We really loved visiting Porto with kids, and there are so many fun things to do no matter what your interest is! In this guide I’ll share what we enjoyed as a family with diverse interests, but you can always feel free to pick and choose to craft the perfect Porto itinerary for your family.
Best things to do in Porto with kids
Climb the Torre de Clérigos
Thanks to its hilly layout there are plenty of good viewpoints in Porto, but none is quite as good as the top of Torre de Clérigos. This beautiful bell tower was finished in 1763 and is attached to an ornate little church – nice to peek inside, but you’re really here for the amazing 360 degree views of Portugal below.
The walk to the top is 225 steps, but there are a few places to stop along the way if you need to catch your breath. And there are two levels where you can stop near the top to enjoy the view, but I definitely recommend going all the way to the top. In fact, you could even avoid the lower tier (which is more crowded and harder to get around).
We chose to go in the later afternoon to catch golden hour and I highly recommend it! You can see that beautiful light at the very top of this article.
Wander the streets of Porto
Porto is a compact city, and it’s truly a beautiful one in my opinion. The topography means you’ll find great views around every corner, and buildings are unexpectedly adorned with azulejos wherever you look.
Embrace it, and allow yourself to wander. I promise you’ll never truly get lost! You can always look for landmarks like the cathedral and Torre de Clérigos.
But if you want to make sure you hit all the major sites and learn something along the way, you could also go for the more structured route of a guided walking tour – or even an ebike tour with older kids! The good news is that these tours are really affordable in Porto. We didn’t take a guided city tour because a local friend showed us around, but I think going with a trained guide would have added even more context to our visit.
Enjoy the gorgeous azulejos
If there’s one symbol most closely associated with Portugal, it’s azulejos – the painted tiles adorning nearly every wall around the country. That might be a slight exaggeration, but you’ll really see them everywhere from the insides of churches to random facades of office buildings.
You’ll primarily see three different styles: solid colors, patterns (some geometric, some more nature-inspired) and then large-scale installations that are painted to depict a scene or story.
Porto has some fabulous examples of all different types you’ll definitely want to see. But the great news is that you don’t have to work very hard to find them – gorgeous tiles are in front of you on every corner.
Some of the most famous tileworks in Porto are at the São Bento train station, at the beginning of this section, and our kids appreciated that more than they would have liked going church hopping (we had already seen lots of beautiful tiles in Lisbon). There are more than 20,000 tiles in the station, and many of them tell the story of Portuguese history or aspects of Portuguese life going back centuries, while the narrower band near the ceiling showcases different forms of transportation through time.
But you can also see stunning azulejos on the exteriors of a lot of the churches: Santo Ildefonso, Igrejo do Carmo (immediately above), Capela das Almas and the main cathedral.
If you’re looking to take classic photos of yourself in front of a giant wall of tiles, your best bet is Capela das Almas. Have your photographer stand across the street and be very patient. In general, you’ll get great photos of you in front of the tiles walls if you stand further away from them and have your photographer stand even further back and use their zoom lens. Lens compression will allow the tiles to fill the background and make it appear that you’re close to them. If your photographer frames things correctly, it will also avoid some of the stone footer that’s usually below the tiles (if you want). Alternatively, you can stand right up against the tiles and strike a pose – that’s a popular option and reduces the challenge of other people walking through the frame.
There are also lots of narrow attached buildings around Porto adorned with tiles. If you see one you like, don’t feel sheepish about stopping to take a photo – the tiles are decorative and meant to be enjoyed by all!
Tile panting workshop
Speaking of tiles… after you’ve spent so many days enjoying the artistry of others, don’t miss the change to make your own azulejos!
I initially booked this tile painting workshop for out daughter’s benefit, but it ended up being a highlight for all of us! There are a few workshops that offer similar experiences, but this one has a novel glazing technique that allows you to pick up your tile an hour after you finish painting – important because some of the others require shipping your tiles back at for additional (expensive) fee.
You don’t have to be an expert artist to do this – I promise! You do need some patience though, so I think it’s great for kids 8+ (give or take, as it really depends on the kid).
The workshop lasts 2 hours and includes port for you to drink. I needed a little more time to finish the details on my tile so I was glad we hadn’t booked the last workshop of the day since it was the afternoon before our departure.
FC Porto football (soccer) match
One of the highlights for my guys was attending an FC Porto match – we’ve been to matches around Europe and it’s a great opportunity for cultural immersion. The fans were lively without being rowdy, though getting a ride after the game was as difficult as you’d experience anywhere. FC Porto is one of the top teams in Portugal and it was an exciting game to watch!
Fun fact: The team is nicknamed the dragons after the Porto city crest, which includes the dragon as reference to the city’s resilience in the face of siege during the civil war that occurred from 1832 to 1834.
We purchased our tickets here, and the process was very straightforward. We were basically sitting on the field and our tickets were under $100 each all-in for a match against one of the best teams in the league. Even better, we saved $150 by charging the tickets to the Chase Sapphire Reserve! That’s a great way to recoup a chunk of the hefty annual fee.
Get lost in Livraria Lello
I wouldn’t usually but a store on my must-do list, but Livraria Lello is the most famous bookstore in Portugal thanks to the supposed inspiration J.K. Rowling took when writing about Hogwarts in the Harry Potter series. It is a pretty bookstore and has been open for more than a century, so I think it’s worth a visit – and my kids definitely agree.
They offer several different levels of tickets to enter the bookstore (even if you just want to buy a book) but I recommend the mid-tier ticket to skip the very long line outside the store – this used to be called the Gold ticket but is now just labeled as the “entry” ticket. You can apply the cost of the ticket to one of the special editions published by the store, which is a great way to get your kids engaged in reading the classics! I will say that their special printings are lovely and perfectly sized for travel.
