If people ask me whether they should go to Lisbon or Porto, I obviously say both! But if I’m pushed, I secretly like Porto better. It is so beautiful, so full of history and so full of hills! We’ve heard reports of bad weather, but both times we’ve been there it was stunning.
All those hills mean you’ll want good walking shoes and plenty of snack breaks. I’d do one or two big things a day and leave the rest of the time for wandering, eating and resting.
Here’s everything we did with the kids, what it costs and a few tips for each one. Prices are what I found online in October 2026, so double check before you go.
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1. The Nuri sardine factory tour
Portugal is famous for conservas (canned fish), and Nuri is one of the best known brands. The sardines are made by Conservas Pinhais in Matosinhos, just outside Porto, and you can tour the factory.
We weren’t planning on doing this, but it ended up being one of our highlights! Our kids still talk about it. It’s such an educational experience, and you see how the sardines are prepared and canned by hand. Everyone gets to wrap a can of sardines with their name on it. Depending on your ticket, you either get to keep it or have the chance to buy it, but either way it makes for a fun photo. The tour ends with a tasting in a beautiful café.
- Cost: €15 for adults, €9 for kids 5 to 12, free under 5.
- Book ahead. Groups are small (15 people max), so reserve your spot early. Book the Nuri factory tour here
- Hours: Tours run 9:30am to 4pm, every day from March to October and Monday to Saturday from November to February.
Matosinhos is connected to Porto by metro, or it’s an easy Uber ride. It’s also a beach town known for grilled fish restaurants, so this is a great one to pair with lunch and some time on the sand.
2. An azulejo tile painting class
Azulejos are the painted ceramic tiles you see all over Porto, on churches, on houses and inside São Bento train station. In a tile painting class you paint your own tile to take home, so the kids end up with a souvenir they made themselves!
The tiles need to be fired in a kiln after you paint them, and you may need to wait a couple of days to pick yours up. So schedule this one for the beginning of your trip!
- Tip: Stop by São Bento station before your class so the kids can get some ideas from the tiles there.
- Book it: The Authentic Tile Painting Workshop with a Local Artist takes 1.5 hours, and your tiles are ready to pick up the next morning.
3. A river boat ride
The classic boat ride in Porto is the Six Bridges cruise. It goes up and down the Douro River and under all six of Porto’s bridges in about 50 minutes, which is a good length for kids. A lot of the boats are rabelos, the traditional wooden boats that used to carry port wine barrels down the river.
There are a bunch of companies along the river in Ribeira and on the Gaia side, and they’re all pretty similar.
- Cost: Around €18 to €20 for adults. Kids 4 to 12 are usually half price and little ones under 4 are free.
- Tip: Check both sides of the river. One company we looked at charges €2 less from the Gaia side.
- Book it: This Six Bridges cruise on a rabelo boat leaves from the Gaia side, and kids under 3 ride free.
4. A food market tour
The Mercado do Bolhão is Porto’s big historic market. It reopened in 2022 after a huge renovation and it’s full of fresh fish, fruit, cheese, cured meats and little places to eat.
A food tour is a great way to get kids to try things they wouldn’t order themselves. The Eat Porto Like a Local food tour spends about 45 minutes at the Bolhão market, has discounted prices for kids and non alcoholic options for the drinks, and is stroller accessible. It takes about 3.5 hours.
- Market hours: 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm on Saturday. Closed on Sundays and holidays.
5. World of Discoveries
This is an interactive museum about the Portuguese explorers who sailed around the world in the 1400s and 1500s. It’s on Rua de Miragaia, an easy walk along the river from Ribeira.
The highlight for kids is the boat ride inside the museum, with an audio guide in English. Our kids loved it! There are also lots of hands on exhibits about ships, maps and the places the explorers went.
- Cost: €16 for adults, €10 for kids 4 to 12. Family tickets are €40 to €45.
- Hours: 10am to 6pm on weekdays, 10am to 7pm on weekends. Closed Mondays.
- Tickets: Book World of Discoveries tickets here
6. WOW (the chocolate, cork and rosé museums)
WOW (World of Wine) is a big cultural district in Vila Nova de Gaia, across the river from Porto, in a bunch of old port wine warehouses. Most of it is about wine, but there’s a lot for kids too.
We did the rosé museum (the Pink Palace), the chocolate museum and Planet Cork, and the kids loved them all! They liked the chocolate one best, especially the claw machine at the end where you can grab a bar of chocolate. Planet Cork was the most interactive, and it was our favorite. Portugal produces about half of the world’s cork. At the rosé museum the kids loved the ball pit and the other fun photo spots. It’s all indoors, so it’s a great rainy day activity.
- Cost: One museum is €20 for adults and €9 for kids 4 to 12, or €45 for a family of 2 adults and 2 kids. You get a discount when you buy more than one museum at once, like with the WOW Day Pass.
- Hours: Open every day, 10am to 7pm (last entry).
- Tickets: The chocolate museum, the Pink Palace and all WOW tickets
7. The Gaia cable car
The Teleférico de Gaia runs from the top of the hill near the Dom Luís I bridge down to the riverfront in Gaia. The ride is only about 4 minutes, but the views of Porto and the bridge are amazing.
