Best Day Trips from Porto: Douro, Braga, Guimarães, Aveiro

Three towns come up in every guide read, Braga, Guimarães and Aveiro, and the Douro Valley is close behind. Amarante, Coimbra and the Peneda-Gerês park make up the next tier. Roam Porto read 18 guides in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese, from publishers and independent blogs. Every hour, price and closing day below comes from the place’s own page or an official body, not from those guides. Several places close on Mondays or on a few holidays, so check the page before you go.

Travel times aren’t given here because they change with the timetable. Look up the train you plan to take on CP’s site, and leave from São Bento Station or Campanhã Station in the east of the city. Every place below has a page on the map, and the events page shows what’s on in Porto before you head out.

The short list

Braga

Recommended by 18 of 18 guides read.

Braga Cathedral has three visit routes for the treasury museum, the chapels and upper choir, and the cathedral itself. Visits run 09:30 to 13:00 and 14:30 to 18:00, with the last ticket sold 30 minutes before closing. The treasury route is closed on Mondays, and the cathedral route stops during services. The cathedral’s own page lists the closing days, which are 1 January, Easter Sunday and Monday, and 25 December.

Bom Jesus do Monte is the hillside sanctuary above town, with a long baroque stairway and a water-counterweight funicular beside it. The basilica is open daily from 08:00 to 19:00 in summer and 08:00 to 18:00 in winter, and the funicular costs €2.50 one way or €4 return, according to the sanctuary’s site. That page doesn’t give the date the hours change, so check it before a late-afternoon visit.

Guimarães

Recommended by 18 of 18 guides read.

Guimarães Castle is a medieval hilltop castle tied to the early Portuguese kingdom. It’s open daily from 10:00 to 18:00, with the last entry at 17:30, and a ticket is €5. Below it, the Palace of the Dukes of Braganza is open daily from 10:00 to 18:00 and a ticket is €10. Both close on 1 January, Easter Sunday, 1 May and 25 December, and the palace is also closed on 24 June. The details are on the pages of the castle and the palace.

The Alberto Sampaio Museum holds medieval sculpture, silver and textiles. The Guimarães Cable Car to Penha climbs a wooded mountain with walking paths, and its hours change by month and with the weather. Braga and Guimarães are often paired in a single day. The Guimarães day trip guide has CP’s train times, the return gaps and what to do with a day.

Aveiro and Costa Nova

Aveiro is recommended by 18 of 18 guides read and Costa Nova by 10.

Aveiro is built around its canals. The Aveiro Museum is in the former Jesus convent where Princess Joana lived. It’s open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 12:30 and 13:30 to 18:00, and closed Mondays, 1 January, Easter Sunday, 1 May and 25 December, according to the museums’ own page. The smaller Aveiro Art Nouveau Museum is near the canal.

Costa Nova is a seaside village on the sandbar west of Aveiro, known for houses with striped painted facades and for its beach.

The Douro Valley

Recommended by 16 of 18 guides read.

The wine region is the longest day out, and one guide says to stay overnight. The Douro Valley day trip guide covers Pinhão, the boat and quinta visits, and this winter’s rail replacement buses. The Douro Museum is in the 18th-century Casa da Companhia in Peso da Régua and covers the landscape, history and trades of the region. From 1 November to 28 February it’s open daily from 10:00 to 17:30, with entry until 15 minutes before closing. It’s closed on 25 December, 1 January and 1 May, according to the museum’s page.

Pinhão Railway Station is in the middle of the vineyards on the Douro line. Casa de Mateus is a baroque manor house with formal gardens near Vila Real, and the foundation’s site lists it as open daily 09:00 to 18:00. Lamego, with the Nossa Senhora dos Remédios Sanctuary at the top of a baroque stairway, is a less common pick, named by 4 guides.

Amarante

Recommended by 14 of 18 guides read.

In Amarante, the São Gonçalo Church stands beside the bridge over the Tâmega, and the Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso Museum covers the modern painter born in the area.

Coimbra

Recommended by 13 of 18 guides read.

The Joanina Library is the baroque library of the University of Coimbra, with gilded bookcases and painted ceilings. The university’s visit page lists it as open every day from 09:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 17:00, with last entries at 12:40 and 16:40, and says official ceremonies can affect visits. The Coimbra Botanical Garden lies below the old university buildings. One guide thinks Coimbra works better as a stop on the way to Lisbon than as a rushed round trip, so give it a full day.

Peneda-Gerês National Park

Recommended by 12 of 18 guides read.

Peneda-Gerês National Park is a mountain park on the Spanish border with walking routes, rivers and villages. It’s the choice for a day outdoors rather than in towns.

Viana do Castelo and Ponte de Lima

Viana do Castelo is recommended by 10 of 18 guides read and Ponte de Lima by 8.

In Viana do Castelo, a funicular climbs Santa Luzia hill to the Santa Luzia Sanctuary, which looks over the Lima estuary and the Atlantic. From November to February it runs 10:00 to 17:00 and is closed Mondays, and a single trip is €2 or €3 return, according to the town’s page. It runs daily in March, April, May and October. Ponte de Lima is a town on the Lima, and it has the Portuguese Toy Museum.

Less common picks

These are named by only a few guides. Each count is out of 18.

• Matosinhos, 8 guides. The beach and the fish restaurants on the coast just north of the city. See the Matosinhos guide.
• Arouca and the Paiva Walkways, 7 guides. A mountain walk with a long suspension bridge, which most guides pair with a hired car or a tour.
• Santiago de Compostela, 5 guides. A trip across the border to Spain, which is a long day.
• Vila do Conde, 4 guides. The Santa Clara Monastery holds the founders’ tombs and a carved wooden choir.
• Fátima, 3 guides, and the Citânia de Briteiros, 2 guides, a pre-Roman hilltop settlement near Guimarães.

Choosing

Braga and Guimarães suit a first day trip, the Douro Valley suits wine, and Aveiro suits a lighter day by the sea. Coimbra and the Peneda-Gerês park each need a full day. Check live music and the events page for an evening back in town. Where to eat in Porto covers dinner, and the Porto travel tips cover closing days in town. For the town itself, see things to do in Porto, and for the weather, Porto weather by month.

Places in this guide

Photos show the actual places, licensed under Creative Commons and credited to their photographers.

Campanhã Station Bonfim · near Campanhã Station Photo: Leonie Bourke Braga Cathedral Braga Photo: bvi4092 Guimarães Castle Guimarães Photo: David Stanley Aveiro Museum Aveiro Photo: Juanje Orío São Gonçalo Church Amarante Photo: Sergei Gussev Santa Luzia Sanctuary Viana do Castelo Photo: Sergei Gussev