Porto is such a beautiful city that should definitely be on your Portugal Itinerary. We loved admiring the historic buildings and wandering the vibrant streets overlooking the River Duoro. The historic centre of Porto is actually a UNESCO World Heritage Site. When it comes to accommodation options, you are spoilt for choice. There are plenty of beautifully designed hotels and apartments in ideal locations. Almost too many, we really struggled to narrow down this list! So how to decide where to stay in Porto? Here are our favourite picks of the best hotels in Porto and the best areas to stay.
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Our Overall Favourite Places To Stay In Porto
If you’re short on time, here are our absolute favourite hotels:
- 5-star hotel: Hotel GA Palace | Casa da Companhia
- 4-star hotel: Pousada do Porto – Rua das Flores | Vincci Ponte de Ferro
- Boutique hotel: Jardins do Porto Boutique Guest House | Hotel Tipografia
- Apartments: S.Bento Residences
- Value for money: PortoBay Teatro | One Shot Palácio Cedofeita
- For families (hotel): Mercure Porto Centro Aliados
- For families (apartment): Condes de Azevedo Palace Apartments | Village by BOA
- Luxury hotel with river views: The Rebello Hotel & Spa | The Yeatman
- Boutique hotel with river views: Torel Avantgarde | Gran Cruz House
- Apartment with river views: Oh! Porto Apartments | Porto River
- There’s something special about it: Hotel das Virtudes
But we’re going to be honest with you. Porto is bubbling over with incredible places to stay. There are so many beautifully designed and unique hotels and apartments. You can see all of our favourite places to stay in our accommodation guide below.
You will also find our neighbourhood guide for all of the best areas to stay in Porto. So if you can’t decide, keep reading…
Where To Stay In Porto? Neighbourhood Guide
Where is the best area to stay in Porto? The best option for a first-time visitor is definitely Porto city centre. Within the city centre, the best neighbourhoods to stay in are the Ribeira and Baixa. It can be difficult to choose between Riberia and Baixa. We would say Riberia is the best neighbourhood to stay in for its picturesque streets and riverside location. Whilst Baixa is the best neighborhood to stay in for its central location, home to tourist attractions, and restaurants.
There are also some surrounding neighbourhoods that are great options, such as Vila Nova de Gaia, Marquês (where we stayed), Cedofeita and Bonfim. These are all still central enough, with fewer crowds and a more local feel.
Ribeira
The Ribeira is a riverside neighbourhood with picturesque buildings and a lively atmosphere. There are lots of restaurants and shops, but it’s pretty touristy. Something else to consider is the steep walk and stairs you may need to climb to get to the other areas and attractions in Porto.
Stay in Ribeira for the charm, skip it if you don’t want a steep walk to other areas and want something less touristy.
See our favourite places to stay in Ribeira in our accommodation guide below.
Baixa & Se
Baixa and Se are neighbourhoods just above the Ribeira that are home to lots of restaurants, shops and some of the best things to do. This is what we would consider the most central location of Porto. It’s a great place to stay for easy access to major attractions, restaurants, shops and more. It’s home to Avenida dos Aliados, the beautiful São Bento train station and the stunning bookstore, Livraria Lello.
Of course, it will still be crowded and touristy, but it is also in the heart of Porto. Keep in mind this area is also quite hilly, but you will spend a lot of time here whether you stay in this area or not.
Stay in Baixa for its ideal location, skip it if you want something less touristy.
See our favourite places to stay in Baixa & Sé in our accommodation guide below.
Vila Nova de Gaia
You may look at a map of Porto and wonder which side of Porto to stay. Well, Vila Nova de Gaia is on the opposite side of the river to Baixa and Ribeira, but it’s also a great option. If you choose this area, make sure to stay in the area near the river. This area is more central.
Here you will be close to the port wine cellars, there’s a beautiful park with stunning views and a lively riverside area. If you stay near the river, it’s only a short walk across the bridge to Porto centre or you can take the metro. And if you choose accommodation with river views, you will also be rewarded with views of the Ribeira district, in our opinion, the best views in Porto.
Stay in Vila Nova de Gaia if you’re interested in port tasting, you want to stay near the river and you don’t mind having to walk across the bridge for most attractions. Skip it if you would rather be in the heart of the city.
See our favourite places to stay in Vila Nova de Gaia in our accommodation guide below.
More Neighbourhoods
The above neighbourhoods are where we would recommend you start your search for accommodation, as they are the most central and picturesque. However, there are some areas neighbouring these, that are also worth a look. These are Marquês (where we stayed), Cedofeita (known as the art district) and Bonfim.
If you stay in these areas, we would still recommend staying as close to the Baixa area as possible. These areas all feel a little more local, with fewer tourists about, whilst still being somewhat central.
If you’re visiting Porto for a second time, then it’s also worth considering Foz, a beautiful beachside neighbourhood. Our favourite places to stay in Foz are Vila Foz Hotel & Spa and Vila Na Praia Foz Luxury Apartments. But for a first-time visit, we think it’s a little far away from the main attractions and it’s mostly a residential area.
How Many Days In Porto?
Porto is a beautiful city with so many incredible things to do and experience.
We spent 5 days here and could have easily spent more time there. But as a minimum, I would suggest 3 to 4 days in Porto to get a feel for the city and explore.
