Porto
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Portugal’s similar-sounding second city (after the capital Lisbon) is a gem of a travel destination for a couple of days. There isn’t so much dark there, only just about enough to justify an entry on this website, but that gives me the chance to sing Porto’s praises …
What there is to see: As already indicated I haven’t found much that can be classed as a proper dark-tourism site within Porto. What could qualify includes the former city prison. This is a building from the second half of the 18th century and also housed the Court of Appeal. It continued to serve those functions until the modern age. In the 1960s a new prison was built that then took over in stages. During the 1974 revolution the building was apparently occupied by revolutionaries. There followed a period of mixed use until from 1997 it became the home of the Portuguese Photography Centre. The building was temporarily closed for renovation work and reopened to the public in 2001. You can still see the barred windows, and there’s supposed to be one cell inside that has been preserved. However, when I was at the location in January 2025 it was a Monday and the Photography Centre was closed, so I could not see the interiors other than a brief glimpse into the foyer.
Another dark element revealed itself to me by chance, quite unplanned. I wanted to visit the duo of churches known as Carmo and Carmelitas, respectively, not so much for the churches themselves, but for the extremely narrow “Hidden House” that just about separates the two churches (one reason given is that there was a rule that two churches were not allowed to be directly adjacent to each other … or something like that). To get inside the “Hidden House” you have to buy a ticket to visit the whole of the Carmo Church and the adjacent home of the Order of Carmo, which is now a museum. The interior of the “Hidden House” was interesting enough – and inside it’s actually not quite as narrow as the front façade would lead you to expect. But the real surprise awaited me in the church crypt: at the bottom of the stairs down to it is a hole in the floor covered by glass flooring through which an assortment of skulls looks back at you surrounded by some other bones, partially in an open coffin. I hadn’t been prepared for that. And in the adjacent room there’s also a coffin with a glass top through which an elegantly dressed female mummy was visible, apparently a former member of the Order (though I couldn’t be sure if it was still the real thing or a replacement replica). The rest of the museum didn’t have much of specifically dark interest to me, but was still interesting to see. The ticket also gives you access to parts of the roof for views over the square outside and the city of Porto beyond.
Also of dark interest could be the Cemitério do Prado do Repouso, a cemetery recognized by the Association of Significant Cemeteries of Europe (ASCE) and part of the European Cemeteries Route. Unfortunately, though, I did not manage to visit it during my short stay in Porto.
Furthermore I spotted an unexpected Wold War One monument on a square in Porto (on Praça de Carlos Alberto, to be precise). Indeed Portugal took part in WW1 on the side of the Allies and had an expeditionary force fighting in France (see the Somme) that suffered very high losses.
For other sights of Porto see below under non-dark combinations.
Location: on the Douro Rover, not far from its estuary, in the northern half of Portugal, ca. 280 km (175 miles) north of Lisbon and ca. 195 km (120 miles) south of Santiago de Compostela in Spain.
Google Maps locators:
Former city prison (now Photography Centre): [41.1448, -8.6158]
Carmo and Carmelitas churches: [41.1474, -8.6162]
Prado do Repouso cemetery: [41.145, -8.595]
Ponte Luiz I: [41.1403, -8.6095]
Cathedral: [41.1429, -8.6115]
Bolhão market: [41.1494, -8.6071]
Livraria Lello: [41.1468, -8.6149]
São Bento train station: [41.1456, -8.6105]
Campanha train station: [41.1488, -8.5854]
Access and costs: easy enough to get to by plane or train (e.g. from Lisbon); no longer a real bargain in general, but with care costs can be kept down.
Details: To get to Porto from abroad, most visitors will fly in, as Porto has its own international airport with plenty of useful connections, including with budget airlines. Overland, the train from Lisbon is super-convenient and when booked well enough in advance a real bargain (I paid a mere 10 euros each way – for an over three-hour long journey!). When booking the train online make sure to specify São Bento as your final destination, especially if you’re staying in the city centre, because that way you get the connection by regional train included that runs (one stop) from the main train station at Campanha, which is quite a bit to the east of the centre.
For getting around your own two feet are mostly the best option, as the city is a delight for walking. However, for people with mobility issues, Porto can be a big challenge, as it is very hilly, so there are frequent flights of stairs and steep alleyways to negotiate. Wheelchair users will have it especially hard.
Accommodation options vary widely and across the whole price range. But some researching ahead can unearth very good deals. I found a very comfy and pleasant hotel for under 100 euros for a double room per night with excellent breakfast included, and at a prime location at the bottom of the fabled Rua das Flores, an easy walk away from São Bento station.
In terms of food & drink, Porto is a mixed bag. Some local specialities are quite an “acquired” taste, beyond what some people would accept (me included), i.e. tripe dishes or the local sandwich francesinha, a meat-laden get-your-hands-dirty kind of snack that for vegetarians and fine-diners alike must be the devil incarnate. That said, though, it is equally possible to eat very well indeed in Porto. As in Lisbon you just have to make sure to steer clear of all those tourist-trap places at popular spots such as by the river. I had one pretty good Basque place booked (I wanted a short break from Portuguese cuisine) for my first night, and for the second evening I was lucky to stumble across a restaurant just a couple of doors up from my hotel that turned out to be part of the empire of a celebrated Portuguese chef who is mainly based in London – and whose cookbook I even own and have frequently used. In this place, Portuguese food is elevated to gourmet heights without losing its roots, in very creative and unexpected ways – and all that at prices that are not cheap, but still a far cry from what you’d have to pay for such quality in other European cities. See also under Portugal >food and drink.