We took the cable car up so we didn’t have to walk up the big hill from the river! It’s easy to pair with WOW, which is a short walk from the bottom station. From the top, you can walk back into Porto across the top level of the Dom Luís I bridge.
- Cost: €7 one way or €10 round trip for adults, and half price for kids 5 to 12. A family round trip ticket for 2 adults and 2 kids is €22.50, but you can only buy that one at the station.
- Tickets: Buy them at either station or online on the official site.
- Hours: Opens at 10am every day. Closing time changes with the season (6pm to 8pm).
8. Pastéis de nata (watching them get made and making your own!)
If your kids are like most kids, they’ll want a pastel de nata (Portuguese custard tart, pastéis de nata is the plural) every single day. We like eating them at Manteigaria. Most shops have a window where you can watch them being made, which is fun for kids.
Ask for them with canela (cinnamon) on top, and eat them warm if you can!
If you want to try making them yourselves, the Pastel de Nata Cooking Class is fun for everyone, from kids to adults (it’s not for kids under 3). It takes about 1.5 to 2 hours.
9. Livraria Lello (the famous bookstore)
Livraria Lello is the gorgeous old bookstore with the curvy red staircase. People love to say it inspired Harry Potter, since J.K. Rowling lived in Porto in the early ’90s, but she has said she never actually went there. It’s still beautiful and worth a stop.
You need a ticket to go in, and the good news is the ticket price can go toward a book. My son got a Harry Potter almanac and my daughter got a cute book about Porto.
- Tip: Tickets have time slots and it gets super crowded. We went toward the end of the day and it felt less crowded.
- Kids under 12 need to be with an adult.
- Tickets: Book Livraria Lello tickets
10. The fanciest McDonald's
Yes, really! The McDonald’s Imperial on Praça da Liberdade, at the bottom of Avenida dos Aliados, is in the old Café Imperial from the 1930s. When McDonald’s moved in back in 1995 they kept the chandeliers, the stained glass and the huge eagle out front.
It’s a fun stop when the kids are done with Portuguese food for the day, and the grown ups get to look at the ceilings. Be sure to try some of the local menu items, like the soup (sopa)! Sometimes they also have Portuguese specials like the McBifana and the McPrego, their takes on the classic pork and steak sandwiches.
11. A park morning at Quinta do Covelo
When the kids need a break from museums, Quinta do Covelo is a big park in the Paranhos neighborhood, north of downtown. It has huge old trees, lots of open grass and a playground, and it’s free. The kids loved the flying fox (zip line), and I loved the quiosque (kiosk café), where I could have a coffee and still keep them in sight.
Where to stay
Here are some fun hotels I found that parents and kids will both like. If you’re like me and at an age where the design of the hotel matters, but you also need enough space for a family of 4, these are your spots! Porto is pretty compact, so I’d stay in the old town or close to São Bento station and walk to most things.
Worth the splurge
- Cocorico Luxury House (Cedofeita). The kids get their own little room with bunk beds, and you get a king bed and a balcony in the Prestige Family Room. Everyone gets some space! It’s about a 10 minute walk to São Bento station.
- Torel 1884 Suites & Apartments (Rua das Flores). The two bedroom apartments mean the kids can go to bed and you can still stay up and chat. You’re also right in the middle of the old town, on one of the prettiest streets in Porto.
- Village by BOA (Bairro do Silva). The Deluxe Two Bedroom has a full kitchen and a second room with twin beds, so breakfast and bedtime are easy. The calm Japanese and Scandinavian style is a nice break after a busy day out.
- The Rebello (Gaia riverfront). There’s a kids club! The two bedroom suites and duplexes have kitchens too. You’re across the river from the old town, but you can walk over the bridge.
- The Yeatman (Gaia). The biggest splurge on the list. There’s a kids club for ages 3 to 16, babysitting and rooms that connect, so the grown ups might actually get a night out. Plus the view is huge. It’s the least walkable one on the list, so plan on taxis.
Easier on the budget
- Casa dos Lóios by Shiadu (near São Bento). The Signature Family Room sleeps 4 and starts around €124 a night, which is a good price for a design hotel this central.
- Porto República Hostel & Suites (Praça da República). The family rooms have bunk beds, so you get a kid friendly setup without paying boutique hotel prices. It’s in a renovated historic building, with simpler design.
Getting around
Walking is the way to go in Porto, so make sure everyone has comfortable shoes! When little legs are done, take a Bolt or Uber.
Please don’t try to drive in the city. The streets are narrow, steep and confusing. If you came with a car, park it in a garage and leave it there for your whole stay.
Porto also has a good metro system, and it runs all the way to the airport. You’ll need an Andante card (the reusable ticket card), which you can get at the machines in the metro stations.
Want help planning your trip?
I work with some amazing travel agents who can put together a day trip or a few days in Porto, customized for your family. If you’re interested, fill out this quick form! If you’d rather just tell me what you’re looking for, email me at alison@semicuratedlife.com and I’ll connect you with the right travel expert.
Have you been to Porto with kids? Let me know what we should add to the list for next time!