How to choose budget accommodation in Porto, and in which area to stay? In the city center or vice versa, closer to the beaches. Porto has a huge selection of budget apartments, hostels for young people, and traditional hotels for those who like breakfast and buffets in the morning.
What to have to know when choosing an apartment in Porto
Don’t try to save money by choosing a hotel or apartment far from the tourist center. Instead of drinking coffee in a nice cafe in the morning, you’ll spend time on public transportation.
In winter, Porto apartments can be very cold due to the proximity of the river and ocean. There is often fog along the river, and the apartments do not have central heating. Old houses have high ceilings, and it is quite difficult to heat such a space with a conventional heater.
Be prepared for the fact that even in the most touristy places you will find crumbling houses. Your hotel or hostel may be adjacent to an outright abandonment. But, to be honest, all this cracked decrepitude fits in with the urban style of Porto.
The port is located on the banks of the Douro River, and some buildings are built on streets with a fairly strong slope – there may be stairs and ladders. For those who suffer from shortness of breath, this can be a challenge.
When choosing a budget accommodation in Porto, use Google maps and check the address on the hotel website or in Booking to see which streets lead to your future home.
If you are more interested in ocean views, choose neighborhoods closer to the beaches and waterfront. It takes longer to get to the center from here, but you’re guaranteed fantastic sunsets.
Historical center of Porto
A port that smells of sardines and port wine, as if it were sewn together by bridges over the Doro River. A city with character, where the soul is scattered in narrow streets along the curves of ridiculous houses.
I fell in love with Porto immediately and unconditionally, despite its shortcomings. The soul and charm of old Porto live in the shabby buildings and abandoned houses. The harmonious fading of life does not spoil the city’s appearance.
The historic center of Porto is a dance of red roofs, a maze of streets, sidewalk cafes and walls of brightly colored azulejo tiles. The center is not as big as in Lisbon, so there is no point in living on the outskirts and being tied to metro stations. Prices for apartments and hotels are affordable, and the choice of interesting accommodation is huge.
Santo Ildefonso
The Santo Ildefonso district is the lively center of Porto, built around the grand Avenida dos Aliados / Av. dos Aliados.
Santo Ildefonso is the center of many of the city’s most famous attractions:
Freedom Square – Praça da Liberdade
São Bento Central Railway Station.
Rua das Flores Street, with buildings decorated with decadent baroque facades.
If you choose one of the hotels in Santo Ildefonso, be prepared to pay a slightly higher price for a room than in similar hotels on the side. But if you only have a couple of days to explore Porto, this area is an ideal choice with excellent transportation. It is convenient to get to both the airport and the neighboring towns of Porto, which are connected by a network of railways. St. Bento Station will be right next door.
Ribeira is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Porto, located along the river and protected by UNESCO for its unique architecture and cultural sites.
The streets of Ribeira are full of restaurants and bars that come alive in the evenings when bustling crowds of tourists and locals gather to dine overlooking the Douro River. Here, on a bench under a huge pine tree, I listened to street musicians. And in the bar, I drank a kernel sangria, which was terribly fun and gave me a headache the next morning.
If you stay in one of the old traditional houses on Bairro do Barredo, you can feel the atmosphere of the past. And it doesn’t mean that you have to live in an old, dirty hut. There is a huge selection of stylish boutique hotels with panoramic views of the rooftops of Porto.
To the south of Porto, on the opposite side of the Douro River, is the suburb of Vila Nova de Gaia. This place is known for its wine cellars. Port wine of famous brands is stored in old oak barrels. The spirit of thirty-year-old port wafts like gray smoke from the cellars. I followed the smell like a zombie, hiding in the coolness of the cellars, drinking the sweet and fiery nectar. And then, when I went out in the sun, I was surprised at how bright and beautiful everything was around me. Visit any of the cellars for a tasting and you’ll be in a good mood for the whole day.
