What is it like to play the Porto scavenger hunt?
The Porto scavenger hunt is a self-guided city game you play on your phone: you walk a 2.5 km route through the historic centre, solve a riddle at each of 10 landmarks by looking closely at what is in front of you, and unlock the stories and legends behind them. It takes about 2 hours, with around 34 minutes of actual walking, and you start whenever you like.
Highlights include the azulejo hall of São Bento Station, the Clérigos Tower, Livraria Lello, the Bolsa Palace, the gilded Church of São Francisco, the riverside Ribeira Square and the Luís I Bridge. The route runs downhill from the upper town to the Douro, through steep granite lanes lined with azulejo-tiled façades.
- Durationabout 2 hours
- Walkingabout 34 min · 2.5 km
- Stops10
- LanguagesEnglish, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese
Riddles from the upper town down to the Douro
Granite, tiles and iron
Each of the 10 stops has its riddle, and you crack it with what is in front of you: a scene painted on blue and white tiles, a carved granite front, the rivets of an iron bridge. Sharp eyes count for more than anything you might have read beforehand.
Stories that go with the answers
Solve a riddle and the app tells its story: Nicolau Nasoni, who designed the Clérigos Tower and is buried in its church, the bookshop often linked with Harry Potter although the author says she never went in, the bridge of boats that gave way under fleeing crowds in 1809. If you would rather listen, the audio narration reads it out.
Up first, then all the way down
It is only 2.5 km and about 34 minutes of walking, guided by Google Maps, but Porto is steep: the route climbs from São Bento to the Clérigos Tower, then drops down Rua das Flores to the river. Granite paving can be slippery after rain.
Time for a pastel de nata
No timer is running. Stop for a pastel de nata on the way or a francesinha by the river, pick the game up again in the evening or the next day, and open it at the Ribeira end in the app if you are staying down by the Douro.
See the route and attractions →
How it works
- Book online Choose the number of players. Your booking reference arrives by email straight away.
- Get the app Download the World City Trail app from the App Store or Google Play and enter your booking reference.
- Play when you like Start whenever you are ready, walk at your own pace and pause any time. No guide, no fixed schedule.
Who the Porto hunt is good for
A short city break
In about 2 hours you take in São Bento, the Clérigos, Livraria Lello, the Bolsa Palace, the Ribeira and the Luís I Bridge, the core of the historic centre. That leaves the rest of the day for a port wine lodge across the river in Gaia.
Families
Children like clues they can see: thirteen bronze figures laughing in a garden, candles left below a bronze relief on a riverside wall, metro trains crossing the top deck of a bridge. With an adult in the team, they are often the first to the answer.
Friends on holiday and office teams
Teams of up to 5 players, each on their own phone, can play the same route and gather at the Luís I Bridge at the end. Because the route is short, it fits easily around a conference day or before dinner.
Good to know
- Bring a charged smartphone with mobile data; a power bank helps.
- No entry tickets needed: everything happens outside the buildings. Going inside is optional and paid separately.
- Family friendly; children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Not suitable for wheelchair users and difficult with strollers.
- Teams of up to 5 work best; bigger groups split into several teams, one ticket per player.
- Every purchase helps support stray cats and dogs in Greece.
The route: from São Bento up to the Clérigos and down to the Luís I Bridge
10 stops · about 34 min walking · start: São Bento Station · finish: Luís I Bridge
The hunt starts at São Bento Station and climbs to the Clérigos Church and Tower, Livraria Lello and the Cordoaria Garden. It then heads down Rua das Flores past the Misericórdia Church to the Bolsa Palace and the Church of São Francisco, reaches the Douro at Ribeira Square and the Alminhas da Ponte, and finishes at the Luís I Bridge. Not a single stop asks for an entry ticket, as the riddles never take you past a ticket desk, and if your hotel is down by the river, the app lets you begin at another stop or take the stops in a different order.
