Whether you’re interested in learning more about the history of Porto or its most notable landmarks, there are several free walking tours available in this city that we will cover in this post.
All tours are offered by local tour guides.
Porto, Portugal is rich with history and culture both modern and centuries-old, which explains why tour companies offer so many different types of services in this city.
Most of these outings are focused on orientation, offering several important details about the city centre, otherwise known as Old Town Porto.
The tours listed below are run through us. More tours are available in the following sections.
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Other tours explore some of the beautiful street art on display throughout the city.
There are also free walking tours that focus on the ways in which Porto inspired Harry Potter and how women shaped the city both in the past and today.
What is a free tour of Porto?
They are pay-what-you-wish tours, which means that you can decide what the service was worth, or what you could afford after the tour is over.
You are not obligated to pay anything, but according to online reviews, most people give between €5 - €20 each to Porto's best local tour guides.
In addition to fully guided tours, there are also self-guided tours you can use to explore the city at your own leisure.
Tours are typically offered in English, Spanish, and sometimes other languages such as French and German.
Old Town Porto
As the name implies, these free Porto walking tours provide a closer look at the historic center of the city.
They cover topics like how Porto became such an important location and which buildings/landmarks played a significant role.
There are several options to choose from, but no matter which service you pick, you can usually expect to visit some of the following locations and monuments:
- Praça da Liberdade
- Porto Cathedral
- Tower of Clérigos
- University of Porto
- São Bento Train Station
- Palacio da Bolsa
- Douro Riverside
- Clérigos Tower
- Arrabida Bridge
- And more!
Along the way, you'll experience a lot of incredible architecture, histyoric baroque churches, and more.
Your knowledgeable guide will likely point you in the direction of the best cafes, restaurants, and other places to visit while you're in the area.
The historic city centre of Porto is actually a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so these tours cover one of the most notable locations on the globe.
If you’re interested in learning more about these sites or seeing them up close, consider taking a Porto free walking tour listed below.
Take Porto Tours
Visit the heart of Porto on this 2 ½ hours free walking tour which covers some of the most historic locations.
Along the way, you’ll get an introduction to the city with plenty of advice and suggestions for how to get the most out of your trip.
Available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, this tour is offered twice per day at 10:30 am and 15:30 (3:30 pm).
This company also offers pay-what-you-wish walking tours in Lisbon.
Additional Old Town Porto Tours
In addition to the tours we’ve already mentioned, there are a few more options you might want to consider which are also excellent services covering the historic center of Porto.
- Sandeman New Europe
- Porto Walkers
- The Walking Parrot
- City Lovers Tours
PORTO STREET ART TOURS
These tours focus on a different side of Porto, giving you a look at how modern culture has helped shape the city just as much as its medieval history.
While on these outings, you can expect to learn about and see a variety of significant street art, sculptures, and ancient buildings in various neighborhoods that will usually take you off the beaten track.
Here are a few of the most notable stops included on these free walking tours:
- Lello Bookstore
- Porto University
- Rua da Madeira
- National Theatre
- Dom Luís Bridge
- Rua de Santa Catarina
- Carmo & Carmelita Church
- And more!
If you want to discover what makes these locations so interesting, consider taking one of the pay-what-you-want tours below.
Take Porto Tours
While their Old Town tour covers some of the most important histories from centuries past, this outing is all about street art and its influence on modern culture in Porto.
This 2 ½ hour tour is available in both English and Spanish every Tuesday and Friday at 15:30 (3:30 pm).
Street Art in Porto Self-Guided Tour
This self-guided tour provides stops at a dozen different examples of interesting or culturally significant street art in Porto.
Although you won’t have a professional tour guide to provide additional details about each piece of art along the way, this is an entirely free option that you can use whenever you want.
HARRY POTTER TOURS IN PORTO
Did you know that J.K. Rowling actually lived in Porto when she was working on her first manuscript for Harry Potter?
Thanks to this history behind the books, there are some companies offering tours of the city which focus on areas that may have inspired this fantasy world of wizards.
There’s at least one free option and another service you may want to consider which has very low ticket costs.
While on these tours you can expect to see some of the following locations:
- São Bento Train Station
- Praça da Liberdade
- Palacio Atlántico
- Porto University
- Lello Bookstore
- Cafe Majestic
- And more!
Harry Potter and the Heroes of Porto
This is actually a virtual tour, and it’s free to join and works on the pay-what-you-wish model once the tour is over.
While enjoying this online experience, you’ll see 7 notable locations that reveal some of the potential influences Porto may have had on the book series.
As long as you have a computer or tablet which can stream both audio and video, you can take this pay-what-you-wish tour.
It generally runs every Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, or Thursday in English (Book here).
It generally runs every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 19:30 (7:30 pm) in Spanish (Book here).
Take Porto Tours
Aside from its historical and cultural tours, this company also offers a Harry Potter tour which provides information about how the magical world of J.K. Rowling’s books came to exist.
Although Take Porto Tours offers a lot of free tours, this is one service that requires you to purchase a ticket, just €15 per person.
This outing is approximately 2 - 2 ½ hours long, and it’s available every Saturday at 11 am.
If you’re planning to visit Lisbon as well, it’s worth keeping in mind that Take Tours also offers its services in that city.
An Unexpected Harry Potter Porto Tour
If you’re looking for another free alternative, this self-guided tour covers some of the most important sites in Porto which are linked to the history of Harry Potter.
The only disadvantage of this option is that it is not professionally guided, but it is entirely free to use.
Although you could take it anytime you want, many of the stops included close down in the evening, so it makes more sense to enjoy this outing sometime in the morning or afternoon.
Learn more or take this self-guided Harry Potter tour.
MYSTERIES AND LEGENDS OF PORTO
If you're curious about some of the creepier aspects of Porto's history, these outings provide information about the most grizzly tales that have haunted this city for generations.
Here are a few of the sites and secrets you can expect to be covered on these tours:
- Rua das Flores
- Courtyard of the Hanged
- Old Armenian Quarter
- Medieval Wall
- Louis I Bridge
- And more!
This type of free walking tour Porto offers is similar to a ghost tour, but it covers more historical fact than supernatural activity. Still, if you're in the mood for a disturbing night tour, consider one of these outings!
1-2 Porto Tours
In addition to their standard Old Town tour, this company also offers an outing called "Dark Porto" which covers various mysteries, legends, and crimes from throughout the history of this city.
This 2-hour and 15-minute outing is available in English at 18:00 (6 pm) every Tuesday - Sunday.
You can also take the tour in Spanish nightly at 18:30 (6:30 pm).
PORTO WINE TOURS
There are several tours from Porto that cover some of the best wines which come from the region.
These outings typically visit wineries, wine cellar locations, or even the Douro Valley Vineyards to give visitors a closer look at how wine is made in Porto.
Some tours also include wine tastings for guests!
As with Douro River Cruises, these services are not free, and in this case, they can run up to €100 or more, but some are as low as €20.
Here are a few of the best options to consider.