One of 2 self-guided walks in Porto. See every walk.
In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Start at Trindade metro station and finish at Bolhão metro station: 3.4 km, about 45 minutes of walking and a full day with the visits. Book two timed entries: the Torre dos Clérigos (€10, with 5 minutes’ tolerance) and Livraria Lello (a €15.95 voucher, valid for 60 minutes after its time). The Mercado do Bolhão is shut on Sundays and holidays and closes at 19:00 on weekdays and 18:00 on Saturdays, and the Igreja do Carmo (€8) closes at 17:00 from 1 November. The avenue, the squares, the São Bento hall and the tiled façades are free. Or book a tour: the 3-hour guided walk of the centread is from €22 (GetYourGuide).
The route
Map of the walk numbered stops in walking order
Open the whole route in Google Maps - all the stops in walking order, set to walking directions, which is the version to put on your phone.
The walk goes down the avenue from the Town Hall, west to the two timed sights and the Carmo, back east to São Bento and the tiled church at Batalha, and north to the market. The tower and Lello come first because both open at 9:00 and sell by slot, and the market comes last because its restaurants stay open until midnight. Porto in 2 days spreads the same sights over two days and azulejos in Porto covers the tiles in detail; this page puts them in walking order with the days they are open. Prices are the adult rate in euros from each operator.
| Stop | Entry (adult) | Open |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The Town Hall and the Avenida dos Aliados | Free | Always; the Town Hall is seen from outside |
| 2. Praça da Liberdade | Free | Always |
| 3. Torre dos Clérigos | €10 for the tower and museum | Daily 9:00 to 19:00; last entry 30 minutes before |
| 4. Livraria Lello | €15.95 voucher | Daily 9:00 to 19:30; shut 1 January, Easter Sunday, 1 May, 24 June, 25 December |
| 5. Igreja do Carmo and the Carmelitas | Side wall free; church and visitor route €8 | Daily 9:30 to 18:00 until 31 October, to 17:00 from 1 November |
| 6. São Bento station | Free | Daily 6:30 to 1:00 |
| 7. Igreja de Santo Ildefonso | Façade free | Façade always |
| 8. Mercado do Bolhão | Free | Monday to Friday 8:00 to 19:00, Saturday 8:00 to 18:00; shut Sundays and holidays; restaurants Monday to Saturday 8:00 to midnight |
| 9. Capela das Almas | Free | Wall always visible |
Walk it with a guide
A guide adds the stories. Only the second of these includes a Lello voucher. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices, per person.
- Porto: 3-Hour Guided City Highlights Walking Tourad: from €22, 4.8 stars from 3,096 reviews, 3 hours, run by Bluedragon City Tours in English. It passes the cathedral, Aliados, the Clérigos church, Rua de Santa Catarina and the Bolhão market, and booking in advance is mandatory.
- Porto: Guided Walking Tour and Lello Bookshopad: from €52, 4.8 stars from 977 reviews, 3 hours, a small group with 30 minutes at Livraria Lello. The page lists a Lello voucher and entrance fees among its inclusions.
- Porto: Historic City Center Walking Tour with Hidden Gemsad: from €28, 4.7 stars from 1,209 reviews, 3 hours, taking in the cathedral, the Dom Luís I bridge, São Bento station, Aliados and Rua dos Clérigos.
- Porto Walkers runs a free walk, paid by a tip, from the Pedro IV statue in Praça da Liberdade at 9:30 and 10:45 every day, with a reservation required. Porto walking tours compares the free and paid walks.
1. The Town Hall and the Avenida dos Aliados
Free · always open · Praça General Humberto Delgado
Trindade is 400 m from the head of the avenue, where the Town Hall stands. The city council says the avenue was cut by pulling down everything between the Praça da Liberdade and the Praça da Trindade in the reform of 1915 to 1919, and that the Town Hall, begun on 24 June 1920 and inaugurated on 24 June 1957, is the last granite palace built in Portugal. It has six floors above its basement and a tower, and its outer walls are S. Gens granite. The walk looks at it from outside and goes down the avenue.
- Metro: Aliados station is under the avenue, a way out if the walk is cut short.
Walk to Praça da Liberdade: 480 m down the avenue.
2. Praça da Liberdade
Free · always open
The square closes the foot of the avenue, with the bronze equestrian statue of King Pedro IV in it, and Porto Walkers’ free tour meets beside the statue. Roadworks round the square and São Bento station continue until the Pink Line opens. The Metro company puts that at the end of March 2027, so expect hoardings and detours.
Walk to the Torre dos Clérigos: 350 m west.
3. Torre dos Clérigos
€10 for the tower and museum · daily 9:00 to 19:00 · Rua de São Filipe de Nery
Nicolau Nasoni, the Italian architect, designed the tower in 1753; it was built from 1754 and finished in July 1763. It is 75 m high, with six floors and 225 steps and no lift, and the top looks over Porto and across the Douro to Gaia. The €10 pack includes the museum, in the former rooms of the Brotherhood. Allow 45 minutes to an hour.
- Booking: a date and time, online at torredosclerigos.pt or on site. Arrive 10 minutes early: there is 5 minutes’ tolerance, then entry is refused with no refund.
- Bags: no backpacks or bags in the tower or the museum. Storage is free for 1.5 hours with a ticket.
- Hours: every day, last entry 30 minutes before closing. The tower is open 365 days a year, 9:00 to 14:00 on 24 and 31 December and 11:00 to 19:00 on 25 December and 1 January. Easter, summer and Christmas seasons run to 23:00.
- Children: under 14 climb only with a person aged 18 or over.
The Torre dos Clérigos guide has the combined tickets and the Spiritus show.
Walk to Livraria Lello: 210 m.
4. Livraria Lello
€15.95 voucher · daily 9:00 to 19:30 · shut 1 January, Easter Sunday, 1 May, 24 June and 25 December · Rua das Carmelitas 144
Every visitor buys a voucher for a date and time, even to buy a book, and its value is deducted from a book bought in the shop. The neo-Gothic building opened on 13 January 1906, to a design by Francisco Xavier Esteves, and the shop puts a visit at 45 to 60 minutes with no maximum stay inside opening hours. It is wheelchair accessible, with a lift.
- The voucher: valid for up to 60 minutes after the time on it, non-refundable, and the date and time can be changed once, up to 24 hours before. It is emailed and shown on your phone at the door.
- Same day: vouchers sell until 30 minutes before closing, subject to availability, and cash is not accepted for one bought in the queue. Children up to and including 3 are free, with proof of age.
Livraria Lello tickets has the other tickets and the shop’s own account of its history.
Walk to the Igreja do Carmo: 180 m.
5. Igreja do Carmo and the Carmelitas
Church and visitor route €8 · daily 9:30 to 18:00 until 31 October, to 17:00 from 1 November · Praça Carlos Alberto 20
The long side wall of the Carmo is tiled with scenes from the foundation of the Carmelite Order on Mount Carmel and can be seen from the street for nothing. The €8 ticket covers the church and the visitor route: the Hidden House, built between the Carmo and the Church of the Carmelitas, the sacristy, the historic rooms and the catacombs. The Order puts the visit at 30 to 45 minutes. Mass is at 9:00 every day.
The fronts of the Carmelitas (left) and the Igreja do Carmo (right). Photo: José António Fernandes, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
- Tickets: at the door or online at ordemdocarmo.pt.
- The Carmelitas next door is a 17th-century church with a classical façade of the 1850s, and its design is attributed to Nasoni.
Walk to São Bento station: 610 m east, past the Largo dos Lóios.