Open the route map ↗
1São Bento StationStart
São Bento railway station was built on the site of a former Benedictine convent and opened in 1916 to designs by the architect José Marques da Silva. Its entrance hall is lined with about 20,000 azulejo tiles painted by Jorge Colaço, showing scenes from Portuguese history and everyday life in the north of Portugal.
2Clérigos Church and Tower
The Baroque Clérigos Church was designed by the Italian-born architect Nicolau Nasoni and built from 1732 for a brotherhood of clergy. Its granite tower, about 75 metres high and finished in 1763, became the landmark of Porto's skyline, and Nasoni himself is buried in the church.
3Livraria Lello
Livraria Lello opened in 1906 in a building with a white neo-Gothic façade, and inside a curving red staircase rises under a stained-glass skylight. It is often linked with Harry Potter because the author lived in Porto in the early 1990s, but she has said she never visited the shop.
4Cordoaria Garden
The Cordoaria Garden, officially Jardim de João Chagas, takes its name from the rope makers who once worked here. Look for Juan Muñoz's group of thirteen laughing bronze figures, set up in 2001 when Porto was European Capital of Culture, and the massive former Relação prison beside the garden, now the Portuguese Centre of Photography.
Read the full story →
5Misericórdia Church
The Igreja da Misericórdia on Rua das Flores belongs to the Santa Casa da Misericórdia do Porto, a charitable brotherhood founded in 1499. Its Baroque granite façade was designed by Nicolau Nasoni in the 18th century, and the brotherhood's museum keeps the Fons Vitae, an early 16th-century painting showing King Manuel I and his family.
6Bolsa Palace
Porto's Commercial Association began building this stock exchange palace in 1842 on the site of the cloister of the São Francisco convent, which had burned down in 1832 during the Liberal Wars. Behind the neoclassical façade, its most famous room is the richly decorated Arab Room, inspired by the Alhambra.
Read the full story →
7Church of São Francisco
The Church of São Francisco is one of Porto's main Gothic monuments, built by the Franciscans in the 14th century. Its plain stone exterior hides an interior almost entirely covered in Baroque gilded woodwork, including a carved Tree of Jesse.
Read the full story →
8Ribeira Square
Praça da Ribeira is Porto's old riverside square, lined with tall, narrow, colourful houses on the bank of the Douro. It lies in the historic centre that UNESCO listed as a World Heritage Site in 1996, and from here you look across the river to the port wine lodges of Vila Nova de Gaia.
Read the full story →
9Alminhas da Ponte
The Alminhas da Ponte, the little souls of the bridge, is a bronze relief on a wall of the Ribeira by the Douro. It remembers the disaster of 29 March 1809, when the Ponte das Barcas, a bridge of boats, collapsed under crowds fleeing Napoleon's invading troops and many people drowned, and locals still leave candles here.
10Luís I BridgeFinish
The double-deck iron Luís I Bridge was designed by Théophile Seyrig, a former partner of Gustave Eiffel, and opened in 1886; its 172-metre arch was then the longest of its kind in the world. Today metro trains and pedestrians use the upper deck, while the lower deck links the Ribeira with the wine lodges of Gaia.
Read the full story →
Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.
Anonym (verified owner) –
United Kingdom –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Enjoyed looking for sites as it was like a quiz on the road
Ivett– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Ich empfehle diese Tour; die Aussicht ist einfach wunderbar. Die verschiedenen Weine und das authentische Essen waren vorzüglich. Auch unser Busfahrer Lino und die Tourguide Manuela waren spitze! Jederzeit ansprechbar, freundlich und hilfsbereit. Vielen Dank!
Luisa– Italy –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Louise– United Kingdom –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Very nice activity!
Martineau– France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Activité très plaisante et qui permet d’avoir un accès aux incontournables de la ville. Toute la famille a bien apprécié !
Carine– France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Activité très sympa et ludique, à réaliser en famille. Nous a permis de visiter des lieux et des quartiers que nous n’avions pas encore vu, le tout sans stress car pas de chrono, on va à notre rythme… Seul bémol, le lien vers le gps ne fonctionnait pas, je devais donc alterner à chaque étape entre l’appli du jeu et mon appli gps
Portugal –
Collected on GetYourGuide
It is nice to explore the city at your own pace.
