From Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport, the metro Line E (purple) runs straight into the centre in about 30 minutes for roughly €2.50, with a change at Trindade for most central stops. This itinerary assumes a spring-to-autumn city break, when the evenings are long enough to wander after dinner. A taxi or ride-hail is easy too if you have luggage.

Base yourselves in the Baixa (downtown) or along Avenida dos Aliados so that almost everything on this trip is on foot. Drop the bags and head straight out — the old centre is compact and best seen slowly. Search hotels →

Step inside São Bento station to see its entrance hall lined with around 20,000 blue-and-white azulejo tiles depicting scenes from Portuguese history, painted by Jorge Colaço. It is a working station, entry is free, and it is open daily, so it makes an easy first stop five minutes from most central hotels.

Climb the baroque Torre dos Clérigos for a 360-degree view over the terracotta rooftops down to the river — a good way to get your bearings on day one. Tickets are around €8 and it is open daily, roughly 09:00 to 19:00. Search Clerigos Tower in Porto on GetYourGuide →

Five minutes from Clérigos on Rua das Carmelitas, Lello is one of the world's most beautiful bookshops, famous for its crimson forked staircase. Entry is by timed ticket (around €10, redeemable against any book you buy), sold online or at their ticket office a few doors down; slots sell out, so it is worth booking ahead. Search Livraria Lello in Porto on GetYourGuide →

Porto's signature dish is the francesinha — a layered steak, sausage and ham sandwich blanketed in melted cheese and a beer-and-tomato sauce. Café Santiago, on Rua de Passos Manuel, is the classic address for it; expect a queue at peak times, as they don't take bookings, and it is worth the wait. Note it is closed on Sundays — if you arrive on a Sunday, plenty of other central spots serve a francesinha too.