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These are the best day trips from Porto, Portugal from a now local and Porto LOVER!
I moved to Portugal in 2024 with my family in the middle of leaving the corporate world behind. Even though we moved to Lisbon, Porto truly has my heart. We are true weekend warriors and love to do day trips from Porto so we can maximize our time “up north.”
This guide covers nine of the best day trips from Porto, all of them worth your time. Some require a car, some are a breezy train ride, and some can be done beautifully through a guided tour that handles the logistics while you handle the wine glass.
Let’s get into it.
1. Douro Valley: The Most Popular Day Trip from Porto for Good Reason
About 62 miles (100 kilometers) east of Porto, the Douro Valley consists of gorgeous terraced vineyards that drop steeply toward the Douro River. Every bottle of Port wine you have ever loved was born somewhere in this valley. If it wasn’t, then it is not considered Port.
I fully recommend taking a tour of the Douro Valley so that you can fully enjoy the wine tasting and someone else planning logistics so you can sit back and enjoy it all, designated driver included.
There are a few strong tour options for the Douro, depending on what kind of day you want.
The Douro Valley with Boat Tour, Wine Tasting and Lunch is the classic and the most booked for good reason with 19,000+ reviews over 4.7 stars.
It covers a river cruise along the Douro, tastings at the historic wine estates (quintas), and a traditional Portuguese lunch with views of the valley. This is the one I recommend to anyone visiting Porto for the first time who wants to do the Douro properly without renting a car.
If you want something more exclusive, which is how I like to roll, this Douro Valley Private Tour with Tastings, includes a cruise and lunch. Private guide, private vehicle, your own pace through the quintas.
Worth every cent if you are traveling as a family or with a small group that wants a more personal experience.
For something a little different, the Douro Valley and Amarante Wine, Food and River Tour adds the pretty riverside town of Amarante to the day, which is consistently underrated on the tourist circuit, in other words, a hidden gem!
One practical note: as of late 2025, train services between Marco de Canaveses and Regua are suspended due to ongoing work on the Douro line.
Organized tours are the smartest option until that service resumes.
Douro Valley
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2. Guimarães: Where Portugal Actually Began
About 50 kilometers north of Porto, Guimarães is where Portugal was literally born. Afonso Henriques, the country’s first king, was born and crowned here in 1109, and the medieval center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that earns that designation the moment you walk into it.
The castle has been standing for over a thousand years, the old town squares are atmospheric without being overdone.
Guimarães pairs naturally with Braga, which is next on the list, since the two cities are only 30 minutes apart by road. Most guided tours combine them into a single full day, which I highly recommend.
This Braga and Guimaraes tour is a full day trip and is one of the most consistently well-reviewed tours for this region.
It covers Guimaraes Castle, the historic center, Braga Cathedral, and the Bom Jesus sanctuary in a single nine-hour day with a live guide in English, Portuguese, Spanish, and French.
Pickup is available near Sao Bento station in Porto. Reviewers specifically call out guides like Pedro Costa and Castro for being knowledgeable, entertaining, and genuinely good at managing a bilingual group without losing anyone’s attention.
I marvel at these guides who can switch between languages so perfectly. More on that when I discuss Aveiro.
If you want lunch included and a slightly smaller group, the Full-Day Trip with Lunch is worth the upgrade.
Braga and Guimarães
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3. Braga: The Rome of Portugal
Braga is Portugal’s oldest city and its religious capital, about 55 kilometers from Porto and 50 minutes by train.
Locals call it the “Rome of Portugal,” and the Bom Jesus sanctuary alone justifies the nickname. Its Baroque staircase climbs 577 steps up a forested hillside, each landing marked by a chapel, with a church and panoramic valley views waiting at the top.
Braga’s cathedral, the Se de Braga, is the oldest in the country and has been added to across nearly a thousand years, which gives it a layered quality you feel before you even read the signage.