United States –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Gorgeous
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Italy –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Clémence Rogister Loza Y– Belgium –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Netherlands –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Portugal –
Collected on GetYourGuide
So fun to learn about places we might just have walked by.
Switzerland –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Blandine– France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Cela permet, le premier, de se familiariser avec la ville ! C’est parfait ! Peut-être l’étendre sur l’autre rive ?
Belgium –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Ricki– France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Bertrand– France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
très joli tour dans Porto, nous l’avons fait en arrivant ce qui nous a permis d’identifier ce que nous voulions visiter
Bertrand– France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
tr?s joli tour dans Porto, nous l’avons fait en arrivant ce qui nous a permis d’identifier ce que nous voulions visiter
St?phane– France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Activit? sympa mais sans plus. Les questions ne sont pas tr?s interessantes et non li?es ? la d?couverte de la ville… dommage. Par contre cela permet de suivre le guide et d’avancer dans la ville avec un objectif. Un peu cher pour une application avec 10 questions num?riques qui utilise ensuite google maps. Il faudrair developper un peu l’application pour ce prix ou le proposer ? un prix inf?rieur.
Spain –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Ha sido s?per entretenido y divertido! nos ha permitido pasar un buen rato aprendiendo sobre la ciudad. Ha durado exactamente lo previsto. repetiremos en otras ciudades, seguro!
Kathleen– Australia –
Collected on GetYourGuide
We did the self guided walking tour it was good but lost interest around the eight place out of ten
Xavier– France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
tr?s bonne activit?e qui nous fais faire un petit tour de Porto.
Elodie– France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Activit? tr?s sympa et ludique avec les enfants qui permet de se promener dans la ville avec un but pour eux
M?lissa– France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Tr?s chouette pour d?couvrir la ville ! Le seul b?mol est que nous n’avons pas pu faire le parcours dans l’ordre que nous voulions. Nous recommandons tout de m?me
Spain –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Nos gust? much?simo. Lo hicimos una ma?ana en familia con nuestras hijas de 8 y 10 a?os y nos pareci? una manera s?per entretenida de conocer la ciudad. Seguro que vamos a hacerlo en m?s ciudades, incluso en la nuestra propia. Te va dando informaci?n de inter?s y te gu?a de maravilla por un recorrido interesante. Se hizo ameno y distinto.
Luis Miguel– Spain –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Divertido aunque algunas explicaciones no son muy correctas, imagino que por la traducci?n…
Emmanuelle– France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Excellent, permet de visiter la ville tout en cherchant des ?nigmes. Top avec des enfants !
Belgium –
Collected on GetYourGuide
activit? sympa mais pas exceptionnelle. les questions ne sont pas toujours clairement expliqu?e du coup, la r?ponse est parfois difficile a trouver. n?anmoins elle permet de faire un chouette tour dans la ville
France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
topt
France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Tr?s bien pour d?couvrir la ville et se promener par petites distances
Grace– Australia –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Great way to see the city and was a fun thing to do with my partner!
Toms– Latvia –
Collected on GetYourGuide
We enjoyed the little puzzles. But I think that the whole tour should be longer. There is so much to see in Porto and I think that particular tour covers very little of that.
Chanel– France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Super ! Tr?s pratique pour visiter la ville de fa?on ludique et d’optimiser le temps de visite car ?vite la recherche de monuments et permet d’optimiser les trajets. Nous avons jou? entre amis et pass? un tr?s bon moment ????
Britta– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Die Tour durch die Stadt war sehr sch?n, man hat wirklich sch?ne Ecken von Porto gesehen. Die erl?uternden Informationen waren sehr gut. Die R?tsel h?tten allerdings f?r uns gerne etwas schwerer sein k?nnen.
Verena– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Hat uns allen, vor allem den Kids, viel Spa? gemacht.
Dani– United Kingdom –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Really good activity and well thought out, just wish it was longer!