As I continue to catch up on the large number of things I did in Portugal from, now, *several*…read moremonths ago... this is the one review I have left that is probably the least likely to have changed in a few months, of a building whose main attraction is the beauty of the building itself, beauty that was all constructed... not recently. Though I did also appreciate the tour, mainly in the history of the building, a building honoring not a king or a royal line like the other glamorous historical building we stopped at earlier in the trip, the royal palace in Madrid, but the history of commerce itself in the country, and the continued independence of a small nation surrounded by Spain on several sides, mostly on the power of their *money*. Money, which of course, they also used to construct this impressive building, that *reminds* you of a building a historical king would construct to honor his own family with stolen riches, but in this case, the riches seem to have been earned more... legally, at least. It is still also used at least sometimes for its original purpose (impressing foreign businessmen, i.e. business meetings), but obviously now mostly for our purposes it's a spot on all the tourists' list of half-hour tours. Definitely worth a stop if you're never been - though it is too bad tickets sell out somewhat in advance, in that I bought 2 tickets to this weeks earlier, not counting on my wife to be feeling rather sick that day and unable to join a tour. I don't think tours are unreasonably priced, given it's a unique, historical, and quite impressive building, but it was definitely not worth it at the effective twice the cost it ended up being when my wife couldn't make the tour. That said, you don't have to reserve the *time* in advance, though as other reviews have pointed out, if you only speak English, they have tours in 3 languages, so you want to get there relatively early the day of your tour, and redeem your tickets, valid for any tour the day, for passes, valid for a specific tour, before all the spots on the *English* tours are taken. They do have tours all day, though. At the end of the tour, they also have a small, presumably subsidized, shop selling pastel de nata, glasses of one specific bottle of Port, and espresso. I say presumably subsidized because, even by the standards of food and drink in Porto, already somewhat better than in the US, all three of those items were... inexpensive, and solid. Obviously that isn't why we went on the tour, but I did have a goal of trying as many of all of those as I could in the time I was in Portugal, so it was a fun bonus.

Impressive palace harkening back to Porto's mercantile past…read more Palácio da Bolsa is a neoclassical stock exchange palace built in the mid 19th century to impress visiting delegations when Porto was the commercial gateway into Portugal. We booked an English group tour (€14) that gathered at the Hall of Nations, a central courtyard with a glass iron dome up top encircled by 25 gold gilded crests symbolizing the countries of that age with friendly trade relations to Portugal. We toured various ornate rooms belonging to Porto's mercantile association. At the Commercial Court Room, a renaissance painting on its ceiling above portrayed the angel of justice with eyes open based on the city's belief. From there we passed by a small studio where Gustave Eiffel once worked on city projects. Next were the Golden Room and General Assembly Room where large wood paneling was made instead with plaster, an innovative approach at the time and the first application in Porto. From the Kings' Portraits Room we finally stepped into the stunning Arabian Room, a massive hall of staggering opulence that was meant to awe visiting trade delegations while resembling the Alhambra Palace. Intricate Moorish revival style details, elaborate geometric patterns from wall-to-wall, and beautifully colored stain glass left us speechless. We finished the tour heading down a grand marble staircase. Skip it or hit it? We found the tour visit incredibly informative and well worth the admission to see Porto's trading roots & past wealth on display.

With less than 24hr notice, Bruno was able to not only accommodate our request for a private tour…read moreof the Douro Valley, but organize the most perfect day! Our Sunday started just before 9am with pickup at our AirBnB, and then off to the valley. On the way to The first Quinta, Bruno planned 2 stops, one overlook with breathtaking views and the next has been a favorite stop for he and his family for decades! The first Quinta was so welcoming and the wine wonderful and complex, not all port but the port was divine. Next was lunch at DOC where The chef happened to be onsite and was so kind to join us for a picture after an exquisite meal expertly paired with wine. Then on to the second Quinta where we got an opportunity to talk with the wine manager who is passionate about wine, but most importantly living life. He could not personally join our tour, only because he was waiting to show the Mondavi family the impressive landscape of his vineyards! The ride home to Porto was lengthy, but Bruno is so easy to talk to and took us the long way home to point out his favorite spots for us to try. We took his recommendations for dinner the next 2 nights and were more than impressed! Thanks Bruno, and to your wife, for such a perfect day. We cannot wait to return and look forward to following you on Instagram! ;)

From the owner: Escape2oporto DMC is an incoming tourism company specialized in the creation, organization and…read moredevelopment of leisure and corporate services, such as meetings, incentives, team building activities, congresses & conventions and events. We customize events, developing every solution with a personal touch. We take all necessary steps to organize your visit to Porto and Portugal's northern region, either with a leisure or a business motivation, single trip or group trip, providing regular support and advice from the moment you arrive until the moment you leave. Please contact us for further information!

Great Walking Tour at…read moreno Cost covering Porto. Learn the history and present.

Today our group of 4 enjoyed an amazing historical and architectural tour of our beloved Porto. We…read morelearned the history of Porto including the tough parts. If you want to understand how this city developed and continues to evolve from the perspective of a funny and intelligent guide, then this is the tour for you. Nearly five miles and mostly avoiding the tourist traps I learned to appreciate the complex history of this beautiful city. Highly recommend!

