Porto Beach and beaches

Summer in Porto is always more manageable than in other European cities, due to its proximity to the ocean and the fresh gusts of wind that arrive from the west.

The beaches of Porto are those in the district Foz do Douro, The rest of the nearby beaches belong either to Matosinhos or Vila Nova de Gaia, the two neighboring municipalities.

It is very easy to get there from downtown Porto using your car or by public transport, here we tell you how.

Porto beaches

As mentioned, the beaches of Porto are the ones located in the Foz area. They are beaches with rocks of all sizes, thus not suited for swimming or water sports. You will see that people tend to be cooling off on the shore, sunbathing on the rocks or splashing in the small lagoons between the rocks created by the tidal changes.

They have a promenade, used by local runners, which connects all the beaches from Foz to Matosinhos. You can walk, bike or skate along it. If you don't bring a bike, you can rent one in the center of Porto or even in Foz.

This walkway along the Avenida do Brasil is full of cafes and restaurants with terraces.

On the same promenade you will see information panels of the Foz Geological Walk, which explain the rock formations visible on the beach, with more than a thousand years of history.

You should know that these beaches are next to each other. In fact, you can walk along the promenade and pass by each one without realizing that they are different beaches

Puedes hacer click en cada una para verlas en GoogleMaps

• Molhe
• Praia dos Ingleses
• Praia da Luz
• Gondarem
• Homem do Leme

All of them have beach bars or restaurants nearby.

How to get to the beaches of Porto

The 500 bus is the most suitable as it stops at each beach. It is a very nice route, departing from Praça da Liberdade on Avenida dos Aliados, and also stoping at São Bento Station. See the complete route of the line here.

You can also get to these beaches with buses 200 and 202 or with the Porto tourist bus

Matosinhos Beach

Matosinhos Beach is the one in front of the Rotunda da Anemona, the red sculpture in the shape of a net designed by the artist Janet Echelman.

It is also the beach where Parque da Cidade ends.

It is the most popular urban beach in Porto because it does not have rocks like the neighboring beaches of Foz and because it is protected by the wall of the cruise port.

Some people prefer to go to the end of the beach, where there is a large wall that helps protect you from the wind.

This is where the local surfing activity takes place. It is surrounded by surf schools for all levels where you can also rent surf, sup and skate equipment.

It has an avenue right in front with restaurants and stores. It also has a very popular promenade for skateboarding or biking.

How to get to Matosinhos Beach

You can get to Matosinhos beach with the Porto metro, estation: Senhor de Matosinhos. Also with the buses 500, 501 and 502, all departing from the  center of Porto, The 500 makes a more pleasant route.

Map of Matosinhos Beach.

Beaches of Leça

Leça da Palmeira es una localidad que forma parte del consejo de Matosinhos, tiene sus propias playas: Praia de Leça da Palmeira y Praia do Aterro.

The beaches of Leça da Palmeira are quite wide and usually windier and with stronger currents than Matosinhos. Even so, in summer many people prefer it, for being less crowded than the neighboring beaches of Matosinhos.

It is suitable for surfing for the most experienced surfers.

Like the rest of the beaches, all along the sea front of Leça there are restaurants, stores and promenades.

In Leça you can also visit the seawater pools called Piscinas das Marés, by the famous Portuguese architect Siza Vieira. This complex of saltwater pools is considered a National Monument.

Admission costs between 2€ and 8€ according to age and duration of the visit, and has showers, a children-only pool and a bar/lounge. It is only open in summer.

How to get to Leça da Palmeira and Piscinas das Marés

Take the 507  bus from Cordoaria, in the center of Porto.

Beaches of Gaia

Crossing the Dom Luis I Bridge, just in front of Porto, is the city of Gaia or Vila Nova de Gaia (where the port wine cellars are located).

This neighboring municipality of Porto has many beaches with long sandy beaches and promenades full of cafes and restaurants to sit and enjoy at any time of the year.

There are also surfing conditions and several schools all along this coast.

Lavadores is one of the most popular beaches. Not very different from the beaches of Porto, but it is usually less crowded. In addition, there are so many rocks that you can enjoy a little more privacy.

How to get to Lavadores beach

This beach is the only one in this area that you can get to using Porto's public buses. You should get on bus 902. Another option are the smaller buses (number 11 from the company “Espirito Santo”) located on Rua Mozinho de Silveira, very close to Sao Bento.

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Other beaches near Porto

The following beaches belong some to Vila Nova de Gaia and move south to neighboring municipalities (Espinho is part of Aveiro, for example). You can click to see their location in GoogleMaps.

• Salgueiros
• Praia das pedras amarelas
• Madalena
• Praia de Valadares
• Praia de Francelos
• Miramar
• Praia da Aguda
• Praia da Baía (Espinho, Aveiro)

You cannot reach these beaches with the Porto bus network. Instead, you can get there with the local train service, which is known as the Comboio Urbano, via the Porto-Aveiro line. It's easy and cheap: Here we explain more about it..

This Comboio Urbano (train)  is taken at the stations of Campanhã or São Bento.

In general, the beaches in Oporto have freezing water. In summer water temperature is around 18 degrees Celsius (64 ºF) and the rest of the year 15/16 degrees Celsius (60ºF). It also tends to be quite windy, which is why you will see that locals bring windbreakers to spend the day at the beach.