Porto Beaches

Foz do Douro

The easiest beach escape from Porto is to Foz do Douro – really, if all you want is a paddle in the rock pools, a lie on the sand and a beachside beer, there’s no need to go anywhere else. You can reach Foz do Douro by tram or bus #500, both leaving from Porto.

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Matosinhos

Matosinhos lies further north from Foz do Douro and is where the locals go to eat seafood and for a night's clubbing. There are beaches and more restaurants across the Rio Leça at Leça da Palmeira, which is an easy walk away from Matosinhos or alternatively you can take the bus #507 from Senhora da Hora or take the Matosinhos metro line A.

Vila Nova de Gaia and Vila do Conde

The Vila Nova de Gaia beaches (reached via buses #902 or #906), across the Douro to the south, have extensive sands and big campsites. Further south still is the resort of Espinho, which is 18 km from Porto (there are frequent local trains from São Bento with the journey lasting 35 minutes). Once the darling of northern Portugal’s monied classes, the resort is now largely ruined by unchecked construction that has taken place since the 1970s. A better day-trip option is by metro (Line B) to the north of the city: the old seafaring town of Vila do Conde is easily the best target, though the brash resort of Póvoa de Varzim just beyond (at the end of Line B; 1hr from Porto) might tempt you with its 8 km of sands.