15 1-Day Tours in Porto to Build a Day Around

1.Braga and Guimarães Full-Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 3,951 reviews · 9 hours · from $59Our pick

Travel from Porto in a small air-conditioned minibus to Bom Jesus do Monte, Braga, and Guimarães. You’ll see Portugal’s oldest cathedral, a UNESCO-listed old town, and a medieval castle, with guides such as Tânia, Pedro, and Carlos bringing the region’s story to life.

“I had such a lovely time on the trip to Braga and Guimarães! This was a great activity to do as a solo traveler. I enjoyed learning about the history of each location and about Portugal overall, as well as getting time to explore each stop on my own. Carlos was a superb guide and Tropa was an excellent driver! Carlos was incredibly knowledgeable about everything along the tour and was able to answer all of the questions we had for him along the way. Plus, he gave fantastic recommendations for food and shopping. The whole experience was seamless and I’d recommend the trip to anyone looking to explore the…”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.Best of Braga and Guimaraes Day Trip from Porto

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2,552 reviews · 9 hours (approx.) · from $71

Travel from Porto to Braga and Guimarães in an air-conditioned minibus with a local guide. See Bom Jesus, Braga Cathedral, Guimarães Castle, São Miguel do Castelo, and the UNESCO-listed old town. Expect about nine hours, some walking, free time for lunch, and possible bilingual commentary.

“Some really fabulous sights. And the history lessons by our guide were some of the best I have ever experienced on a tour. Castro is an A+ guide!”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.Day Trip from Porto to Santiago de Compostela and Valença

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 883 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $95Top rated

Travel by minibus from Porto to Santiago de Compostela, where you get free time for the cathedral, old town, lunch, and pilgrimage sites. On the return, explore Valença’s fortified town with a guide. Guides such as Susanna, Orlando, Paul, and Pedro are praised for lively commentary, but cathedral entry is not guaranteed.

“The host was lovely, we were given time to walk around and explore ourselves since Spanish rules were a bit different in that Portuguese tour guides weren't allowed to"work" there. The car ride was very uncomfortable, but it was a fun day.”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.Arouca 516 and Paiva Walkways Guided Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 456 reviews · 9 hours · from $135

Travel from Porto in a small group of up to eight with an English-speaking guide such as Maia, Daniel, or Pedro. Cross the 516-meter Arouca bridge, walk beside the Paiva River, taste Arouca sweets, and enjoy a local lunch with wine.

“it was an amazing daytrip, the hike was not hard at all, though the bridge was kinda scary, but the small Group was great and we all made it together :). we even went for a swim in the river.”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.Day Trip Braga and Guimarães from Porto

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 237 reviews · 9 hours (approx.) · from $71

Spend about nine hours exploring Braga and Guimarães from Porto with an English or multilingual guide, air-conditioned transport, and included entry to Bom Jesus, Braga Cathedral, and Guimarães Castle. Expect churches, steep steps, medieval streets, free time, and a full day of history.

“Braga is unfortunately a very conservative town which is reflected in the dominance of the Roman Catholic faith and church. The amenities and restaurant/bars on our visit do not reflect the rest of Portugal. Guimaraes is distinctly better in this respect, but still unlike many other towns in Portugal.”

Check availability →Read our full review

6.Santiago de Compostela and Valença do Minho Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 181 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $95

Travel from Porto to Santiago de Compostela with a guide such as Susana, Christian, Manuel, or Jorge. Visit the cathedral and UNESCO-listed Old Town, enjoy free time for lunch, then explore Valença’s great fortress before returning to Porto.

“Our guide was awesome and very knowledgeable about the tour. We enjoyed every aspect of the tour and sites.”

Check availability →Read our full review

7.Day Trip Through the Enchanting Douro Valley #DuckSideOfPorto

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 139 reviews · 8 to 9 hours (approx.) · from $350

Travel from Porto into the Douro Valley with Anselmo, your private guide and driver. Visit two small wine estates, taste white, red, and Port wines, stop for local coffee and farmer’s Port, and enjoy the valley from São Leonardo de Galafura.

“What a wonderful day! We wanted to visit quiet, local, and non-touristy places. Ansalmo created the perfect itinerary. We had fantastic views, great food, and plenty of port. Would recommend him to anyone!”

Check availability →Read our full review

8.Fatima and Coimbra Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 110 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $83

Travel south from Porto by air-conditioned coach to Fatima’s shrine, the homes of two shepherd children, and Coimbra’s old center. Guides such as Alexandre, Andre Vidal, Daniel, and Maia add history and humor. University entry costs about €6 extra, and the day includes moderate walking.

