My husband and I will be traveling to Portugal in mid September of this year for 3 weeks of exploring. We will be renting a car after visiting Sintra and heading off to explore. Once we get to Porto we will not be using the car for 3 days. We realize that this is not a place we even want to try to find a place to park for the three days. We had thought maybe parking the car at the airport in Porto then going back to pick it up and continue exploring. We do not do well trying to navigate thru places like Porto with a car and know that we would be better off not even trying to find someplace to park for the 3 days. Any other suggestions?
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15582 posts
I googled "porto airport to city center" and it looks like a straightforward trip by metro to the city center. I never took the metro in Porto so I can't advise on how easy or difficult it would be to use the metro. Both Uber and taxis are available and cheap once you're in the city. I found it a little daunting to use Uber at times - the meeting place for some reason was difficult to find and not obvious.
BTW GPS is extremely helpful in Portugal.
Posted by
California 🦋
5208 posts
RileysMimi,
Another option to consider is to rearrange your itinerary, if possible, so you won’t need the car once you arrive to Porto.
Do you mind sharing your trip itinerary?
Have a wonderful trip!
Posted by
Porto - Portugal
233 posts
That's a very good idea, leaving the car at the airport. Parking4you is cheap and reliable. I never used it as I live near the airport and the cost for a Uber from home is 6 euros, but lots of friends use it and are pleased with their service. Check their website, prices seem very good (like 6 euros per day, and they transport you to the terminal). At the airport it's very easy to catch the metro. It's the first stop, so no way you can go on the wrong direction. Metro line is below the airport. You need to buy a card named Andante (at guichet or one of the automatic machines), one per person, and then charge it with the number of trips you want. Metro is clean and fast (40 minutes to Trindade, the main station in central Porto).
Inside Porto there are lots of parking places, and you can reach them with a gps. But they are expensive. Saba parking, in many places of the city center, costs 25 euros-24 hours. The cheapest one is "Irmãos Rocha", at Rua Miguel Bombarda, 12,60 eur - 24 hours.
Inside the city center, and not only, it's impossible to park without paying. There are, however, some places in the city, but not central, where you can park for free near a metro line. The problem is that a rental car is a temptation for thieves.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
6525 posts
Maybe get a hotel outside the city center, but on the metro or bus line. Parking may be cheaper or free at one of those.
Posted by
11 posts
I have not used Park4you near the airport but that sounds like a very good solution. The metro is easy to use and tickets are cheap as a way to get to Porto. We took 3 days of street parking in Matosinhos near the Metro stop "Matoshinos Sul". There is metered parking in a number of streets but we were able to find parking at no charge right on Avenida da Republica. It appears to be very safe city to park in. Simple to get to Porto on the Metro, we got off at the Trinidade Station and were pleased it was to get around from there.