At the top there is a church and a view over the Braga valley that rewards every step. You can also take the funicular up, which, depending on your children’s mood and your energy levels, is sometimes the correct decision.
4. Aveiro: A teeny tiny Venice
Aveiro is about 70 kilometers south of Porto, 45 to 60 minutes by train, and it is genuinely one of the most charming places I have been in Portugal. My family loved it. We drove there from Porto and it took about 45 minutes.
A canal system runs through the city center, Art Nouveau buildings line the water, and traditional moliceiro boats float past painted with slightly cheeky scenes on the bow. We took a ride through the canals and the tour guide was amazing.
She spoke to us in English, then another group in Portuguese, and finally another group in Spanish! I was in awe of her. We did this shorter tour of the canals and had an excellent time with the kids.
Costa Nova, just outside Aveiro, has those candy-striped fishermen’s houses you have definitely seen somewhere on the internet without knowing where they were.
If you want to do both the canals and Costa Nova, I recommend combining both like this private tour with pickup options from Porto.
Another private option is this Aveiro and Costa Nova Tour which gives you the same experience in a private vehicle with a guide entirely focused on your group, which is ideal for families or anyone who wants more flexibility on timing and stops.
Before you leave, eat the ovos moles. They are the local sweet, made from egg yolk and sugar pressed into shell-shaped wafers, and they taste like nothing else anywhere.
Aveiro
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5. Peneda-Geres National Park: Portugal’s Wild Side
Portugal’s only national park sits about 100 kilometers north of Porto and takes roughly an hour by car.
The landscape surprises most visitors who associate Portugal primarily with coastal sun and wine. You have granite mountains, river gorges, cascading waterfalls, ancient Roman roads cut through forest, and reservoirs so clear the water looks improbable.
Semi-wild Garrano horses roam freely through the mountains and occasionally appear on the road in front of your car.
A car is recommended here.
If you are not renting a car, organized excursions to Geres from Porto run around €110 per person. This tour comes highly rated and includes a Land Rover experience and lunch!
If you are renting a car, I recommend using Discover Cars to compare rental companies by review score before you book. I do not have a car in Portugal and use Discover Cars every time we rent.
6. Coimbra: Beautiful University Town
Coimbra is about 120 kilometers south of Porto, 90 minutes to two hours by train.
The University of Coimbra was founded in 1290, one of the oldest in continuous operation anywhere in the world, and the university complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Biblioteca Joanina, its 18th-century Baroque library of gilded wood and painted ceilings, is worth making the entire trip for.
It also houses a colony of bats that come out at night to eat the insects that would otherwise damage the books. Cool, but ew.
The library provides felt covers for the reading tables to protect them from bat droppings. Again, yuk.
If you’re without a car or not planning to take the train, this Aveiro and Coimbra combined tour is the most popular option from Porto and makes efficient use of the day, covering the canals and moliceiro cruise in Aveiro in the morning before continuing south to Coimbra in the afternoon.
Or, if you’d like to spend more time in Coimbra, this tour will guide you through the University. Tell them to skip the bats!
And if you want to see more of the historic center, I recommend this top rated guided tour with a local University student.
It is a genuinely full day but one of the best value combinations on this list.
Coimbra
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7. Viana do Castelo: Northern Portugal’s Most Underrated City
Viana do Castelo sits at the mouth of the Lima River about 70 kilometers north of Porto, an hour to an hour and a half by train.
It does not appear on most tourists’ itineraries, which is their loss. The Basilica de Santa Luzia sits on a forested hilltop above the city with two symmetrical domes and views over the Lima estuary that require a moment of quiet to absorb.
The Praca da Republica in the city center is one of Portugal’s finest Renaissance squares, and the centuries-old gold filigree jewelry tradition you see in the shop windows is as much cultural identity as decoration.
Viana is easy enough to do independently by train, but if you want a more exclusive option, this tour will take you from Porto to Viana da Castelo for a half day tour.