On the drinks front, the very obvious one has to be mentioned: port wine. This is its home and nowhere is it more established than here. There are dozens of “quintas” (port wine cellars) on the southern side of the Douro River in the district called Gaia. You can see all the big brand names of port wines represented here, as well as some you are likely never to have heard of before. Most of these offer on-site port tasting and have shops where you can buy bottles of port. But if you fancy something unfortified, the regular wines of the region (especially reds from the Douro valley) are also in good supply. The craft-beer scene has found a foothold in Porto too, though less so than in Lisbon, and you may have to accept greater distances to get to them. Cafés and outlets for non-alcoholic drinks are available in abundance.
Time required: I only had two nights in Porto and afterwards felt another day would have been good. Yet Porto is a classic (long) weekend destination, or even a day-tripper one, so most people don’t seem to need so long. For those few dark places mentioned above even a couple of hours would be enough, but of course you have to take in some of the city’s many other delights when there. It’s absolutely not a dark-tourism-only destination.
Combinations with other dark destinations: nothing nearby that I am aware of.
Combinations with non-dark destinations: Where to begin? Porto is full of marvellous sights, here I can pick out only a few.
The best thing about Porto is probably its riverside setting. Unlike the Tagus River in Lisbon, which feels more like the sea as it’s so close to the estuary, the Douro River in Porto does feel like a “proper” river, not too wide, yet impressive as a body of water.
And then there are the bridges. The No. 1 icon of a bridge in Porto is the Ponte Luiz I (often also spelled “Luis”, but I use the spelling you actually see on the bridge itself; sometimes the longer name “Ponte de Dom Luis I” is also given). It’s a late 19th century iron bridge, designed by an associate of the famous Gustave Eiffel. At the time of its opening it was the world’s longest single-span bridge (at 172m). It’s actually two bridges, as it were, or rather: it has two decks, the lower deck just 10m or so above the waterline is for vehicles and pedestrians while the much higher upper deck carries a tram line but is also used by pedestrians (when it’s crowded with tourists it’s fun to watch the trams trying to shoo self-absorbed selfie-takers away from the tracks). This bridge is not to be confused with the similar, but single-deck, “Maria Pia” iron railway bridge that was actually built by Eiffel’s company nine years earlier and is located some way further upriver (but this one is no longer in use).
Much newer is the tourist cable car (built by a trustworthy Austrian company) that has its upper station right by the southern end of the Luiz I Bridge and goes along the waterfront of the Vila Nova de Gaia district (often just Gaia, for short) on the south bank of the Douro, the other station being right by the waterfront. It’s very touristy, yes, but also quite convenient for getting from the waterfront level to the upper deck of the bridge, sparing you the steep climb you’d otherwise have to face.
Older architectural sights include the Monastery of Serra do Pilar towering above the river right off the southern end of Ponte Luiz I, or Porto Cathedral (Sé do Porto), which is one of the oldest structures in the city, going back to the 12th century. The 18th century bell tower of the Cléricos Church is another landmark, visible from many parts of Porto, towering 75m above it.
You can also spot some modern architecture in Porto, while quite a few of the older residential houses are derelict and some even in a state of disrepair, partially collapsed.
This cannot be said about one of Porto’s most popular tourist magnets, the Livraria Lello, a celebrated bookshop with an elaborate wooden interior design, including a unique carved double staircase in the centre. There is some association with the Harry Potter movies and that has contributed to the place being such a victim of extreme overtourism. When I was in the area I saw a queue of several hundred tourists waiting for their turn to get in – and take the same photos as everybody else before them … I call it the Instagram curse. They now even charge an admission fee (but if you proceed to buy a book, the ticket cost is deducted from the price). I didn’t bother joining the queue but later in the evening, after official opening hours I caught a brief glimpse of the inside through the glass door.
Like in Lisbon and elsewhere in Portugal you can come across a lot of blue tiles (called “azulejos” in Portuguese), some covering whole walls, e.g. the eastern façade of the Carmo Church (see above); the whole of the Saint Ildefonso Church is also covered in “azulejos”. Especially elaborate examples of “azulejos” can be marvelled at in the main hall of the São Bento train station.
Foodies should not miss out on the marvellous Bolhão market, where you can stock up on everything from cheese to tins of fish and chunks of dried salt cod bacalhau (though the latter’s smell does not make it a good souvenir to pack in your luggage!). On the upper level of the market are also several restaurants, including one specializing in dishes with bacalhau. And when I was there I even spotted a modern monument to tinned sardines!
Other than specific sightseeing, the streets of Porto, often narrow and car-free, are a delight to explore. It really is a pedestrian’s travel destination par excellence.
