'Obrigada' (said by a woman) for thank you. Portuguese people don't love being addressed in Spanish; English is better.
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Churches and tastings
Cover shoulders and knees in churches and don't take photos during services. Port is sweet but strong — sip slowly at tastings, and don't drink if you're driving. People live in the Ribeira's lanes, so keep the noise down at night.
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São João night
On the night of 23 June people tap each other on the head with plastic hammers ('martelinhos') and give pots of basil ('manjerico') — it's all in fun, so don't take offence. In restaurants, ask for the bill yourself — 'A conta, por favor'.
📱Useful apps+
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Transport
Google Maps covers Porto's metro and buses well. The Anda app lets you pay Andante fares by phone. Bolt and Uber are usually cheaper than taxis. Buy train tickets in the CP app.
Save the official sites: tickets.livrarialello.pt, torredosclerigos.pt, serralves.pt, palaciodabolsa.com. Google Translate's camera mode translates Portuguese menus instantly.
Metro line E runs from Trindade to Aeroporto in about 27 minutes on a Z4 ticket (€2.30). Arrive 3 hours before an international flight: EES exit registration, Tax Free and security can take time.
Leave Schengen without overstaying the dates on your visa — EES records your exit automatically, and an overstay can block your next visa. If you connect in Frankfurt, you exit Schengen there. Port is a liquid, so pack bottles well in checked luggage, not your carry-on.
AI answer: double-check anything beyond our researched facts with an official source.
Lello daily 9:00–19:30 (closed 25 Dec and 1 Jan); Carmo roughly 9:00–18:00
A 1906 neo-Gothic bookshop with a red twisting wooden staircase and a stained-glass ceiling — said to have inspired Hogwarts. Book a timed voucher at tickets.livrarialello.pt and go early to beat the queue. Two minutes away, the side wall of the Carmo church is covered in blue-and-white azulejos; between it and its twin church hides a 1 m-wide 'secret house'.
CultureFreeDaily during station hours (roughly 5:00–1:00)
Opened in 1916, the station's entrance hall is covered with some 20,000 blue-and-white azulejo tiles showing Portuguese history and rural life. A few minutes is enough, but don't miss it. Trains to the Douro Valley, Braga and Guimarães leave from here.
Culture€10; students €7; under 10 free; 50% off with the Porto CardDaily 9:00–19:00 (last entry 18:30); until 23:00 at Easter, in summer and at Christmas
The 75 m bell tower of an 18th-century Baroque church — for centuries the city's tallest building. Climb about 225 narrow steps for a 360° view over red roofs, the Douro and the bridges. Kids love the climb; pushchairs can't go up. The church and museum are included.
FoodCellar tour + tasting usually €20–35; premium tastings €55–90Most open daily around 10:00–18:00; book timed tours ahead
Across the river, port houses — Taylor's, Graham's, Sandeman, Cálem and others — have aged Douro wine in barrels for over 300 years. Tours show the dark barrel cellars and end with a tasting of 2–3 ports. Taylor's and Graham's sit up the hill with gardens overlooking the city. Some offer juice or chocolate for children.
KidsAdults ~€18–20, children less50 minutes; every 30 min April–October, hourly November–March
Boats styled on traditional rabelo cargo boats leave the Ribeira or Gaia quays and pass under six bridges, including the Arrábida, Dom Luís I and Maria Pia. See both banks' colourful houses and the lodges from the water — an easy, relaxed outing for families. Buy tickets at the kiosks on the quay.
Culture€14; students and 65+ €9.50; under 12 freeApril–October 9:00–19:00; November–March 9:00–13:00 and 14:00–18:00; guided tours only (30–45 min)
The 19th-century commercial association's palace: the glass-domed Hall of Nations and the Arab Room, decorated in gold and colour in the style of the Alhambra. Entry is by guided group only, and English tours fill up fast in summer — book ahead. A few steps up from the Ribeira.
FoodMajestic is pricey: coffee ~€5–7; francesinha in an ordinary restaurant ~€12–16; market entry freeMajestic Mon–Sat 9:00–23:00, closed Sundays; Bolhão Mon–Fri 8:00–20:00, Sat 8:00–18:00
A 1921 Art Nouveau café on Rua de Santa Catarina — mirrors, carvings and old-Europe atmosphere. Nearby, the Bolhão market, reopened after renovation in 2022, sells fish, fruit, cheese and tinned sardines. Don't leave without trying Porto's emblem, the francesinha — a hefty sandwich of meats and sausage covered in melted cheese and drowned in a hot beer-and-tomato sauce.
NatureAll areas €22; museum only €15; park only (with Treetop Walk) €15Daily from 10:00; Mon–Fri until 19:00, Sat–Sun until 20:00
An 18-hectare park, a pink Art Deco villa and a contemporary art museum designed by Álvaro Siza Vieira. Children can run around the gardens, farm and lakes and walk the Treetop Walk at canopy level. Combine it with a trip to Foz and the beaches.
BeachFree; Tram 1 about €624 hours; lifeguards in summer
Where the Douro meets the Atlantic: the Felgueiras lighthouse, a long seafront promenade, small sandy coves between the rocks and seafood restaurants. Get there from the Ribeira on the vintage Tram 1 along the river, or on bus 500. The water is cold, 18–19° even in summer, with strong waves — better for playing on the sand and watching the sunset.
NatureSão Bento–Pinhão train ~€12–13 one way; quinta tastings ~€15–30; boat trips ~€15–20Train about 2 h 20; several departures a day
The world's oldest demarcated wine region and a UNESCO site: vineyard terraces stepping down to the river. The Douro line train from São Bento runs right along the river for its last hour — sit on the right-hand side. Pinhão station is itself tiled with azulejos; from there, taste at a quinta and take a boat trip on the river. September is harvest time.
About an hour by train from São Bento or Campanhã. Guimarães is 'where Portugal was born': a 10th-century castle, the Palace of the Dukes of Braganza and a UNESCO old town. In Braga, the Baroque stairway of Bom Jesus do Monte (UNESCO) climbs a hillside — ride the water-powered 1882 funicular up and walk down the stairs.