If you get the cheaper Silver ticket, you can apply the cost to any book in the store but you’ll have to wait outside in a long queue. Personally I think it’s worth spending the few extra euros, because the queue is totally unsheltered. I went twice (since the kids wanted more books) and it was raining the first time but blazing sun the second time, naturally.
And yes, I had to purchase a ticket the second time even though I wasn’t coming to take photos… I just wanted to buy books. There was only one gold ticket for that time slot so my son had to wait outside!
Eat your weight in traditional Portuguese food
If you’re interested in traditional Portuguese food, Porto – and especially outside of Porto – is the place to get it. While cuisine in Lisbon has become more eclectic thanks to the large foreign-born community, Porto is still mostly full of Portuguese people cooking traditional foods in largely traditional ways. You’ll definitely want to try fresh fish or seafood, and bacalhau (fritters made from salted cod, potatoes and onions) are a specialty in northern Portugal.
We had an incredible and unbelievably affordable dinner of fresh fish in Afurada, on the Gaia side of the river. Check out the sea bass and sea bream above, which were grilled right outside as is typical.
A great option that’s more conveniently located is Taberna dos Mercadores, but it’s very hard to get a table – they only seat 16 at a time and the wait can stretch to two hours if you arrive much past 6pm.
While Americans aren’t very familiar with it, The Fork is a very popular app in Europe for finding good restaurants and making reservations. Yelp and TripAdvisor just aren’t as popular with locals, so if you want to know what the Portuguese think of a restaurant then The Fork is a better option.
If you want a self-guided food discovery, head to Bolhão Market (closed on Sundays). There are vendors of all types – fish, cheese, vegetables, sweets, olive oil and more – and you can eat your purchases as you go thanks to strategically placed high-top tables at both ends of the market. The Bolhão Market went through a huge renovation until 2022 and it’s now a wonderful, streamlined place to visit.
Daytrip to the Duoro Valley
Don’t skip a visit to the Duoro Valley, home of Port wine. We partnered with DayTrip for a customized private tour and it was a wonderful experience. Our driver Luis shared so much fascinating history about Portugal during our ride in his comfortable car, and the sequencing and details of the day were perfect.
We started our day with a scenic stop and then proceeded to a boat ride on the Duoro River. There were just two other people on the boat with us, so we had plenty of space to move around and the kids actually piloted the boat for most of our tour. The captain was fantastic and shared so much information about the history and production of port wine.
Luis then led us across the bridge to a boutique port manufacturer. We got to see up close the fermentation and aging process that the boat captain had described, and our guide there did a great job explaining the different types of port wine and which one is ideal for each circumstance. Of course no winery visit is complete without a tasting!
After that it was on to a lively traditional lunch. The multi-course meal was accompanied by various types of port, naturally.We capped off the day with a stop in charming Amarante at “golden hour”.
All in all it was an incredibly smooth experience. We opted for a private tour with Daytrip for a few reasons. First, since I knew we’d be sampling quite a few types or port we preferred not to drive ourselves. Second, it’s always great to have a knowledgable local on hand – Luis was really wonderful and we’ll hire him again next time we return to mainland Portugal! Finally, in the past our kids have had some really negative experiences on tours with adults who were drinking too much, and we wanted to avoid that risk (which would be high on a group tour marketed specifically at people who want to go drink).
Go port tasting in Gaia
When you stand on the riverfront in Porto, you might feel it’s unfair that the famous local wine is named after the city. Why? Because all of the storage and aging cellars are actually across the river in the mirror image city of Gaia. You can actually cross the Dom Luís I Bridge on foot to go between Porto and Gaia.
Unfortunately we didn’t make it to Gaia for port tasting; we had already gone tasting in the Duoro Valley and that scratched the itch enough that we didn’t want to make our kids endure another one. But if you can’t make it all the way out for a day trip, there are plenty of great options right in Gaia. Pay close attention when you’re making arrangements, as many of the local manufacturers have tasting rooms in Porto in addition to the cellars in Gaia; if you care about touring the cellar, be sure to book one that includes it.
Here are a few options to consider for port tasting with kids:
- Cálem Wine Cellars – this is a tour, tasting and even a fado music show (but kids do need to be an attentive audience for the show)
- Graham’s Port Lodge – tour and tasting of four wines, including a 30 year old tawny
- Cockburn’s Lodge – both winemaking and cooperage operations, with multiple options for tasting depending on your preference/budget
Of course there are plenty of other options depending on what you’re looking for, but those are standouts that each offer something unique.
While you’re in Gaia, be sure to enjoy strolling along the waterfront and taking stunning pictures of Porto across the river!
Catch the sunset in Ribera
Whether you’re on the Porto side or the Gaia side of the Duoro River, there’s no better place to watch the sun’s last rays!
Where to stay in Porto with kids
There are plenty of wonderful places to stay in Porto with kids, but most of them aren’t traditional hotels. Due to occupancy limitations, families would generally need two rooms (or more!) at most hotels or very expensive family rooms.
We went through many, many, many options before settling on Líbere Porto Laranjais. It turns out we made a great choice! Our full-service two bedroom apartment was spacious and had nearly every feature we could have asked for.
If that isn’t a good fit for you, check out my curated list for other ideas.
Wrapping up
Porto is an incredibly charming city, one where it feels good to slow down and immerse yourself in a healthy mix of tourism and soaking in the relaxed coastal vibes.
Check out these other articles to help you plan your trip to Portugal with kids: