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Complete Porto: free self-guided audio tour of Porto
Complete Porto is a free self-guided audio walking tour of Porto, Portugal: 7 stops in about 2 h 20. The Itinerarly app walks you from one stop to the next and plays a short narrated story when you arrive, in English, French, Spanish, Italian and Chinese.
| Stops | 7 |
|---|---|
| Duration | about 2 h 20, including time at each stop |
| Difficulty | Challenging |
| Distance | about 2.0 km in straight lines between the stops (a little more on foot) |
| Start | Clérigos Tower |
| Finish | Dom Luís I Bridge |
| Price | Free (some sights charge their own entry ticket) |
| Languages | English, French, Spanish, Italian and Chinese |
Golden Baroque, blue azulejos and the Douro river
The stops, in order
- Clérigos TowerBefore you stands the Clérigos Tower, Porto's vertical landmark and the first sight when arriving in the city. Built in the 18th century by the Italian architect Nicolau Nasoni, this 75-meter Baroque tower is part of the Clérigos Church, a masterpiece of Portuguese religious art. Its 240 steps lead to a panoramic terrace embracing the whole city—from the Douro to São Bento station, from the blue azulejos to the golden bell towers.
- Livraria LelloStep inside Livraria Lello, often mentioned among the most beautiful bookshops in the world. Opened in 1906, it blends Art Nouveau, Neo-Gothic and carved woodwork in a fairy-tale atmosphere. Its red, double-revolution staircase, stained-glass ceiling, plaster panels imitating wood and slender shelves form a fantastic backdrop that reportedly inspired J.K.
- São Bento StationWelcome to São Bento Station, arguably the most beautiful train station in Europe. Opened in 1916 on the site of a former Benedictine convent, it is famous for its monumental hall covered with more than 20,000 hand-painted azulejos by Jorge Colaço. These blue ceramic frescoes tell the story of Portugal: battles, kings, popular festivals, transport and rural landscapes.
- Porto CathedralThis is the Sé do Porto, the Romanesque cathedral overlooking the city from the top of Pena Ventosa hill. Begun in the 12th century, it blends Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque styles through centuries of additions and embellishments. Its austere facade, flanked by two sturdy towers, still recalls a fortress.
- São Francisco ChurchSão Francisco Church looks like a modest Gothic facade hiding a stunning interior: over 300 kilos of gold decorate the chapels, altarpieces and columns in a Baroque extravaganza unique in Portugal. It is said that sculptors worked for decades to create this profusion of gilding, cherubs, grapevines and carved foliage. Admire the Tree of Jesse, a masterpiece of polychrome sculpture tracing Christ's genealogy.
- Cais da RibeiraWelcome to the Cais da Ribeira, the beating heart and colorful soul of Porto, a UNESCO World Heritage site. You stand on the banks of the Douro, facing the historic cellars of Vila Nova de Gaia where the famous Port wine matures. Admire the tightly packed houses with blue, yellow and ochre azulejo facades cascading down to the river like an amphitheater of red roofs.
- Dom Luís I BridgeHere is the Dom Luís I Bridge, Porto's icon and one of Europe's most celebrated engineering works. Opened in 1886, this double-deck iron bridge was designed by Théophile Seyrig, a pupil of Gustave Eiffel. With its 172-meter arch, it was the longest wrought-iron span in the world when it was built.
How to take this tour
- Install the free Itinerarly app on iPhone or Android and create a free account.
- Open Guided tours, choose Porto, then Complete Porto.
- Start whenever you like: the app guides you to Clérigos Tower and the story plays when you arrive at each stop.
Other audio tours of Porto
Planning a whole day? See one day in Porto.
Frequently asked questions
- Is the Complete Porto tour in Porto free?
- Yes. It is one of 3 free self-guided audio tours of Porto in the Itinerarly app. Some sights charge their own entry ticket.
- How long does the Complete Porto tour take?
- About 2 h 20 for 7 stops, including time at each stop.
- Where does the Complete Porto tour start and finish?
- It starts at Clérigos Tower and finishes at Dom Luís I Bridge.
- Which languages is the narration in?
- English, French, Spanish, Italian and Chinese, with natural-sounding synthetic voices.