Private Guided Tours of Porto & Northern Portugal with Leonor
Leonor is a born and raised Tripeira (Porto resident) and has been guiding here for over 20 years. She spent more than a decade working as a guide all around Portugal before deciding to focus just on her native region of Porto and the country’s north about 10 years ago.
She specializes in family-friendly walking and food tours that show you the highlights and hidden gems of Porto, while giving you a chance to taste iconic snacks and dishes from locally beloved shops and restaurants.
Every one of her tours can be fully customized to accommodate you, your interests, and travel style. If you’d like, you’ll be able to work one-on-one with Leonor to arrange the details of the tour together.
Leonor offers half and full-day tours all around Porto and neighboring cities
All tours are private and fully customizable
Your itinerary will include a mix of both the highlights and the city’s hidden gems
Leonor’s tours are fun, quirky, and creative, and they are designed to show you Porto like a local
Highlights and Hidden Gems of Porto
Duration: 3-4 hours
Cost: $285 USD
Price includes: Your guide, a local snack
Max participants: 8 (larger parties possible for a $100 surcharge)
Note: All tours are private (only you and your travel partners)
Cancellation Policy: Read our full terms here
With the perfect blend of culture, history, and local lifestyle, this tour of Porto’s highlights is the perfect introduction for a first visit here!
Our tour starts in the city’s historic core where we’ll stop by the main landmarks like the Clerigos Tower, Lello Bookstore, and Majestic Cafe while winding through Porto’s back alleys and maze of winding streets.
I’ve been exploring Porto for more than 4 decades and have more than a couple of stories to tell! During our tour, we’ll get to discover the city with the perspective and depth of insight that you can only get from a true local (like me!). Far from a stuffy, cookie-cutter tour, our time together will be fun, quirky, and most of all, authentic.
And should hunger strike as we explore, just let me know and we’ll stop and grab a special treat at some of my favorite spots. Throughout the tour, I’ll also share tons of ideas for what else to see in the city, where to eat & drink, and my local secrets and hidden gems.
Should you feel like changing the route a bit or if you have specific sights you’d like to see, I’d be happy to customize the tour. At the end of the tour, I want you to feel like my beloved Porto is your Porto too!
Tour highlights: Clerigos Tower, Lello Bookstore, Majestic Cafe, and other landmarks, must-sees, and secret corners.
Porto City Center Walking and Food Tour
Duration: 4 hours
Cost: $285 USD + $40 per person for food & drink tastings
Price includes: Your guide, all food and drink tastings
Max participants: 8 (larger parties possible for a $100 surcharge)
Note: All tours are private (only you and your travel partners)
Cancellation Policy: Read our full terms here
Let’s meet for a 4-hour tour of the highlights of Porto! We’ll begin in the center of the city and as we make our way around town, we’ll stop to taste delicious local products.
We’ll learn how to eat a Jesuita, grab a glass of wine at the Belvedere (other drinks available), try a Pastel de Bacalhau in a place known only to locals, and feast on a Bifana (spicy meat sandwich) with a cold beer to boost our energy.
And don’t you dare have your pastel de nata with espresso before I teach you the right way to do it!
As we explore the city we can make other stops along the way to try whatever treats strike our fancy.
Tour highlights: Porto Cathedral, São Bento train station, the Jewish quarter, Lello bookstore (outside), the Carmelitan church, the Ribeira quarter.
Crimes and Mysteries of Porto
Duration: 2-3 hours
Cost: $225 USD
Price includes: Your guide
Max participants: 8 (larger parties possible for a $100 surcharge)
Note: All tours are private (only you and your travel partners)
Cancellation Policy: Read our full terms here
Discover a darker side to Porto on this spooky and alternative walking tour.
Accompanied by a delightful storyteller (Leonor, of course!), you’ll be confronted with tests that will require you, our brave traveller, to make wise and courageous decisions in order for the tour to move forward.
As you wander Porto, first passing by the city’s prison, you’ll hear dark and mysterious tales from Porto’s past, and you’ll relive infamous crimes driven by greed along with scandalous stories of love, lust, and death.
Ending at the beautiful São Bento train station, you’ll discover small stories of various crimes hidden within the station’s intricate decoration.
Get ready for two hours of fear and fun, and be prepared for Leonor’s famous “poison” to make an appearance!
City Tour with Bolsa Palace and Douro river cruise
Duration: 4 hours
Cost: $285 USD + $40 per person
Price includes: Your guide, Bolsa Palace entrances, Douro river cruise
Max participants: 8 (larger parties possible for a $100 surcharge)
Note: All tours are private (only you and your travel partners)
Cancellation Policy: Read our full terms here
Embark on a journey to the past and discover the historical achievements of Porto.