There is a large selection of cafes on the Cais de Gaia promenade, so it’s a good time to grab a bite to eat after drinking Porto wine. And what a view opens up on the opposite bank – on the Ribeira embankment and the Luiz II bridge.
In addition to wine cellars, the coastal area has several sandy beaches – one of them is Praia da Madalena. Vila Nova di Gaia is washed by the ocean to the south.
Despite the fact that Vila Nova de Gaia is a separate city located a little further from the center of Porto, it is easily accessible by metro. Housing prices are cheaper, but the quality and service is not inferior to that of Porto. In addition, you can rent an apartment with windows overlooking the river – you are guaranteed beautiful sunrises overlooking the Ribeira.
This is the oldest part of the city and home to the Se Cathedral, majestically perched high on a hill with stunning views of the city. Se is the site where the ancient city of Portus Calais was founded, which would later expand to become the modern Porto.
This neighborhood still retains a medieval atmosphere that blends perfectly with the daily chaos of Porto: laundry being dried in the wind on ropes strung from balcony to balcony, narrow streets and colorful houses.
Cedofeita is a trendy neighborhood that will appeal to lovers of art galleries, urban cafes and stylish shops. Staying at the Cedofeita you can learn more about the modern culture of Porto and have a great time enjoying the green part of the city in the sculptural gardens of Crystal Palace.
The neighborhood is also good for those traveling with children, as it is less congested than the central areas. Cedofeita has a good selection of apartments. Many of them are stylishly decorated – a great option to live in comfort at a good price. Sedofeita is very popular with students, and there are often fun street parties here.
The Bonfim district is located on a hill of the same name and stretches to the banks of the Douro River. The neighborhood is lined with decadent mansions that line the Rua de S. Vítor, which leads from the Ponte de D. Maria Pia railroad bridge connecting the river banks to the Jardim Marques de Oliveira garden.
In the 19th century, the area was an industrial center and was known for its textile factories, which shaped the urban landscape of Bonfim. The Igreja Matriz do Bonfim church stands atop the Rua Bonfim hill, a great place to walk if you cross the street with Rua de Santa Catarina.
The prices of hotels in Bonfim are average – 20 minutes by public transport and you are already in the center of Porto.
If you want to see not only the ancient Porto, but also its modern part, then pay attention to the Boavista district. Formerly a traditional business district, it has now become a thriving cultural quarter lined with iconic buildings that have won architectural awards.
The Baovista district is home to the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art and the Casa da Música, a house of music. There is also a large city park and a planetarium. Avenida da Boavista, the longest street in Porto, runs through this neighborhood, and it has a huge selection of rooftop bars and restaurants.
Boavista is a great place to stay in Porto if you like to shop. Grab a bite to eat at the modernist Bom Suceso Market, then stroll along the waterfront and along Matosinhos Beach. In the Matosinhos district adjacent to the beach, near the fish market, you will find the freshest and tastiest seafood and fish in small restaurants, with prices lower than in the tourist center of the city.
There are several modern hostels in the area to accommodate travelers on a budget. Surfers who catch waves on Matosinhos Beach also prefer to settle here. If you like long walks, you can walk from the beach to the end of the old tram. And on the benches of the embankment, it is good to see off the setting sun, which is sinking into the ocean.
The Foz do Douro district is a rich and historic part of the city of Porto, located in the western part of the city. The neighborhood is located near the beaches, with many homes overlooking ocean sunsets. The relaxed atmosphere and many bars overlooking the ocean make for a relaxing stay without running around the center of Porto. But if you want, you can easily reach it by the old Line 1 tram from the Passeio Alegre end to the Infante.
If you stay in Foz do Douro , you will enjoy walks along the Atlantic, art exhibitions, leisurely dinners in Michelin-starred restaurants, and fantastic sunsets from the waterfront at the Castelo do Keijo fortress. You can also try traditional Portuguese dishes at the local Mercado da Foz, a covered market.