8. Lamego: Baroque Staircases, Sparkling Wine, and Zero Crowds
Lamego is about 120 kilometers from Porto in the upper Douro Valley and requires a car.
Most visitors to Portugal never make it here, which means you will have the Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora dos Remedios almost to yourself.
Its Baroque staircase climbs 686 steps, longer than Braga’s famous Bom Jesus, and pilgrims climb it on their knees while tourists climb it on foot.
Both groups arrive at the top in a state of mild reverence, for different reasons.
Lamego is also the home of a sparkling wine called Lamego espumante that is delicious and far less known internationally than it deserves to be. This food and history walking tour is your best bet in seeing most of what the city has to offer.
If you are renting a car for the drive, I always use Discover Cars to compare companies by review score before booking.
9. Matosinhos: The best grilled fish in Portugal is 30 minutes away
Matosinhos is Porto’s neighbor, 10 kilometers up the coast and 30 minutes on Metro Line A from central Porto.
The harbor area and the restaurants along Rua Herois de Franca are where locals go when they want the best grilled fish in the country.
I’ve recommended this tour before: the “From the Sea to Your Plate” food tour is a lovely way to experience Matosinhos if you want a guided introduction.
It takes you through the working fish market, one of the most real and unpolished market experiences in the Porto area, and ends with a meal that shows you exactly why northern Portugal takes its seafood so seriously.
It is a lovely introduction to how this part of the country eats.
Final Thoughts
If you are planning a trip to Porto and trying to figure out which day trips to prioritize, start with the Douro Valley if wine and scenery are your language, combine Braga and Guimaraes if you want medieval history done properly, and save Aveiro for a lighter day when you want pretty canals and excellent pastries without too much walking.
Portugal Travel Planning Guide
🚑 Should I buy travel insurance for Portugal?
It is strongly recommended. Non residents do not automatically receive free public healthcare, although private healthcare is available. Travel insurance covers emergencies, delays, and medical visits. If you require a Schengen visa, insurance is mandatory. Visitors Coverage is a highly trusted and recommended choice.
💳 Will my debit card or credit card work in Portugal, and do I need cash?
Most major credit and debit cards work in Portugal, including Visa, Mastercard, and many travel cards from US and UK banks. Some smaller cafes, markets, and rural spots still prefer cash, so carry a little on hand. To avoid foreign transaction fees, cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserve are excellent options. For ATM withdrawals and currency exchange, use a Wise card. Wise usually provides better exchange rates than traditional banks and is widely accepted at Portuguese ATMs and anywhere debit and credit cards are accepted.
📲 Will my phone work in Portugal?
Many major carriers offer roaming plans, but costs vary. For affordable data, purchase a local SIM from Vodafone or MEO or use an eSIM like Airalo. Public wifi exists but is not always reliable, so a local data plan is ideal.
🚙💨 Is it safe to rent a car in Portugal?
Yes. Renting a car is one of the best ways to explore Portugal. Roads are well maintained. Expect toll highways and narrow streets in older villages. Automatic cars are limited, so book early. I recommend using Discover Cars to find the most reputable rental car company. Just filter for the company with the best reviews.
💧 Can you drink tap water in Portugal?
Yes. Tap water is safe throughout Lisbon, Porto, the Algarve, and most populated regions. In remote rural areas water systems may vary, so check locally if you are unsure. Many visitors prefer a filtered bottle because the mineral taste can be stronger in some areas, though generally safe.
🏩 Best way to book accommodations in Portugal
I use Booking.com and Agoda for hotels. For unforgettable, luxury stays, I highly recommend Plum Guide for your stay. VRBO also works incredibly well.
✈️ Best site to search for flights to Portugal
Skyscanner and Google Flights provide reliable fare tracking for Lisbon, Porto, and Faro. Prices vary significantly by season, with summer being the highest.
🎫 Do I need a visa for Portugal?
US, UK, and most EU passport holders do not need a visa for short tourist stays within the 90-day Schengen limit. Stays longer than 90 days require a visa arranged before arrival.
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