Our walk starts in Vila Nova de Gaia at the Jardim do Morro gardens where we’ll enjoy a spectacular view across the Douro river and over Porto.
From here, we’ll walk across the Dom Luiz I Bridge, an iconic landmark of the city that represents the resilience and skill of Porto's inhabitants.
Once in Porto we’ll explore the medieval Sé district and the Jewish quarter, recounting stories of bishops, noble families, guilds, confraternities, and historical rivalries and unions of the city.
Our walk continues to the stunning São Bento train station before passing through the Aliados and Bolhão neighborhoods with their grand architecture.
From here, we’ll wind our way downhill into charming Clérigos, stopping by the neighborhood’s tower and famous bookstore.
Our last stop on land will be the Bolsa Palace where we’ll learn more about Porto’s history before we head to the waterfront to catch our “6 bridges” Douro river cruise.
Tour highlights: Dom Luis I bridge, São Bento station, Aliados neighborhood, Clérigos tower, Lello bookstore, private tour of Bolsa Palace, Douro river boat ride
Porto City Tour and Cooking Experience
Duration: 4 hours
Cost: $285 USD + $60 per person for all food and drink
Price includes: Your guide, all food and drink
Max participants: 8 (larger parties possible for a $100 surcharge)
Note: All tours are private (only you and your travel partners)
Cancellation Policy: Read our full terms here
This is a tour for travelers willing to get their hands dirty! We’ll explore Porto together, while picking up our groceries at the local market in preparation for the meal we’ll be cooking later. The tour starts in the center of town, where we visit some of the most well-known places in Porto.
Along the way, we’ll stop at a local market where we’ll stock up on fresh ingredients and meet and chat with the vendors. From there, we head on to a little local restaurant where we’ll prepare two of the most common “grab and go” foods in Porto. Food like this was a traditional staple in Portugal, as workers and laborers could quickly get a bite without having to stop working for too long.
At the restaurant, we’ll enjoy a welcome drink as we begin preparing our meal. On the menu are pataniscas de bacalhau and bôla de carne: codfish fritters and a light bread with smoked ham and sausage.
We’ll prep the dishes and then the chef will fry and bake them while we go for a wander around the Ribeira quarter. When we return from our walk, a full lunch or dinner (depending on the time of the tour)with drinks included will be awaiting us. We’ll dig in and will try the dishes that we prepared to start, and will then order main courses from the menu.
I am a true lover of sweets, so the meal will of course end with a delicious homemade dessert from our hosts at this delightful family-owned restaurant.
Drinks included.
I’ll be with you the entire time, including during the active cooking participation at the workshop. I’ll make sure you earn your dinner and don’t just eat, drink, and chat!
Braga City Tour from Porto
Duration: 6 hours
Cost: $500 USD
Price includes: your guide (Leonor)
Not included in cost: train tickets (~€7 pp), site entrances, taxi ride to Bom Jesus do Monte (~€10 ), hydraulic elevator ride (€2 pp), lunch
Max participants: 8 (larger parties possible for a $100 surcharge)
Note: All tours are private (only you and your travel partners)
Cancellation Policy: Read our full terms here
Braga and the nearby Bom Jesus do Monte sanctuary are two of the most popular destinations in northern Portugal, and thankfully, they’re just a short train ride (about 1 hour) away from Porto!
Throughout history there have been many versions of Braga: once a Roman civitas known as Bracara Augusta, Braga later developed into one of the most important Catholic strongholds in the Iberian Peninsula, earning the nickname "City of the Archbishops."
Today, it’s one of the fastest growing municipalities in all of Portugal, although it’s now a modern city, you can still feel the history here, in this ancient place.
On our tour, we’ll visit the spectacular Cathedral, which holds the cross used in the first mass in Brazil, along with a magnificent organ, the mortuary chapels of some of the city’s archbishops, and the graves of the parents of D. Afonso Henriques, Portugal’s first king.
We'll then go for a tour of the city’s historic center, visiting sights like Paço Episcopal, with its lovely Santa Bárbara gardens, the churches of Largo and Cruz, and will eventually make our way to the República Square, where you can feel the pulse of this vibrant city.
Whenever we get hungry, we’ll make a stop for lunch and will sample some traditional bracarense food.
Next, we’ll hop in a taxi to take us out to the famous Bom Jesus do Monte sanctuary, with its gorgeous chapels, peaceful gardens, and famous 581-step staircase.