6. São Bento station
Free · daily 6:30 to 1:00 · Praça de Almeida Garrett
The station was built at the start of the 20th century on the site of the São Bento de Ave-Maria convent, with an iron-and-glass structure by the architect Marques da Silva. Its vestibule holds about 20,000 tiles painted by Jorge Colaço, showing the evolution of transport and events from Portuguese history. It is a working station, so stand clear of the ticket queues.
The front of São Bento station. Photo: Ruialbuquerque, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
- Trains: São Bento is the terminus for CP’s urban and regional trains to Guimarães, Braga, Aveiro and the Douro.
- Next walk: the Ribeira to Gaia walk starts in this hall.
Azulejos in Porto lists the other tiled sites.
Walk to the Igreja de Santo Ildefonso: 510 m east, along Rua da Madeira.
7. Igreja de Santo Ildefonso
Façade free · always visible · Praça da Batalha
The church was built between 1709 and 1739. Jorge Colaço tiled the façade in 1932 with scenes from the life of St Ildefonso and allegories of the Eucharist. The Café Majestic is 220 m north, on the way to the market.
Walk to the Mercado do Bolhão: 520 m north along Rua de Santa Catarina, then along Rua Formosa.
8. Mercado do Bolhão
Free · Monday to Friday 8:00 to 19:00, Saturday 8:00 to 18:00 · shut Sundays and holidays · restaurants Monday to Saturday 8:00 to midnight · Rua Formosa
The market reopened in September 2022 after its rebuild and is mainly fresh produce. The shops outside the building keep their own hours. The restaurants inside stay open until midnight, so the market works as the last stop of the day.
The outer shops and street front of the Mercado do Bolhão, on Rua de Sá da Bandeira. Photo: GualdimG, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Eat here: see Where to eat.
Walk to the Capela das Almas: 170 m.
9. Capela das Almas
Free · wall always visible · Rua de Santa Catarina
The chapel dates from the early 18th century. In 1929 the whole exterior was covered in tiles showing scenes from the lives of St Francis of Assisi and St Catherine, and the panels were restored in 1982. The tiles are on the outside, so the wall is there at any hour. Bolhão metro station is 17 m away, on Rua de Fernandes Tomás, and ends the walk.
Where to eat
Café Majestic
Rua de Santa Catarina 112 · Monday to Saturday 9:00 to 23:00 · shut Sundays
Between the seventh and eighth stops. The café opened on 2 December 1922, and its menu, updated on 2 January 2025, prices an espresso at €6.00 and a pastel de nata at €3.00. Where to eat in Porto lists the other cafés.
Gazela
Monday to Saturday 12:00 to 22:30 · shut Sundays · cervejariagazela.pt
A short step from the Praça da Batalha, at the seventh stop. It is the house of the cachorrinho, the Porto “little dog”: fresh sausage and linguiça with melted cheese in a toasted roll, finished with a spicy sauce.
The restaurants in the Bolhão
Monday to Saturday 8:00 to midnight · shut Sundays and holidays · mercadobolhao.pt
The market’s own list is Nelson dos Leitões, Culto ao Bacalhau, Peixe no Mercado, Herdade 1980, O Pintainho 36, Café da D. Gina and Casa Vegetariana. Culto ao Bacalhau is Michelin Selected, and Casa Vegetariana and Peixe no Mercado serve no meat.
The best day to go
| Day | What changes on the route |
|---|---|
| Monday to Friday | Everything is open. The market closes at 19:00 |
| Saturday | The market closes at 18:00. Everything else is open |
| Sunday | The market, the Café Majestic and Gazela are shut. The Torre dos Clérigos, Lello and the Carmo are open |
The timing that works, on a weekday: book the Clérigos slot for 9:30 and the Lello voucher for 10:45. Be at Trindade at 8:45, at the Town Hall by 8:55 and at the tower door by 9:20. The tower and museum take 45 minutes to an hour, Lello 45 to 60 minutes, and the Carmo can follow at 12:00 for its 30 to 45 minutes. São Bento is reached by 13:00, lunch at Gazela or the Majestic, and the market by 15:00, with four hours left before it closes. From 1 November the Carmo closes at 17:00, so it cannot slip to the end of the day.
