Favorite area to stay in Porto? (post Camino)

[trecile]

I return flight home is from Porto, and I anticipate having at least three days to spend there. What's the best part of the city - walkable to restaurants, attractions, etc.? My flight is mid afternoon, so I'm not concerned about being close to the airport.

 

[Michael; Camino-addicted]

We were two times in the Porto Lounge and Guesthouse.

Porto Lounge Hostel & Guesthouse

Experience vibrant nightlife at Porto Lounge Hostel & Guesthouse. Our prime location and top-notch comfort make us your perfect Porto stay.

portoloungehostel.com

You can choose between rooms with 6 or 8 persons or privat rooms.

Only five minutes from San Bento, very nice in a quiet street. It´s no problem to get from there to the airport by public transport.

All the best for you

Michael

 

[Prentiss Riddle]

I like the neighborhood around the Mercado do Bolhão, the old food market. It’s a lively part of town with lots of street life, slightly away from the tourist epicenter but close enough to walk to it. We’ve had good luck with AirBnBs in the area.

Mercado do Bolhão
R. Formosa, 4000-214 Porto, Portugal

Mercado do Bolhão · R. Formosa 322, 4000-248 Porto, Portugal

★★★★☆ · Market

goo.gl

For a cool hangout in that neighborhood check out Maus Hábitos (“bad habits”), laid-back coffeeshop by day, art and performance space by night, on the top floor of an art deco parking garage.

Maus Hábitos
R. de Passos Manuel 178, 4º Piso, 4000-382 Porto, Portugal

Maus Hábitos · R. de Passos Manuel 178 4º Piso, 4000-382 Porto, Portugal

★★★★★ · Restaurant

goo.gl

 

[Prentiss Riddle]

We were two times in the Porto Lounge and Guesthouse.

Porto Lounge Hostel & Guesthouse

Experience vibrant nightlife at Porto Lounge Hostel & Guesthouse. Our prime location and top-notch comfort make us your perfect Porto stay.

portoloungehostel.com

Trecile, Michaels’s suggestion above sounds great too. I don’t know that specific guest house but it’s in a similar neighborhood in that it’s close to the tourist zone without being in it. Michael’s area might have more night life and Bolhão more daytime shopping.

The biggest tourist action is from São Bento station down to the river. When I first went to Porto ten-plus years ago, that stretch was a broken-window ghost town, but it’s been completely made over for tourists.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I love Porto, but can't recommend a great place to stay as ours was just "ok". However, when you walk across the bridge to the less busy side, be sure to stop at one of the port tasting venues. We loved Sandeman's and had a great sampling of yummy port wines, along with lunch and a view of the river and the city cascading up the hill on the other side!

 

[Liana]

I return flight home is from Porto, and I anticipate having at least three days to spend there. What's the best part of the city - walkable to restaurants, attractions, etc.? My flight is mid afternoon, so I'm not concerned about being close to the airport.

I stayed in the newly opened "House of Sandeman Hostel" in October in Vila Nova de Guia. They have a variety of options, breakfast and dinner and absolute amazing staff. Right on the avenida but quiet enough for relaxation and lots to do and see! Enjoy

 

[natefaith]

The area around Aliados is nice, as it's in the "monumental" area and just a short walk to the river from there. There's also the pedestrian area Santa Catarina, where the famous Cafe Majestic is.

And like others have suggested, the area across the river - called Vila Nova de Gaia - has places to stay and beautiful views of Porto. It's a short walk back across the bridge to get to Porto - not too bad. (If you get the chance, once you're in Vila Nova de Gaia, climb up to the Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar and catch the view from there. And our whole family loves taking the teleférico [the sky cable car] and seeing Porto from the air.)

 

[Jodean]

We liked the Blue Socks Hostel. Mainly for the beds with curtains so you have your own private space. Breakfast buffet was decent and you are a 2 min. walk from the river.

 

[mark connolly]

Also stayed @ Blue Socks Hotel. It gets my recommendation too.

 

[trecile]

Thanks for the recommendations. I'll be getting a private room with ensuite bath, so I'm mostly interested in which areas are best.

 

[Frisbie]

Albergue de Peregrinos de Porto- You will not find a more wonderful host than Oscar Miguel. Beautiful , clean, wonderful garden in backyard - 5 min walk to train and 10 min walk to core center. Oscar will also give you all the recommendations you need and want. I go back every chance I have after finishing a camino in Santiago and flying out of Porto.

Albergue de Peregrinos do Porto

Albergue de Peregrinos do Porto, Porto. 3,534 likes · 122 talking about this · 586 were here. Albergue Privado de Peregrinos do Caminho Português de Santiago, Porto

www.facebook.com

 

[Sha-Ron]

There is a hostel inside Sao Bento station: The Passenger. You walk through the beautiful blue-tiled entrance foya towards the trains and see the hostel entrance on your left. Upmarket, new and clean.

 

[Ray J]

I can highly recommend the Nice Way Porto Hostel. We stayed there in 2016, just a couple of weeks after it had opened. Despite little glitches they were working through, we really enjoyed our stay. It's very centrally located and the prices were very reasonable considering the location. There's also a Nice Way hostel in Sintra that's completely different, but also enjoyable, in Sintra, if you're going there.

BTW, if you have time, I recommend taking a motorcycle tour of the city. Our guide took us to places we couldn't have reached in the short time we were there, and was helpful in finding a great, out of the way restaurant the night we went.

 

[trecile]

Thanks for all the suggestions, but I don't plan on staying in a hostel in Porto. I'm interested in which parts of the city are best to stay in.

 

[Susan Peacock]

I personally love to stay near the river in the Ribeiro area. You can walk to all the sights as well as to the other side of the Duro river (Sandeman.) We go an apartment overlooking the river and loved having a drink and watching the boats and hearing the street musicians. We stayed at Oporto home- River front that we booked on booking.com. It was a nice one bedroom apartment. You can pull up the location on booking.com

 

[Vacajoe]

I second Susan's location (though I do not know the exact apartment she stayed in). With such a brief stay in Porto, locating yourself within a few blocks of the Douro River near the bridge that crosses to the port houses on the other side will place you in prime tourist area. Lots to see, drink, and eat without spending too much time coming and going from your base.

I stayed a bit farther out in May 2018 and regretted the distance since I ran short of time to sightsee each day. Although I was where "the real people live" I quickly realized that's true for the tourist district too!

Enjoy your stay, but especially enjoy your port!