Paola is an amazing guide. We spent a full day with him walking thru lovely Porto, then on to…read moreGraham Winery, and the most beautiful vistas of Porto. Also saw the castle at Guimaraes. He is so knowledgeable & personable. I recommend Paolo 100%

From the owner: Professional sightseeing tours & airport transfers Operating in Porto (Portugal) since 2000…read more Personal tours and private trips to the most popular tourist destinations in Portugal

Andreia was a fantastic guide! She was personable, funny, informative, accommodating, and a great…read moredriver. I enjoyed her tour of Quinta Santa Eufemia, having lunch at Restaurante Tipico, and one more winery. She stopped at various places to let us take photos, including Regua and Sabrosa (where explorer Magellan lived). She also kept reminding us to drink water and made sure we were comfortable on the windy roads. I also loved that she was a local from Gaia, around the area, and could share many personal stories and experiences about wine in the Douro area. Regarding the tour in general, the 7-seater van was clean, spacious and comfortable, with large windows on either side, and adequate A/C. The river cruise was relaxing, though I was hoping for some commentary from the captain instead of just the boat ride. It didn't hurt that the weather was perfect, sunny but breezy. An excellent value tour, and would definitely recommend to others!

We took Cooltour's all day (10 hour) tour of the Douro River Valley which included stops at an…read moreolive oil plant/winery, a boat trip, lunch, and another winery. It is not a cheap trip but it was worth it. Our guide, Luis, did a great job driving us about the are and educating us on the region. It was very interesting The van picked us up near our AirBnb in the morning and dropped us there at day's end. This was a small tour group, only 8 people plus Luis. The Douro is a stunning area and all of the stops were really well done with locals introducing us to their oils and wines. The one hour boat ride was beautiful and the lunch at a local restaurant was good. Highly recommended!

My friends (3 of us) and I visited Porto last May and decided to do a cooking class for our last…read moreday. We met up with our tour guide Nuno at Mercado do Bolhao where we purchased a few ingredients. He was very friendly and knowledgable about the market's history. He made us feel welcomed and we also learned so much from him, like the origins of tea and tempura (I always thought this originated in Japan). After the market we took a short train ride to Vila Nova de Gaia where the cooking class was located. We were greeted by our other host Joseph who also welcomed us , was friendly, and knowledgable. We learned how to make three authentic dishes and both our hosts really explained the process well and answered all our questions. The food, wine, and appetizers were delicious. The best part was that our hosts Nuno and Joseph made us feel at home and welcomed. This was such a wonderful and memorable experience. I highly recommend doing this tour because this is a great way to learn about some of the history or Porto and experience the warm hospitality of this beautiful city.

Anna was a sensational host and was so welcoming and enjoyable. We all had a wonderful time.read more

I was so excited for this tour but it was a disaster to begin with. Three tour guides show up at…read morethe meeting spot. No one knows which attendees are supposed to be with which guides because that was not predetermined. So it's already a mess. And the groups are big--12 people max. That's really too big. The guides are super confused about how to handle everything and what to do. Probably because they are all of 22-years-old. I get told I'm going with one leader, then another, then back to the first. Well, the first leader is leading a group of 11 20-year-old Americans. No one wants to be a part of that. I left in tears and will do whatever I can to get my money back. City Lovers is an awful, disorganized tour company and I will never book with them or Viator again.

The free City Lovers Tour was amazing. Silvia was one of the very best tour guides my wife and I…read morehave ever had. She was cheerful, clear and clever. I loved how she shared her honest feedback about what was worth it and what is a tourist trap. Those local secrets made the tour totally worth the time. I also loved how we got to learn the character of Porto from her.

We drove into Porto around 6pm one evening. We called Winefeels and Diana answered the phone. We…read morewere able to set up a private tour of Douro valley the very next day. Pickup was on time, Diana was very professional and knowledgeable but also fun and engaging. She loves her job and it shows. The itinerary was perfect (we visited two wineries, took a river boat, and had lunch in the valley). It was one of the most memorable days of our trip. If you are visiting Porto and looking for a tour guide I wholeheartedly recommend Winefeels and Diana in particular.

From the owner: Welcome to our page, the nº 1 portal to find tour guides, leisure destinations and the best tours…read morein Porto with the most convenient rates. As professional guides, we stand out in helping our clients plan the vacation of their dreams. And not just simple vacations, but truly exceptional trips full of inspiring and enriching experiences. We look at the world in a very special way and we want to share our knowledge and passion for travel and tourism with all those who choose us.

We had a wonderful experience with Pedro Fiel, our walking tour guide. He showed us the best spots…read morein Porto and he did it with such passion. He was absolutely wonderful!

We signed up for a port wine tour with Porto Walkers which included visits to 3 wineries and 7…read moretastings. I really knew nothing about port - my impression that it was a sweet, heavy wine that old men drank after dinner in period British dramas. I learned that there's a huge variance in types of port and that the industry is really working to attract younger drinkers and introduce new things. The tour started at a traditional producer, then moved to an independent, local place and finally ended up at a cutting edge, new house with a fabulous rooftop bar. Our guide Lucas was great! He was extremely knowledgeable about port wine but also full of great suggestions about Porto and had good insights on the history and culture of this great city. Our other tour mates were cool and fun to hang out with - definitely a good thing for solo travelers to check out. At the end of the day I learned a ton and have a greater appreciation for port wine (not sure I'd drink it often but I do know what to order now). Recommend!

We took Eugenia's walking tour when we were in Porto a few weeks ago and it was more than we could…read morehave asked for. Our group was about 8 people, making for a much more intimate experience than the large groups we saw around town. It was a very curious group and Eugenia enthusiastically answered all of our questions, even though it resulted in the tour running a little long (which was terrific for us). I highly recommend this walking tour!

From the owner: Walking tours. Booking is required, please send an email to…read moreportofreewalkingtour@gmail.com