“Great day experience thanks to Jose Luis. His knowledge about Fatima and Combria was in great level of detail to make an absolutely great experience. Lunch took place in Fatima. Lunch Buffett had a variety of choices for everyone, even included wine options. Transportation was also very comfortable.”

Check availability →Read our full review

9.Full-Day Trip to Coimbra & Aveiro with Boat Ride

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 92 reviews · 1 day · from $116

Travel from Porto in a small group of up to eight with a live guide such as David, Carla, or Nuno. See Coimbra’s university and cathedrals, taste a local pastry, then cruise Aveiro’s canals aboard a traditional Moliceiro boat.

“It was a nicely packed trip and David is a great guide - informative and helpful.”

Check availability →Read our full review

10.Braga and Guimarães Full-Day Trip with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 54 reviews · 8 hours · from $132

Travel from Porto to Guimarães and Braga in an air-conditioned vehicle with a live guide in English, Portuguese, or Spanish. Visit the Palace of the Dukes, Guimarães Castle, Braga Cathedral, and Bom Jesus do Monte. Lunch and selected admission tickets are included, with hotel pickup available.

“Our guide Paulo was great in accommodating us. although the heavy rain and the strike of the personnel at one of the sights he managed to give us the best experience and the sense that we have been taken care of.”

Check availability →Read our full review

11.Day Trip to Douro including lunch and Rivercruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 52 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $106

Leave Porto at 7:30 am for Amarante, São Leonardo da Galafura, and Pinhão. You’ll ride an air-conditioned vehicle, eat a traditional Portuguese lunch, cruise the Douro, and visit a vineyard for wine tasting. Guides may speak English and another language, and the group can reach 30 people.

“A lovely day in the country. Our guide was excellent and informative. It is an amazing region, the scenery, the port, the river - all wonderful. The only negative was that we had booked an english speaking tour and it was a combined English/French which was really annoying after a while having everything repeated in French, as I am sure it was for the French Canadians listening to the English explanations. Apart from this i would recommend this tour to anyone visiting Porto”

Check availability →Read our full review

12.Aveiro Private Guided Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 50 reviews · 7 hours

Travel from Porto in a private, air-conditioned vehicle with a Portuguese, English, or Spanish-speaking guide. See Aveiro’s canals, Art Nouveau buildings, fish market, and moliceiro boats, then visit Costa Nova’s striped fishermen’s houses. Lunch, boat fares, and entrance fees cost extra.

“Beautiful day visiting Aveiro and Costa Nova! To me this area is a must see. Our guide was great.. Informative and helpful. Great day out of the big cities!”

Check availability →Read our full review

13.Sanctuary of Fatima & Coimbra Private Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 34 reviews · 9 hours

Travel privately from Porto to Fatima and Coimbra with an English, Portuguese, or Spanish-speaking driver-guide. Visit the Chapel of Apparitions, Coimbra’s university area, the Joanina Library, and Sé Velha, with time for lunch and a possible Mass.

“This was a fantastic trip. The city of Coimbra is lovely - the Joanina library, Palace and chapel were fascinating and beautiful and we managed to fit in a trip to the Cabinet of curiosities ( fascinating and well worth a visit) situated nearby and the cost of entry was included in the same tickets as the previously mentioned sites. We enjoyed seeing the ruins of the original Santa Clara convent and visiting Fatima. Our driver Paulo was excellent, very friendly and very patient and helpful. He dropped us off at the most convenient locations and waited patiently for us. He went out of his way to make drop off…”

Check availability →Read our full review

14.Full-Day Trip of Minho Region

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 17 reviews · 9 - 10 hours · from $69

Spend 9 to 10 hours exploring Minho from central Porto. Visit Bom Jesus do Monte, Braga Cathedral, and Guimarães Castle, then walk through Guimarães’ UNESCO-listed center. Guides speak English, French, Portuguese, or Spanish. Lunch is separate, and group size may be larger than expected.

“Alexandre, Alexandre, un guide qu'on ne va pas oublier ! merci pour cette journée et vos explications avec des pointes d'humour et d'anecdotes. Je recommande cette activité, beaux endroits a voir.”

Check availability →Read our full review

15.Day Trip to Santiago de Compostela

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 11 reviews · 10 hours

Travel from Porto to Santiago de Compostela with an English or Portuguese-speaking guide, enjoy four hours of free time near the cathedral, then visit Valença do Minho. Private transport, Porto pickup, WiFi, and flexible planning make this a useful choice for groups of up to three.

“Excelente!! O guia António foi extremamente paciente e prestativo com meus pais que são de idade!! Sempre sorridente nos atendeu em todas nossas necessidades!!”

Check availability →Read our full review