How to Spend 3 Days in Porto
From strolling coastal towns and Douro Valley vineyards, to exploring museums and hilltop castles, here’s how to make the most of 72 hours in Portugal’s 2nd-largest city.
SEA LIFE® Porto
R. Particular Nº 1 Castelo do Queijo 1ª, Porto, 4100-379
The Basics
Around 5,000 marine creatures splash around in SEA LIFE’s tanks. The displays are divided into individual zones, which include Freshwater Rivers, Ocean Cave, Turtle Shelter, Seahorse Temple, and Ray Bay. Highlights include a shark tunnel; a rock pool for handling crabs, sea stars, and sea urchins; glow-in-the-dark jellyfish; Mariza, a green turtle weighing over 280 pounds (130 kilograms); South American leaf fish; and cow-nosed rays. Check the schedule for shark- and ray-feeding times, as well as educational talks.
Things to Know Before You Go
SEA LIFE Porto is a must-visit for families.
The building is wheelchair- and stroller-accessible.
With a ticket, you can reenter the aquarium as many times as you wish that day.
All visitors under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult over the age of 18.
How to Get There
SEA LIFE Porto is located on Porto’s seafront, next to Praça de Gonçalves Zarco. Bus 500 from Porto São Bento in the center of Porto stops at Castelo do Queijo, a minute’s walk from the aquarium. If driving, you can park in the 24-hour underground parking space at the Castelo do Queijo roundabout.
Trip ideas
When to Get There
The aquarium is open every day, except for Christmas Day, from morning until early evening, with slightly longer opening hours on weekends and during summer. Last entrance is allowed 45 minutes before closing. Note that lines to get into SEA LIFE Porto can be very long during the height of summer.
Sleepovers
Groups of children between the ages of 7 and 12 can spend the night in the aquarium. SEA LIFE Porto offers groups of at least 12 children (maximum 20) the opportunity to sleep underneath the ocean tunnel, where they can look up to see tropical fish, Mariza the giant sea turtle, and black-tip reef sharks.
- Matosinhos Beach
- Serralves Museum (Fundação de Serralves)
- Porto Bridge Climb
- Casa da Música
- Clérigos Church and Tower (Torre & Igreja dos Clérigos)
- Museum of Our Lady of Mercy of Porto (Museu da Misericórdia do Porto)
- Church of São Francisco (Igreja de São Francisco)
- Palace of the Stock Exchange (Palácio da Bolsa)
- Liberdade Square (Praça da Liberdade)
- Avenida dos Aliados
- Porto Cathedral (Sé Catedral do Porto)
- Rua Santa Catarina
- Ribeira
- Dom Luis Bridge (Ponte de Dom Luis I)
- Porto Calem Wine Cellars