Porto vs. Lisbon – Essential City Comparison

Author Carina Klein
Carina
· 8 min read · 0 comments

Share this post with others

TL;DR

Lisbon or Porto – A no frills travel guide to help you choose if you have to.

When we talk about our travels to Portugal, there is one question everybody seems to ask: Did we prefer Porto or Lisbon? We were lucky enough to have the time to travel both and give our personal answer in the end.

But first, we’ll give you a short overview of Porto or Lisbon – Which Portuguese city should you visit?

Porto or Lisbon: Which City is Better to Visit

Is Lisbon Worth Visiting?

Is Porto Worth Visiting?

Yes! Yes!

Lisbon Overview

Porto Overview

Capital
Inhabitants: 500,000

Inhabitants: 230,000

Lisbon Location

Porto Location

South
At the Tagus River
Close to the Atlantic Ocean
Area: 100 km² (38 mi²)
Known as The City of the Seven Hills
North
At the Douro River
Close to the Atlantic Ocean
Area: 41 km² (16 mi²)

Climate in Lisbon

Climate in Porto

Warmest month: August
Coldest month: February
Warmer (1°C on average)
Half as much rain: 66.54mm
Warmest month: August
Coldest month: February
Colder (1°C on average)
Twice as much rain: 140.76mm

How to Get to Lisbon

How to Get to Porto

Plenty of cheap national and international flight connections, e.g.
  • Ryanair
  • EasyJet
  • TAP
Long Distance buses, e.g. to Madrid.
Plenty of cheap national and international (mostly within Europe) flight connections, e.g.
  • Ryanair
  • EasyJet
  • TAP
Long Distance buses, e.g. to Madrid.

Transportation in Lisbon

Transportation in Porto

The city centre is walkable but larger than Porto’s.
If you want to go further out, like to Belem, you need to take public transport:
  • metro
  • tram
  • bus
Tip 1: Historic tram line 28.
Tip 2: Elevadores take you up the hills!
Small enough to be walkable.
Public transport possible:
  • metro
  • tram
  • bus
Tip: Gaia Cable Car

Best Things to do in Lisbon

Best Things to do in Porto

  1. Castelo de Sao Jorge
  2. Belem Tower and Jeronimos Monastery
  3. Praca do Comercio
  4. Old town Alfama
  5. Fado performance
  1. Ponte Luis I Bridge
  2. Azulejos (e.g. São Bento Station)
  3. Harry Potter bookstore Livraria Lello
  4. Clerigos Tower view
  5. Port wine tasting

Beaches in Lisbon

Beaches in Porto

TONS of beaches, well connected by public transport.
  • 1 h by train to Carcavelos
  • 1 h by train to Cascais
Some beaches.
  • 30 minute bus ride to Foz do Douro
  • 40 minute bus ride to Matosinhos

Lisbon Day Trips

Porto Day Trips

Many must-sees:
  • Sintra
  • Cascais
  • Evora
  • Berlengas Islands
  • Peniche
  • Tomar
  • Obidos
  • Setubal
Some hidden gems and countryside vibes:
  • Douro Valley cruise
  • Guimares
  • Braga
  • Aveiro
  • Penafiel
  • Coimbra

How Many Days in Lisbon?

How Many Days in Porto?

1 day is enough for a fast-paced visit.
2 days for a relaxed visit.
3 - 4 days for beaches and day trips!
1 day is enough for a fast-paced visit.
2 days for a relaxed visit.

