The Baixa, Porto: Aliados, Bolhao and Santa Catarina

Porto’s Baixa (downtown) is the city’s grand centre: the stately Avenida dos Aliados, the tiled São Bento station, the Bolhão market and the shopping street of Santa Catarina with its Belle Époque café. It’s the most convenient base in Porto, and full of sights.

Quick answer: walk Avenida dos Aliados up to the City Hall, see the tiles at São Bento station and the Capela das Almas, shop on Rua de Santa Catarina, have coffee at the Majestic Café and browse the renovated Bolhão Market. The Baixa is the best area to stay for a first visit. See places to stay in Porto.

Why go

The Baixa is where Porto shows off. Its granite avenues, tiled churches and old cafés were mostly built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when the city was rich from trade. You will pass through it again and again, as it sits between the river at Ribeira and the newer city to the north. Most of the main sights are within a 15-minute walk of each other.

Things to do

• Avenida dos Aliados: a grand boulevard of granite buildings, ending at the City Hall. Work on the hall started in 1920 and dragged on for decades, and the council only moved in in 1957. Its 70-metre clock tower is a city landmark, and a statue of the poet Almeida Garrett stands in front. The wide granite square down the middle was redesigned in the mid-2000s by the Porto architects Álvaro Siza and Eduardo Souto de Moura, when the metro was dug underneath.
• São Bento station: the entrance hall is covered in about 20,000 blue-and-white tiles by Jorge Colaço, showing scenes from Portuguese history. Allow 15 minutes. See São Bento station.
• Bolhão Market: Porto’s historic market hall, built between 1914 and 1917 and reopened on 15 September 2022 after a four-year renovation. Fresh fish, fruit, flowers and delis fill the ground floor, with small restaurants on the upper level. It usually opens from 8am to 8pm on weekdays and 8am to 6pm on Saturdays, and is closed on Sundays and public holidays. Bolhão metro station has an entrance straight into the market. See Porto’s food markets.
• Rua de Santa Catarina: the main shopping street, with the Majestic Café and its ornate interior. The café opened in 1922 and is a fine example of Art Nouveau. Expect a queue and high prices. See shopping in Porto.
• Capela das Almas: the blue-and-white tiled chapel. The tiles, by Eduardo Leite, were added in 1929 and show scenes from the lives of saints. See Porto’s churches.
• Praça da Batalha: the São João National Theatre and the tiled Santo Ildefonso church. The theatre was rebuilt to a design by José Marques da Silva after a fire in 1908 and reopened in 1920. The church’s façade carries about 11,000 tiles, added in 1932 by Jorge Colaço.
• Rua das Flores: a pretty pedestrian street of shops and cafés that leads from near São Bento down towards the river.
• Clérigos and Lello: a short walk west. The tower usually costs about €6 to €10 to climb, depending on the ticket, and the bookshop sells timed tickets that you can put towards a book. See the Clérigos Tower and Livraria Lello.

A half-day walk

Start at the Bolhão market for a morning coffee and a look at the stalls. Walk down Rua de Santa Catarina past the Capela das Almas and the Majestic. Turn right at Praça da Batalha and head down to São Bento station. Walk up the Avenida dos Aliados to the City Hall and back, then finish down Rua das Flores. This takes about three hours with stops. Add Clérigos and Lello for a full morning, or carry on to Ribeira for lunch.

Food

The Baixa is a good place to try Porto’s classics. Order a francesinha, the city’s famous meat-filled sandwich in beer sauce, or a pork bifana. Tripas à moda do Porto, a tripe and bean stew, is the dish that gave Porto’s people their nickname, tripeiros. The Bolhão has stalls for a light lunch, and its upstairs restaurants usually stay open into the evening, from Monday to Saturday. See what to eat in Porto.

When to go

The Baixa is busy all year. The biggest night is the São João festival on 23 June, when crowds fill the streets until dawn. See São João. In December the Aliados usually has Christmas lights and is a gathering point on New Year’s Eve.

Stay in the Baixa?

It’s central, flat by Porto standards, close to the metro and an easy walk downhill to Ribeira. See where to stay in Porto and the best hotels in Porto.

The trade-off is noise on busy streets and on festival nights. Ask for a room at the back if you are a light sleeper.

Porto charges a tourist tax of €3 per person per night, for up to seven nights. The council has been discussing a rise to €4, so check the current rate when you book.

Getting around

Aliados, Trindade and São Bento metro stations serve the area, along with Bolhão. São Bento is also a train station for trains to the Douro and Minho. From the airport, metro line E (violet) runs straight to Trindade. See Porto public transport.

Practical tips

• Shoes: the granite pavements are slippery in rain.
• Hills: the Baixa is flatter than most of Porto, but streets down to the river are steep.
• Early start: see São Bento and Lello early to beat the crowds.
• Sundays: the Bolhão is closed and some small shops keep shorter hours, but cafés and the big shops on Santa Catarina are usually open.

FAQ

Is the Baixa a good area to stay in Porto?

Yes, especially for a first visit. It’s central, close to several metro stations and São Bento, and Ribeira is about a 15-minute walk downhill. Light sleepers should ask for a quiet room.

Is the Bolhão Market open on Sundays?

No. It usually opens Monday to Saturday, until 8pm on weekdays and 6pm on Saturdays, and closes on Sundays and public holidays.

Can you go inside Porto City Hall?

Not usually. It’s a working council building, and the public can normally only see inside on organised visits or at special events, so check the council’s website first.

How long do you need for the Baixa?

Half a day covers the main sights at an easy pace. Add a few hours if you want to visit Livraria Lello, climb the Clérigos Tower or eat at the Bolhão.

More: Porto in one day, things to do in Porto and Bonfim.

See also: Bolhão Market and the Majestic Café.

Some links in this guide are affiliate or referral links (GetYourGuide, Booking.com, Discover Cars, Welcome Pickups, Airalo, Yesim, Saily, Tiqets, Radical Storage, EKTA, AirHelp, Uber). If you book or sign up through them we may earn a small commission or ride credit at no extra cost to you. It helps keep our groups and this site free.