Porto

Tourist questions being increasingly popular here apparently, here's mine : I'll be in Porto for a week during the second half of april. With my wife, not explicitely train-oriented, but we'll be flying there so probably no car at all - or just for one day or two - and therefore heavy reliance on public transport. I have been to Portugal twice already, and once by train all the way, but still I'm not so familiar with railways in Portugal.

So I'm interested in everything knowledgeable members can tell me, specially on :

- Transit to/from the airport. We'll be lodging not far from Sao Bento station.
- Public transport in the city, general recommendations, the most practical fare options for tourists
- Train/boat excursions in the Douro valley
- Anything I should not miss (railway or not) while being there.

We will have 6 days on site so the program can be quite extensive...

Many thanks in advance to all !

There is a Metro line to the airport from the city centre. Doesn't come too frequently but very useful and easy. For 6 days, 2 x 72h tickets at €15 each (Andante Tour 3) should do you within the city, including to the airport, but not on their historic trams.

MarcVD said:

Tourist questions being increasingly popular here apparently, here's mine : I'll be in Porto for a week during the second half of april. With my wife, not explicitely train-oriented, but we'll be flying there so probably no car at all - or just for one day or two - and therefore heavy reliance on public transport. I have been to Portugal twice already, and once by train all the way, but still I'm not so familiar with railways in Portugal.

So I'm interested in everything knowledgeable members can tell me, specially on :

- Transit to/from the airport. We'll be lodging not far from Sao Bento station.
- Public transport in the city, general recommendations, the most practical fare options for tourists
- Train/boat excursions in the Douro valley
- Anything I should not miss (railway or not) while being there.

We will have 6 days on site so the program can be quite extensive...

Many thanks in advance to all !

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Have a look at this thread which gives various suggestions for day trips that you can make from Porto:

https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/recommendations-for-a-day-out-from-porto.195614/#post-4311071

To add to the previous thread
https://www.cp.pt/institucional/en/press/press-releases/vouga-historical-train
This is from 2019; in 2020 it might be steam-hauled as they now have a working loco (from one of the Douro lines).
Sorry, just realise yiu are going in late April.
On the plus side, the chances of getting a diesel-hauled train out of Porto are increasing.

Uber is also ridiculously cheap in Porto, worth bearing in mind

Most of the local transpo on rails is NOT CP., but the metro. More like a tram/light rail. Make at least a return over the famous high bridge over the river for the views. Very much the very best buy these andante-valid on all normal trams and citybuses.
Local tickets for CP for some excursions are on one time chipped paper, that cost an additional 50 ct beside the fare. You can load the very same thing a few times on them-so for a day return you have to do that on the return station back to Porto. You MUST always check In and OUT also-even more cumbersome as Oyster, or risk penalty fines.
Seniors>65 can get 50% off CP fares by showing any ID, but not these andante. A quite nice scenic day out on trains just for the views is along the Douro valley till as far as you like it-parts of can in season be done on a boat. Also BRAGA is a nice town to visit for half a day.

Porto runs historic trams all year around, unlike the Lisbon system these are still on their original running gear. You need to buy a tram specific ticket from the driver(andante cards aren't valid), the two day one is good value. They pass lots of historic buildings/restaurants etc and the run along the riverside is splendid! If you have any interest in booze, tour a port wine lodge. My favourite was Taylors/Fladgate. Sao Bento station itself is one of the most beautiful in the world. Foodwise, it's an amazing place- the seafood is fabulous but do make sure you try a traditional Porto Francesinha whilst you are there- but don't plan to eat anything for the rest of the day afterwards It's a gorgeous city, the cathedral, churches, museums are all well worth a look, do walk over the metro bridge as well as riding it- the views are stunning, and its a novelty sharing your footpath with the regular Metro trains. A wander down from the cathedral to the riverside will lead you amongst steep narrow traditional alleys, you will see the real old city and almost certainly hear singing from the open house windows! A ride on the Gaia cable car comes highly recommended too. HTH

The more I read, the more it seems my stay will be interesting ! Thank you chaps for all the info. The last thing I still need is the info about day cruises on the Douro, one way by boat and return by train, if this is at all possible. Cheers !

MarcVD said:

The more I read, the more it seems my stay will be interesting ! Thank you chaps for all the info. The last thing I still need is the info about day cruises on the Douro, one way by boat and return by train, if this is at all possible. Cheers !

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https://www.cruzeiros-douro.pt/en/1-day-cruises
Exactly what date cruises start isn't clear though - just says April.
The railway runs very close to the river upstream of Mosteiro. Unfortunately the boats do not normally stop there.

30907 said:

The plus side, the chances of getting a diesel-hauled train out of Porto are increasing.

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Starting from March there's going to be 4 daily trains to Pocinho made specifically with English Electrics and Schindlers.

Giugiaro said:

Starting from March there's going to be 4 daily trains to Pocinho made specifically with English Electrics and Schindlers.

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That looks good! Virtually the whole service.