Afterwards, we'll return to the city center via the funicular, the only remaining hydraulic elevator in Europe! From there, we’ll catch the train back to Porto and settle in for an easy hour-long ride.
Guimarães City Tour from Porto
Duration: 6 hours
Cost: $500 USD
Price includes: your guide (Leonor)
Not included in cost: train tickets (~€7 pp), tickets to the Guimarães Castle and Duke’s Palace
Max participants: 8 (larger parties possible for a $100 surcharge)
Note: All tours are private (only you and your travel partners)
Cancellation Policy: Read our full terms here
Guimarães may be a fairly small city (less than 200,000 inhabitants), but its historical significance is massive: the city is typically referred to as "Portugal's birthplace" because it’s where our national was founded in 1128 and is the native city of Dom Afonso Henriques, Portugal’s first king.
To this day, Guimarães still boasts a huge sign with the words "Aqui Nasceu Portugal," meaning "Portugal was born here", and vimaranenses, the city’s inhabitants, are very proud to call this place home.
This sense of history will be evident everywhere as we tour the city, visiting its most important sights and monuments, such as the Castle, São Miguel Church, the Paço dos Duques de Bragança (Duke's Palace), and the 18th century São Gualter Church, built in honor of the city’s protector and patron saint.
After we’ve seen these principal landmarks, we’ll enjoy a wander through the city’s historic core, which is full of beautiful squares and medieval architecture, and has a truly charming ambiance.
During our stroll, we’ll make a visit to the fmaous Pastel de Santa Clara, to try some of the best sweets in town, and will also grab lunch in a great local restaurant.
Following lunch and perhaps another short stroll, we’ll head back to the train station and will catch a train back to Porto.
Full-day Trip to Guimarães and Braga
Duration: 8+ hours
Cost: $950 USD
Price includes: your guide (Leonor), a driver, and round-trip transportation from your accommodation
Not included in cost: entrances fees to the Guimarães Castle and Duke’s Palace, the hydraulic elevator and cathedral in Braga, or lunch
Max participants: 5 - larger parties possible on request
Note: All tours are private (only you and your travel partners)
Cancellation Policy: Read our full terms here
While the north of Portugal is known for its lush greenery unlike anywhere else in the country, this is also a place full of history, tradition. And outside of Porto, nowhere is that history more completely on display than in the lovely cities of Guimarães and Braga.
Both cities are found in the Minho region, one of the greenest and prettiest in the country, and which we'll pass through on our way from Porto out to Guimarães, our first stop of the day. A World Heritage City since 2001, the town is built aside a sacred hill where the statue of Dom Afonso Henriques, our first king, watches over it.
One of our first stops in the city will be the impressive castle, from where we'll move on to São Miguel Church, and eventually the Paço dos Duques de Bragança (Duke's Palace). After touring these landmarks and monuments, we'll go for a wander through the historic core, which is a charming medieval center with beautiful squares.
When we start to get hungry, we'll be sure to visit Santa Clara’s pastry shop (Pastel de Santa Clara), to try some of the best sweets in town.
Finally, we’ll pay a visit to the 18th century São Gualter Church, the city’s protector and patron saint, and will then head on toward Braga, where we’ll have a delicious lunch sampling the the city’s delicacies.
Read more
After lunch, we’ll get to know Braga. Although it’s now a modern city, you can still feel the history here, in this ancient place that the Romans once passed through.
We’ll visit the Cathedral, which holds the cross used in the first mass in Brazil, and will admire its magnificent pipe organs, tour the high pulpit and the mortuary chapels of some of Braga’s archbishops, and find the graves of D. Afonso Henriques’ parents (the first king of Portugal).
We'll then pass by some of the cities’ other attractions, such as the Paço Episcopal, with its lovely Santa Bárbara gardens, the churches of Largo and Cruz, and will eventually make our way to the República Square where, you can feel the pulse of this vibrant city.
There will also be time to climb the 581 steps from Bom Jesus Church and to let ourselves be moved by its chapels and relax in its green gardens. Afterwards, we'll descend back down to the city via the only remaining hydraulic elevator in Europe!
At the end of the day, we'll hop back in the car and return to Porto, having just had a magnificent day discovering some of the most historically significant cities in all of Portugal.
Custom Tours
Looking for something a bit different?
All of Leonor’s tours can be fully customized to you, your interests, and travel style. If you’d like something totally unique, you can work one-on-one with Leonor to co-create a one of a kind tour.
To get started, request a custom tour below and provide us some initial ideas about what you’re looking for. Leonor will then reach out to you directly to start planning your tour together.