If you want to do some day trips to Braga, Guimaraes, or the Douro River Valley, then keep this in mind and add on time for these too.
Booking Accommodation
When booking accommodation, we love to use Booking.com. They have a great range of accommodation options available, so you will be sure to find all of the best places to stay in Porto. We love using it for our travels.
Porto Accommodation Guide
We have put together a guide of the best places to stay in Porto from our experience of our time there, knowledge of the best hotels and their specific locations, research, reading reviews and hearing from you. When choosing the best hotels in Porto, we think location, design and service are the most important things.
So here are our favourite picks, including the best 5-star hotels, boutique hotels and apartments.
Please note: Prices are per night during low season and were accurate at the time of this post.
We actually love the hotels here so much, we had too many favourites to include here. So take a look at our best boutique hotels in Porto article here for more.
Read More:
Best Boutique Hotels In Porto: Curated By Location & Design (coming soon)
Where To Stay In Porto With Family (coming soon)
Splurge: The Best Luxury Hotels In Porto
The Best Luxury Hotels In Baixa
Hotel GA Palace | $414 AUD | Check Prices
Casa da Companhia, Vignette Collection | $322 AUD | Check Prices
Torel Palace Porto | $367 AUD | Check Prices
InterContinental Porto – Palacio das Cardosas | $304 AUD | Check Prices
The Best Luxury Hotels In Vila Nova de Gaia
The Yeatman | $506 AUD | Check Prices
The Rebello Hotel & Spa – Small Luxury Hotels of The World | $319 AUD | Check Prices
Luxury Hotels For Less
The Best Places To Stay In Ribeira & Miragaia
Hotel das Virtudes | $292 AUD | Check Prices
Gran Cruz House | $270 AUD | Check Prices
1872 River House By Olivia | $261 AUD | Check Prices
Torel Avantgarde | $254 AUD | Check Prices
Exmo Hotel by Olivia | $245 AUD | Check Prices
Porto River Infante | $219 AUD | Check Prices
The Best Places To Stay In Baixa
PortoBay Flores | $267 AUD | Check Prices
Jardins do Porto Boutique Guest House | $260 AUD | Check Prices
Torel 1884 Suites & Apartments | $219 AUD | Check Prices
Pousada do Porto – Rua das Flores | $236 AUD | Check Prices
The Best Places To Stay In Marquês, Cedofeita & Bonfim
Hotel Tipografia do Conto | $229 AUD | Check Prices
Renaissance Porto Lapa Hotel | $206 AUD | Check Prices
The Best Places To Stay In Vila Nova de Gaia
Vincci Ponte de Ferro | $200 AUD | Check Prices
Hotels under $200/night
The Best Mid-Range Hotels In Ribeira & Miragaia
Malmerendas Boutique Lodging | $191 AUD | Check Prices
Memoria Porto FLH Hotels | $164 AUD | Check Prices
ICON Duplo Ribeira | $157 AUD | Check Prices
The Best Mid-Range Hotels In Baixa
Oca Flores Hotel Boutique | $182 AUD | Check Prices
Mercure Porto Centro Aliados | $165 AUD | Check Prices
The Editory Garden Hotel Porto | $153 AUD | Check Prices
The Best Mid-Range Hotels In Cedofeita
One Shot Palácio Cedofeita | $154 AUD | Check Prices
Casa Carolina | $159 AUD | Check Prices
Best Mid-Range Hotels In Vila Nova de Gaia
Caléway Hotel | $188 AUD | Check Prices
Hotels under $150/night
The Best Hotels In The City Centre under $150/night
Belomont52 Guesthouse | $149 AUD | Check Prices
PortoBay Teatro | $144 AUD | Check Prices
Axis Porto Club Aliados | $137 AUD | Check Prices
Hotel Moon & Sun | $111 AUD | Check Prices
Apartments In Porto
The Best Apartments In Baixa
S. Bento Residences | $229 AUD | Check Prices
Village Aparthotel By BOA | $174 AUD | Check Prices
Myo Design House | $228 AUD | Check Prices
Condes de Azevedo Palace Apartments | $213 AUD | Check Prices
RS Porto Historic Center | $184 AUD | Check Prices
The Best Apartments In Ribeira
Porto River | $262 AUD | Check Prices
Douro River Studios | $204 AUD | Check Prices (located in Massarelos)
The Best Apartments In Marquês
Santa Catarina | $154 AUD | Check Prices
The Best Apartments In Vila Nova de Gaia
Oh! Porto Apartments | $165 AUD | Check Prices
Douro Riverside Apartments | $228 AUD | Check Prices
We will continually update this post with any new places we love, to make sure we recommend the best Porto Accommodation.
For more information on Portugal see the official tourism website Visit Portugal.
Read More Of Our Porto Blog Posts:
20 Incredible Things To Do In Porto
Our Favourite Experiences of Port Tasting In Porto
Braga & Guimaraes Day Trip From Porto
Read More Of Our Portugal Blog Posts:
See all of our Portugal Travel Articles
What’s your pick of the best places to stay in Porto? Let us know if you have any questions in the comments below…
Please note that some of the links above are affiliate links, which means that at no extra cost to you, we may make a small commission if you decide to book a hotel.
This post was originally published on August 3rd, 2017 and last updated on September 3rd, 2023.