Where to stay in Porto
Five areas to sleep in Porto, from loud Ribeira to calm Cedofeita, and what each asks of you.
- City tax
- €3 per person per night
- Guindais funicular
- €3 a ride
- Gaia cable car
- €6, return
Porto is compact, so choosing where to sleep means choosing between noise and calm, and between a flat street and a climb. Five areas cover what most visitors need. Two sit in the historic core, and the other three swap a few minutes of walking for a different mood. A car is mostly a burden here.
Ribeira and Miragaia
Ribeira and its neighbour Miragaia are the postcard Porto: the river, the arcades, rows of souvenir shops. By day the area is dense and loud, and in the evening the walk along the water turns gentler. It is flat, which helps anyone who dislikes hills, but leaving it is another matter, because the climb to Baixa takes around 15 minutes up Rua Mouzinho da Silveira or Rua das Flores and is steep. The Guindais funicular costs €3 a ride and covers the 61 m from the river to Batalha in 2.5 minutes, though Andante tickets do not work on it. Sleeping here simply because it looks prettiest is a trap: food costs more than in the other areas, parking is poor and the traffic is heavy. The historic tram to Foz starts here. Stay if you want to wake up beside the river and can live with the crowds.
Check the same room on both sites: price and cancellation terms can differ.
Baixa and Aliados
Baixa is the centre in the plainest sense: cafés, restaurants and bars, two hills crowned by the cathedral and the Clérigos tower, and Avenida dos Aliados running between them. São Bento station is at the heart of it. Going out is concentrated around Galerias de Paris, Rua Cândido dos Reis, Praça Guilherme Fernandes and Rua José Falcão, and from Thursday to Saturday the noise is serious. Aliados is also under works for a new metro station, so hotels beside the building site are best avoided, while the upper end of the avenue copes better. This is the base for solo travellers, young couples and groups, and for anyone who wants to see the monuments on foot. Light sleepers should look at the next area instead.
Check the same room on both sites: price and cancellation terms can differ.
Cedofeita
Cedofeita is where Porto goes for galleries, concept stores and brunch. The galleries cluster around Rua Miguel Bombarda. The streets are calmer than in the centre, yet Baixa is close and most sights can be reached on foot. That makes it a sound choice for couples and families. It does not suit anyone who wants nightlife at the door, and Travessa de Cedofeita on a Friday or Saturday night is very loud. Pick a room away from that street and the area keeps its promise.
Check the same room on both sites: price and cancellation terms can differ.
Bonfim
Bonfim feels like a neighbourhood that happens to have good bars. Craft beer pubs, cafés and francesinha restaurants fill the streets, and nightlife moved here during the pandemic. The centre is about 15 minutes away on foot, and some of the hotels are reasonably priced. Almost everyone will be happy here, except people who want monuments on the doorstep or a party that lasts until dawn. Praça dos Poveiros is loud, so choose a room on a street away from it.
Check the same room on both sites: price and cancellation terms can differ.
Cais de Gaia, across the river
Cais de Gaia, in Vila Nova de Gaia, is where the port wine lodges stand, with restaurants and a view back at Ribeira. It is touristy, the hotels lean upmarket, and apartments suit families and groups. Choose it if the cellars are the reason you came, and skip it if you want a quiet local street or dislike a climb: Ribeira is flat, while Gaia goes uphill, though both are crowded stretches of the same waterfront. The metro crosses the upper deck of the Dom Luís I bridge, and the Teleférico de Gaia, at €6 return, reaches the same level. Two other areas deserve a sentence each. Foz is calm and by the sea, about 20 minutes from the centre by car and longer by public transport, and it suits people who come for the beaches. Boavista is a business district with no nightlife, good parking and a metro stop at Casa da Música, so it suits business travellers and drivers.
Check the same room on both sites: price and cancellation terms can differ.
If you stay one night
Book Baixa beside São Bento station, or Cedofeita if sleep matters more to you than going out. Baixa is the loud one from Thursday to Saturday. On the day you leave, your hotel will hold your bags while you walk through Ribeira and across to Gaia.
Where to next
What to eat in Porto
→A sandwich eaten with a fork, sardines grilled outdoors, and port that in Porto is not drunk with dessert.
Coimbra · 106 km
→A university founded in 1290 and a town arranged around it, on the line between Lisbon and Porto
How well does Porto suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
Nomadinho scores out of 100, the same ones behind “Where to go”.
If you like Porto
Three places with the closest scores, from any country.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
Which area is best for a first visit?
Baixa beside São Bento station, or Cedofeita. The choice between them depends on noise: Baixa puts you among the bars and sights, while Cedofeita offers quieter streets and a walk to most of the same places.
Do you need a car if you stay in Porto?
No. Parking in Ribeira is poor and the traffic there is heavy, and Boavista is the only area with good parking. In the other areas the metro and your feet are enough.
Is there a tourist tax in Porto?
Yes. The city charges €3 per person per night for guests over 13, for a maximum of seven nights in a row.
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