A Sunday: keep the order and leave the market out. The walk ends at the Capela das Almas, whose wall is there on Sundays. The market, the Majestic, Gazela, Café Santiago and Lado B are all shut, and Casa Guedes, on Praça dos Poveiros, opens from 11:00 to 23:00: where to eat in Porto has the rest.
What closes:
- Sundays and holidays: the Mercado do Bolhão all day, and on Sundays the Café Majestic and Gazela.
- After 17:00 from 1 November: the Igreja do Carmo. After 19:00: the Torre dos Clérigos and the market on weekdays. After 19:30: Livraria Lello.
- 1 January, Easter Sunday, 1 May, 24 June and 25 December: Livraria Lello. 24 and 31 December: the Torre dos Clérigos closes at 14:00.
What does not close: the avenue, the squares, the São Bento hall, the tiled façades and the Capela das Almas wall.
Getting there and back
- To the start: Trindade is the Metro’s main interchange. Line E runs from the airport to Trindade, every 20 to 30 minutes, for a €2.30 single plus €0.60 once for the Andante Azul card: see Porto airport to the city and Porto public transport.
- From the end: Bolhão metro station is beside the Capela das Almas. São Bento station is 820 m back on foot, about 10 minutes, where the Ribeira to Gaia walk starts.
What to do with the rest of the day
- The Ribeira and Gaia: the Ribeira to Gaia walk starts at São Bento station, where this one passes at its sixth stop, and goes down to the river, over the Dom Luís I bridge and up to the Serra do Pilar.
- Inside the sights: the Torre dos Clérigos and Livraria Lello have the tickets and the days.
- Tiles: azulejos in Porto adds the Sé cloister to the São Bento hall and the three tiled façades on this walk.
- Free: free things to do in Porto lists the other free sights.
- The days: Porto in 2 days fits these sights into two days round the bookings, and what to book before you go to Porto has the closed days for every sight.
- Guided walks: Porto walking tours sets the free tour against the paid ones.
- Where to sleep: where to stay in Porto compares the areas.
Common questions
How long is the Porto historic centre walk?
3.4 km from Trindade metro station to Bolhão metro station, measured along the streets: about 45 minutes of walking. The visits fill a day, because the tower and museum, Livraria Lello and the Igreja do Carmo each take 30 to 60 minutes.
Which day is best for the Porto historic centre walk?
Monday to Friday. The Mercado do Bolhão is open until 19:00 on weekdays, 18:00 on Saturdays, and shut on Sundays and holidays. The Café Majestic and Gazela are shut on Sundays too. Livraria Lello is the stop that closes on dates: 1 January, Easter Sunday, 1 May, 24 June and 25 December.
Is the Porto historic centre walk free?
The streets, the Avenida dos Aliados, the São Bento hall, the tiled façades and the Bolhão market cost nothing. The Torre dos Clérigos is €10 with the museum, Livraria Lello is a €15.95 voucher and the Igreja do Carmo is €8.
What do I need to book for the walk?
The Torre dos Clérigos and Livraria Lello, each for a date and time. Both sell on the day while slots remain, and Lello sells same-day vouchers until 30 minutes before it closes. The Carmo sells tickets at the door.
Can I start the walk from the airport?
Yes. Metro line E runs from the airport to Trindade, where the walk starts, every 20 to 30 minutes. A single costs €2.30, plus €0.60 once for the Andante Azul card.
Where does the walk finish, and can I carry on to the Ribeira?
At Bolhão metro station, beside the Capela das Almas. The Ribeira to Gaia walk starts at São Bento station, which is stop 6 here and 820 m from the finish, so you can break there and start the second walk, or do it another day.
