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.
Overview + Schedule
Porto 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 tours are focused on orientation, offering several important details about the city centre, otherwise known as Old Town Porto.
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.
These outings 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 their guide.
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 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:
- Praça da Liberdade
- Porto Cathedral
- Tower of Clérigos
- University of Porto
- São Bento Train Station
- Douro Riverside
- And more!
If you’re interested in learning more about these sites or seeing them up close, consider one of the pay-what-you-wish tours 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.
1-2 Porto Tours
This is a somewhat newer tour company, and they are quickly making a name for themselves with one of the best free walking tours in the city.
Over the course of 2 ½ hours, you’ll learn about the history of Porto from its birth to the Carnation Revolution and beyond, even offering a few details about modern life and culture.
You can take this tour in either English or Spanish twice per day at 10:15 am and 15:15 (3:15 pm).
Hi Porto Walking Tours
Much like the other companies on this list, Hi Porto provides this pay-what-you-wish tour two times a day at 11 am and 15:30 (3:30 pm) in both English and Spanish.
Get more information or book this tour.
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 buildings.
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
- Santa Catarina St.
- 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).
City Lovers Tours
Available in both English and Spanish, you can take this 2 ½ hour tour daily at 16:30 (4:30 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
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.