For the next month we are staying on the edge of Porto’s old town, in Bolhão. Walking two blocks south or west places us in the tourist zone. Going two blocks north or east places us in Porto.
While we would have preferred to stay farther out in the suburbs, sometimes the apartment rental options and the metro lines force you into one area or another. None of the apartments that interested us were near the metro line, so staying within walking distance of the city center was of paramount importance. Fortunately we are with a few minutes’ walk of several grocery stores, including a large Continente. FN 1
Among the various grocery stores in Portugal, Continente has good prices and seemingly the best sales. Using Continente’s app, we received 10% discount offers several times a month. The catch is that the 10% is given as store credit in the app, which you must use on another visit.
During our stay in Portugal, we figured out that buying as many groceries as possible on a Monday often earned us enough store credit to pay for beer (Carlsberg, not that Portuguese stuff) on Friday.
Sé do Porto, the Cathedral, was our first activity in Porto. Along with Paço Episcopal do Porto, the Bishop’s Palace, it may have been the best €6 per person we spent in Portugal. At the Cathedral’s ticket desk we decided on the spot to purchase combo tickets, not realizing that there was a palace next door.
Entrance to the Cathedral is through the Museu do Tesouro da Sé do Porto, the Cathedral’s museum. A Cathedral/Museum only ticket is €3; the Palace only ticket is €4; and, the combo ticket is €6.
The Cathedral is a popular destination, and was fairly busy, but is large enough to not feel crowded (at least during our visit). After buying tickets we walked into a small room with a tiny gift shop. Finding a gift shop in a church never ceases to amaze me. Buying a ticket and then immediately walking through a gift shop makes me question whether I really need to take my hat off inside. FN 2 Is it a place of worship, a tourist attraction, or both?
Porto’s Cathedral was originally constructed in the 12th and 13th centuries, with major renovations in the 17th and 18th centuries. Our visit started with the Gothic cloisters, the Chapel of St. Vincent, and the sacristy. The cloister walls are covered in blue Azulejo tiles depicting scenes from the Song of Songs. It’s just beautiful.
Next we headed upstairs to the Chapter Room and the final, short climb to the top of a tower. The staircase up the tower is plenty wide, but steep. You need to pay attention going up and down. The views of Porto from the tower are pretty good.
After returning to ground level our visit ended in the Cathedral itself.
We then walked next door to the Bishop’s Palace and made our way in. The front door is not particularly inviting. Based on our observations, the palace receives only a tiny fraction of the visitors to the Cathedral. We only saw four other visitors in the palace, compared to dozens in the Cathedral.
The earliest diocese building here dates to the 12th and 13th centuries. The current palace was substantially constructed in the 18th century. The self-guided tour goes through about ten rooms, each with an information sheet in several languages. It is a pretty quick walk through, but definitely worth seeing along with the Cathedral.
If you have ever seen a photograph of Porto then you know there are some serious hills to be negotiated. You cannot avoid them. While not too steep, the hills are deceptively long. After slowly walking downhill and taking in the views, at some point you will realize that the return slog uphill will be slow going.
Several options exist to get from the Douro River back uphill. First, the streets. Basically a long slow uphill walk. This is probably the best option if you are leaving the river from the west end of the promenade.
Second, stairs. A lot of them. Steeper, more direct, and quicker. The most used staircases are the Escadas dos Guindais and Escadas do Codeçal, both of which are located near Ponte Luis I (the bridge), and essentially parallel either side of the funicular.
Speaking of the Funicular dos Guindais, it is your third option. For €4 per person one way, or €6 round trip, you can take a short trip in a glass fishbowl with who knows how many other people. I’d be wary of getting in the funicular if it is warm outside. Still, not a bad option if you have been on your feet all day.
Fourth, the Elevador da Lada for €2 per person. Yes, this is half the price of the funicular. But the elevator only goes halfway up the hill. You’ll still have a decent amount of stairs at the top. I’m really not sure why anyone would bother with the elevator.
I’m proud to say we never took the funicular or elevator during our time in Porto, instead choosing the streets or stairs.
Our arrival in Porto coincided with the last weekend during which the Torre dos Clérigos, the bell tower for Igreja dos Clérigos, was open for night visits (from 19:00 to 23:00, or 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM). About a week earlier, once assured the weather would be okay, I bought a night ticket for the tower for €5, during the 7:00 PM time slot. Not coincidentally, sunset was just after 7:00 PM that night.
I should have known that this would be a sold-out time slot. It literally could not have been any more crowded. About 10 minutes before 7:00 PM a line started forming outside the tower’s entrance. I stayed back, entering a few minutes after 7:00 PM, towards the back of the line.
After showing my ticket I started straight up the staircase. At the beginning the stairs are about 36 inches wide. After the halfway point, about 18 inches wide. Thankfully I did not have to pass anyone heading down. It’s pretty tight.
There are two levels at the top of the tower. Both have walkways that are about 24 inches wide and circle the entire tower. The lower level has many obstructing columns but still good views in every direction. The top level is mostly open with great views and few obstructions … except for tourists.
Folks at the top of the tower tend to linger and move slowly if at all. I’m sure sunset exacerbated this situation. Arriving at the top, I could barely move. After some patience, luck, and blatant shoving, I managed to walk around about 60% of the top level. That was enough.
I spent more time in relative calmness on the lower level. Good views, nice breeze, no tourists jostling for space.
At about 7:25 PM I hustled back down the stairs fairly quickly, again passing no one. Just as I walked out of the tower, the employees began allowing the 7:30 PM time slot people to head up. Whew. I just made it out in time.
You do not want to be passing other folks on the stairs. Time your visit appropriately.
From Torre dos Clérigos I could readily see that watching sunset from the upper level of Ponte Luis I is popular. The railing was lined with people, several deep in most places. Whenever Stephanie and I had a chance to watch the sunset, we skipped the crowds on Ponte Luis I, instead opting to walk out on Ponte Infante Dom Henrique, the modern bridge to the east of Ponte Luis I.
This is the best sunset viewpoint in Porto. Why? You get an unparalleled view of Ponte Luis I, Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar (the monastery), and the ancient castle walls in addition to the sunset.
Garrett and Stephanie
1. To get there we had to walk down Rue de Coelho Neto, a street well-known for the hookers that hang out there. It’s actually a reasonably decent street in a good neighborhood.
2. Yes, Mom, I still do.
If you have not already done so, read our other posts about Porto:
Porto, Portugal (October, 2025, Part II). Churches and more churches, and Mercado do Bolhão.
Porto, Portugal (November, 2025, Part III). Touring Palácio da Bolsa, followed by dinner at Conga Casa das Bifanas; visiting Gaia.
For additional posts about Portugal, or elsewhere in the world, check out our Travel Blog. It contains collected links to all of our travel posts.
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