Things to Do in Porto on a Rainy Day

Porto gets more rain than Lisbon or the Algarve, especially from November to March, but a wet day is a good excuse for port tastings, museums, gilded churches and long lunches. Here are the best things to do in Porto when it rains.

Quick answer: go on a port cellar tour in Gaia, visit the Palácio da Bolsa and São Francisco church, browse Livraria Lello, explore WOW’s museums, see the Soares dos Reis museum, eat at the Bolhão market, and warm up with a francesinha.

How rainy is Porto?

Porto is one of the wetter cities in southern Europe, with roughly 1,200 mm of rain a year, much more than Lisbon. Most of it falls between October and March, often in heavy Atlantic showers with dry spells in between. Summer is usually dry. So a rainy day is likely in winter, but it rarely rains all day without a break. Plan indoor sights for the wettest hours and keep a walk in reserve for when it clears.

Indoor things to do

• Port cellars: tours and tastings in Gaia, in cool, dry lodges full of barrels. A tour with tasting usually takes about an hour. Book ahead on wet days. See the best port cellars.
• Palácio da Bolsa: guided tours of the 19th-century stock exchange and its Arab Room. Visits are by guided tour only, lasting about 30 minutes. See the Bolsa guide.
• Igreja de São Francisco: a gilded baroque interior and catacombs, right next to the Bolsa. See Porto’s churches.
• Livraria Lello: entry is by timed ticket, and queues are shorter early in the morning. See the Lello guide.
• WOW (World of Wine): opened in 2020 in old port lodges in Gaia, with several museums on wine, cork, chocolate, Porto’s history and more, plus restaurants and bars. You can easily spend half a day here. See Vila Nova de Gaia.
• Museums: Soares dos Reis, Serralves’ galleries, the World of Discoveries and the Tram Museum. See Porto museums.
• Casa da Música: a guided tour or a concert. See Boavista.
• Bolhão Market: browse and eat under cover. It is usually closed on Sundays. See Porto food markets.
• Café Majestic: a Belle Époque café for coffee and cake.

More about the museums

The Soares dos Reis National Museum, in a palace near the Crystal Palace gardens, holds Portuguese painting, sculpture and decorative arts. Its long-term exhibition reopened in 2023 after a major refurbishment. Serralves is a contemporary art museum set in large gardens, so it works best on a day with breaks in the rain. See Serralves. The Tram Museum, in an old power station by the river at Massarelos, is a good choice with children.

A rainy-day plan

Start with the Bolhão market and a coffee at the Majestic. Head down to the Bolsa for a guided tour, then visit São Francisco next door. Cross the river for a long lunch in Gaia, followed by a cellar tour or an afternoon at WOW. In the evening, take in a concert at Casa da Música or a fado show. See fado in Porto.

Comfort food

Rainy days are made for a francesinha, a bowl of caldo verde or a long lunch in a tasca. Look out for tripas à moda do Porto, a rich tripe and bean stew, and finish with a glass of tawny port.

Tips

• Shoes: the granite pavements are very slippery when wet. Wear shoes with good grip.
• Umbrella and rain jacket: it can be windy too, so a hooded jacket often beats an umbrella.
• Book ahead: indoor sights get busier on rainy days.
• Getting around: use the metro, buses or a taxi instead of walking the steep hills.
• Check the forecast: showers often clear for an hour or two. Use the gaps for the riverside and viewpoints.

More: Porto in winter, Lisbon on a rainy day and things to do in Porto.

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