10 Fun Things To Do In Porto At Night (2025)
Are you planning a fun night out in Porto? If so, you’ve come to the right article.
Porto is a charming riverfront city, known for its amazing food, wine, and vibrant culture. As the sun begins to set, the city lights up, including the towering Dom Luis I Bridge, adding even more to it’s charm.
To help you plan a memorable night out, this article will cover all of the best things to do, from sunset viewpoints to fado shows, and more.
Here are 10 fun and unique things to do in Porto at night.
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Best Things To Do In Porto At Night
Stroll Down Cais Da Ribeira
As the sun begins to set, head to Cais da Ribeira. This is a lively riverfront promenade where locals and tourists alike congregate to enjoy live music and river views.
It’s lined with restaurants, bars, gelato shops, and has a cable car you can ride to get to the top of Luis I bridge if you want to avoid the hike after dinner.
Fun Fact: The Dom Luis I Bridge was built in 1880 by a student of Gustave Eiffel, the engineer behind the Eiffel tower!
Watch The Sunset From Jardim do Morro
Beyond Cais da Ribeira, one of the best places to watch the sunset in Porto is Jardim do Morro. This little grassy park overlooks the Douro river, and has beautiful views of the city’s colorful buildings and Luis I Bridge at night.
After dinner, pick up gelato and walk across the bridge to enjoy it at this park! There’s a metro stop steps away from this park that you can take to get back to Porto’s downtown.
Go On A Sunset River Cruise
For a relaxing night out, go on a sunset river cruise over the Douro River.
On a cruise, you’ll get to enjoy port wine, and views of the city’s historic buildings, colorful houses on the river banks, and all six bridges.
Try Food & Wine At A Market
If you want to try a variety of Portuguese foods for the first time, head to Mercado do Bolhão or Mercado Bom Sucesso.
These are large food markets that are open until 11pm-12am, where you can try everything from fresh oysters to chocolate, or a glass of port wine. Many of the vendors offer samples, so you definitely won’t want to miss this if you’re a foodie.
Watch The Clerigos Light Show
After dinner, head to the Clerigos Church to watch the Spiritus light show. This is an immersive light show held in a nearly 300 year old church, with music, and colorful lights that’ll make you feel like you’re at an EDM show!
It’s located in the Clerigos tower in the heart of downtown, and the shows take place from around 6-8pm. Get tickets to the light show here.
Visit The Famous Livraria Lello
Livraria Lello is considered the “Harry Potter” bookstore, and one of Porto’s most popular attractions in downtown.
It has a unique gothic style architecture, with a red spiral staircase, wooden shelves, and a stained glass ceiling that make it worth visiting for the pictures alone! It’s a great place to buy a book to keep as a souvenir, and is open until 7:30pm.
Just remember to buy your tickets beforehand online, and keep in mind that the entrance (€10/person) will be credited towards your purchase.
Stroll Galerias De Paris street
If you’re looking to enjoy drinks or party, head to Galeria de Paris street. This is Porto’s lively nightlife district that’s dotted with restaurants, bars, and nightclubs.
Whether you want to try port wine, craft beer, or local favorites like ginja (sour cherry liqueur), this is the place to go. It’s located right next to the famous Livraria Lello bookstore in the heart of downtown.
Go Port-Wine Tasting
To cap the night, go on a port wine tasting tour. Port wine is a sweet fortified red wine that’s produced from grapes grown solely in the demarcated Douro Valley Region. The wine is then transported to port lodges in Vila Nova de Gaia to be stored and aged.
From Porto, you can go on a port lodges tour of Gaia to learn all about port wine, and sample different varieties.
Alternatively, you can tour the popular individual wineries like Cockburn’s or Taylor’s. For more details, check out our complete guide to the best Porto wine tours.
Watch A Show In Downtown
For some night time entertainment, visit a theater in downtown. Porto’s home to several theaters where you can watch everything from movies to dance shows, stand up comedy, and more.
Here’s an overview of the popular theaters.
- Casa da Música: Large concert hall with music concerts
- Teatro Sá da Bandeira: Historic 1846 theater with magic and stand up comedy shows
- Municipal Theater Rivoli: Art deco theater next to Bolhao market with dance shows
- Cinema Trindade Theater: Movie theater
Visit A Museum
For a fun night time activity, go museum-hopping in the WOW district. This is a multi museum complex in Vila Nova de Gaia, with six museums that are open till 7pm.
Here’s an overview of the museums in the WOW district.
- Pink Palace: Rosé wine museum that includes a tasting; last entrance 7pm or 10pm (Fri & Sat)
- The Wine Experience: Science of wine-making museum that includes a tasting; last entrance at 7pm
- The Chocolate Story: Chocolate making and history museum; last entrance at 7pm
- Planet Cork: Educational museum on the cork industry; last entrance at 7pm
- The Art Of Drinking: History of drinking museum; last entrance at 7pm
- Porto Region: Porto history and culture museum; last entrance at 7pm
Beyond the museums, it’s within walking distance to port wine lodges, and a lively riverfront plaza with restaurants and bars.
Similar to Cais da Ribeira, the riverfront plaza has a gorgeous view of the Luis I Bridge, and a cable car you can ride to get back to Porto.
Outside of the WOW district, here are a few more museums in Porto that are open until 7pm if you’re looking for a late evening activity:
- FC Porto Museum: Portuguese football club museum; closes at 7pm
- Serralves Museum: Contemporary modern art museum; closes at 7pm
- World of Discoveries: Kid-friendly theme park museum; closes at 7pm (Sat-Sun only):
- Portuguese Centre of Photography: Free to visit Photography museum; closes at 7pm (Sat-Sun only)
Attend A Live Fado Show
End the night by watching a live fado show, while enjoying a glass of port wine. Fado is a style of traditional Portuguese folk music that involves haunting melodies, and dramatic lyrics relating to the “fado” or fate of life.
This is an excellent way to immerse yourself in Portuguese culture, and unwind in a cosy intimate fado house.
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