Lisbon Vibe

Porto Vibe

  • Cosmopolitan
  • Busy
  • Modern
  • Polished
  • Traditional
  • Laid back
  • Romantic
  • Rough around the edges

Crowds in Lisbon

Crowds in Porto

Longer established as a tourist destination, more tourists, better infrastructure.
4.5 million tourists per year.*
Starting to become more established as a tourist destination.
1.6 million tourists per year.*

*the numbers are not completely up to date, but a trend is visible

Cost of Living in Lisbon

Cost of Living in Porto

Higher
According to Numbeo
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 12.00 € (+50.0 %)
Domestic Beer (0.5 l draught) 2.50 € (+25.0 %)
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 2.00 € (+33.3 %)
Rent Per Month 1,243.95 € (+44.4 %)
Lower
According to Numbeo
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 8.00 €
Domestic Beer (0.5 l draught) 2.00 €
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 1.50 €
Rent Per Month 861.62 €

Lisbon Hotels

Porto Hotels

Cheapest with distance >1km on booking.com More expensive Cheapest with distance >1km on booking.com
Cheaper

Food in Lisbon

Food in Porto

Traditional, international, and fusion cuisine.
Great street food.
  • Pasteis de nata
  • Salted cod
  • Ginjinha
Tip: Time Out Market for street food
Portugal’s foodie capital.
More traditional Portuguese food.
  • Francesinha sandwich
  • Tripas a Moda do Porto
  • Port wine
  • Douro wine

Nightlife in Lisbon

Nightlife in Porto

Livelier!
  • Bairro Alto: Over 100 bars and restaurants.
  • Alfama and Mouraria: Fado.
  • Riverside clubs, e.g. Urban Beach.
  • Our favourite: PARK rooftop bar.
  • Galerias de Paris: Best party area.
  • University area for cheap drinks, e.g. Adega Leonor

Coworking Spaces in Lisbon

Coworking Spaces in Porto

Great for digital nomads, with many coworking space options.
The average price for a monthly membership is around €200-225.
There are at least 25 cool and affordable coworking spaces in Lisbon.
Great for digital nomads, with many coworking space options.
The average price for a monthly membership is around €200-225.

Security in Lisbon

Security in Porto

Both cities are amongst the safest in Europe and the world.
According to Numbeo
  • Walking alone during daylight is very safe.
  • The level of Crime is low.
Lisbon seems to be slightly safer, according to Numbeo’s numbers.
Both cities are amongst the safest in Europe and the world.
According to Numbeo
  • Walking alone during daylight is very safe.
  • The level of Crime is low.

Who should pick Lisbon?

Who should pick Porto?

Great for 1. solo travellers, 2. families, 3. couples.
  • People with a higher budget
  • Tourists who want more comfort
  • If you like a lot going on and a lot of options
  • Night owls and party people
  • Beach bums
Lisbon is easy to get to and base yourself.
Great for 1. couples, 2. solo travellers, 3. families.
  • People with a lower budget
  • Individualists
  • If you like it walkable and intimate
  • Foodies and port wine enthusiasts
  • Harry Potter fans
Porto makes for a wonderful romantic getaway.

Lisbon Itinerary

Porto Itinerary

One day in Lisbon One day in Porto
Picture of Lisbon Picture of Porto

Porto vs Lisbon: Our Personal Conclusion

While travel bloggers probably should not pick favourites, we did: First of all, if you have the time to visit both, absolutely do so! But if you don’t, we would pick Lisbon.

Why would we personally pick Lisbon?

  • It’s the capital.
  • It’s more lively.
  • The weather is a bit nicer.
  • You have amazing day trip options to Sintra and the beaches.

Porto AND Lisbon

Even if you only have as little as 2 days, you can combine both cities with our 1 day Lisbon and 1 day Porto itinerary.

Buses and trains between the two cities take around 3 hours and run from the early mornings to the late nights.

This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something we may earn a commission. You would help us a lot if you do so. Thanks.

Interested in personal updates and honest travel guides?
Sign up for our biweekly bucketlist2life newsletter for exclusive behind the scenes looks into our travel planning!

☕️

Want to support us?
Buy us a coffe, a tea – or a whisky.

0 Comments

Leave a comment

Do you have any thoughts on this article? – We would love to hear from you!

Do you want to follow us on our jouney? Check this box to also signup for our Newsletter and never miss an update!

You have a link you want to share with others? This is a good place for it!

Do you want to receive a Push-Notification when someone replies to your comment? – Check this box!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.