Porto Bingo: Spot 30 Typically Porto Things
Walk both banks of the Douro, tick off the card, snap a photo of every typically Porto thing you can find. From a francesinha sandwich to a port wine cellar barrel, this is a 30-item Porto bingo that turns any walk into a treasure hunt. No fixed route. Just keep your eyes open.
Challenges (30)
Spot a francesinha sandwich
Find a francesinha on a Porto restaurant menu or table: a stacked meat sandwich smothered in cheese and a beery tomato sauce. Photograph the cheese pull.
Spot a port wine bottle
Find a bottle of port wine (ruby, tawny, white or rosé) in a Porto shop window or on a restaurant table. Photograph the bottle.
Spot a Porto azulejo wall
Find a building covered in blue-and-white azulejos in Porto (the Capela das Almas, the São Bento station, any random facade). Photograph the pattern.
Spot a pastel de nata
Find a pastel de nata in a Porto bakery window or on a café plate (the Manteigaria branches on Galerias de Paris are famous). Photograph the tart.
Spot a Porto rooster (Galo de Barcelos)
Find a ceramic Galo de Barcelos rooster in a souvenir shop, on a fridge magnet or on a tile. Photograph it.
Spot the Portuguese tricolor
Find a Portuguese flag (vertical green-red with the coat of arms) flying on a building, balcony or boat. Photograph the colours.
Spot a Porto cobblestone calçada
Find a black-and-white calçada portuguesa mosaic pavement in Porto. Photograph the pattern.
Spot a Super Bock or Sagres beer
Find a Super Bock or Sagres beer (the two Portuguese beers) on a café table. Photograph the bottle or glass.
Spot a Porto FC scarf
Find an FC Porto (blue-and-white) scarf or shirt on someone or in a shop. Photograph the kit.
Spot a Porto Metro M
Find a Porto Metro M sign at any station entrance. Photograph the sign.
Spot the Dom Luís I Bridge
Find the double-decker Dom Luís I Bridge over the Douro. Photograph the iron arches from the Ribeira or Vila Nova de Gaia.
Spot the Ribeira pastel facades
Walk along the Ribeira waterfront and find the colourful pastel houses stacked up the hillside. Photograph the cascade.
Spot a Porto rabelo boat
Find a rabelo boat moored on the Douro (the flat-bottomed wooden boats that used to carry port from the Douro valley). Photograph one with port-house logos on the sails.
Spot a São Bento station azulejo panel
Walk into the São Bento train station and find the giant azulejo panels in the entrance hall (20,000 tiles). Photograph one panel of scenes.
Spot Livraria Lello
Find Livraria Lello bookshop (the inspiration-for-Harry-Potter staircase). Photograph the wooden facade or the famous red staircase inside.
Spot a port wine cellar (caves)
Cross to Vila Nova de Gaia and find a port wine cellar (Sandeman, Cálem, Taylor's, Graham's). Photograph the rows of port barrels.
Spot the Clérigos Tower
Find the Torre dos Clérigos rising 75 metres above the city. Photograph the baroque bell tower.
Spot the Porto Sé cathedral
Find the Sé Cathedral on a hill above the Ribeira, the granite romanesque-and-gothic facade. Photograph from the plaza below.
Spot a Porto tram
Find a heritage Porto tram (Linha 1 along the riverside, Linha 18, Linha 22). Photograph the wooden carriage.
Spot the Capela das Almas blue
Find the Capela das Almas on Rua de Santa Catarina, with its entire facade in blue-and-white azulejos. Photograph the cascade of tiles.
Spot a Porto sardine festival reference
Around São João (Saint John's Day, 23 June) sardines roast on every corner. The rest of the year find a sardine tile, decorative tin or sardine-shaped souvenir. Photograph the reference.
Spot the Bolhão Market
Walk to Mercado do Bolhão and find a stall with fish, chouriço or olives. Photograph the iron-and-wood market interior.
Spot a Porto sunset over the Douro
Walk to the Jardim do Morro or the Dom Luís Bridge upper deck at sunset. Photograph the golden light on the Douro and the Ribeira facades.
Spot a Porto laundry line
Look up in the Ribeira or Sé area and find laundry strung between two windows or balconies. Photograph the line.
Spot a Porto fado guitar
Find a Portuguese guitar (12-string round-bodied) in a music-shop window or at a fado venue. Photograph the guitar.
Spot a Casa da Música facade
Find the Casa da Música concert hall by Rem Koolhaas in Boavista, the white tilted block. Photograph the facade.
Spot a Porto street artist or mural
Find a piece of Porto street art (the Hartlaub mural, the Bordalo II animals). Photograph the wall.
Spot a Vila Nova de Gaia rooftop view
Walk up the Vila Nova de Gaia side and photograph the panoramic view of Porto across the Douro with Dom Luís Bridge.
Spot a bacalhau dish in Porto
Find a bacalhau (salt cod) dish on a Porto menu or counter. Photograph the plate.
Spot a Porto street fish-grill smoke
Find a Porto restaurant with a sardine or fish grill smoking out front. Photograph the smoke.
Frequently asked questions
The duration is up to the organizer when they set up the adventure. As a guideline, a focused day across the Ribeira, the Sé area and Vila Nova de Gaia (across the bridge) ticks off most of the easy items, and stretching across a weekend lets a determined group complete all 30.
Each of the 30 items is a camera challenge. When you spot the thing, take a photo and submit it; the bingo card tracks progress. Play solo, with friends or split into teams and race to tick off the most items.
Some items (a port-wine barrel cellar, a tram on the riverside line) need targeted stops. Sweep the Ribeira for the easy items, the Sé area and Aliados for the squares, Vila Nova de Gaia for the port lodges, the bookshops for Livraria Lello.
The Ribeira hits the most items in a walking loop, plus the Dom Luís Bridge to Vila Nova de Gaia for the port lodges. Add Aliados and the Sé area for grand squares, the São Bento station for azulejos.
Yes. Kids love spotting the tram, the painted facades, the francesinha and the chickens at São Bento; adults enjoy hunting port wine, azulejo walls and Livraria Lello. No alcohol stops are required.