Local transport, Getting around Porto

Public transport in Porto for a tourist weekend is numerous, but ultimately not very used. Porto has an efficient and affordable public transportation system, which includes the metro, buses and trams. The city center is on a human scale and you will mostly get around on foot. To return to the center when you move away, go to your accommodation or explore the surrounding area, they are very practical!

The Porto Metro

It is quick and practical. You can take it directly from the airport. There are 6 lines (including a new one under construction) which have the particularity, in the city center, of having all the same stops over several kilometers! It is then on the outskirts that the lines divide. You can buy single tickets or reloadable cards called "Andante", valid for several public transports. Automatic ticket purchasing machines are not always ergonomic. You can change the language for greater convenience, but do not hesitate to ask for help from the many agents present in the metro lobbies. There is no security gate like in the Paris metro (for example), you have to validate your ticket at the terminal in the lobby. And we recommend that you do so, because there are numerous controls, at the docks and in circulation. It would be a shame to risk a bad time and a fine for 1.50 to 2 euros (the cost of the transport ticket).

The Porto metro is convenient, fast and modern

Porto buses

Buses are also in circulation throughout the city center and the outskirts. They are affordable, frequent and easy to use. Bring coins to pay on board. If you take a rechargeable card valid for several days, the cost of the bus is included! You can also opt for hop-on hop-off tourist buses. They allow you to travel around the city, making stops to visit the most interesting areas and then when you're finished, you get back on the bus to go to another place. Valid for 1 or more days.

City buses and tourist buses to discover the city of Porto

The Porto tram

The Porto tramway is old, iconic and picturesque. The network dates from the end of the 19th century, the cars are mostly authentic and vintage! They are less used since the arrival of the metro and the bus, the 3 remaining lines are mainly towards the coast and in the city center and it is a very nice tourist attraction, in addition to a practical means of transport.

The old trams are picturesque and run on 3 lines

Electric scooters and electric bikes for self-service rental in Porto

These are means of transport that have become legion in several large cities in Europe and elsewhere. In Porto there are two main brands: Bolt and Bird. There are scooters and a few bikes. The cost price of the two is similar, there are different models (with the battery placed below, in front or behind) but this does not change the use. You can check the charge level of the scooter by pressing its dial, before selecting it (taking one charged to the maximum!). You have to download an application on your mobile, enter your bank details, scan the QR code on the scooter and presto! Ride youth! The prices are such (around 12 euros per hour) that it is really a preferred means of transport to get from one point to another quickly. This is not the kind of scooter you rent for the day. We take it, we move, we put it back at a marked drop-off point. At the end of your “ride” you will take a photo of the scooter to upload it to the application and indicate that it is correctly parked. We loved using them to walk along the banks of the Douro to the coastline, on one side or the other, to the beaches.

Scooters and bikes are fun and allow you to visit the city (be careful when it climbs and in the cobbled streets) and the banks of the Douro.

Boats and other means of transport

Boats on the Douro are a tourist attraction more than a means of transport. We leave the port (Ribeira or Vila Nova de Gaia side) and make a first round trip up the Douro, then to the coast, to see the 7 bridges of the city. Very pleasant at the end of the day, with the setting sun... You can also take a cable car, which leaves from the docks of Vila Nova de Gaia to the Jardim do Moro. A funicular (the Guindais funicular) dating from the end of the 19th century, allows you to go up from the quays to the upper town, enjoying a magnificent view of the Dom Luis Bridge and the quays. Finally, tourists enjoy (and they are right) to take a ride on the numerous tuk-tuks which offer guided tours in the city center. Thermal or electric engine version, for 2/3 people or up to 8/10, it's a very nice way to walk and appreciate the landscape, while having historical comments.

The “rabelos” boats, the Vila Nova de Gaia cable car

Funicular or tuk tuk? You won't be short of transportation options in Porto