General Information about Porto

General Information about Porto

Before travelling to Porto it's normal to have some last minute doubts. Here we'll try to respond to some of these questions.

Neighbourhoods

Praça da Liberdade

Praça da Liberdade (Liberdade Square) is the most important square in Porto. It connects the old town with the modern part of the city.

Rua Santa Catarina in Porto

Rua de Santa Catarina is Porto’s main shopping street. Apart from numerous boutiques and international brands, it houses the famous Café Majestic.

Ribeira

Located on the riverbank of the Douro, Ribeira is one of the most beautiful and liveliest districts in Porto’s historic centre. Discover the things to do.

Vila Nova de Gaia

Vila Nova de Gaia (Gaia) is a separate city facing Porto. It is a great place to go for a walk on the waterfront and visit some of Porto’s famous wineries.

More useful information

Porto facts & figures

Porto has over 230.000 inhabitants and its metropolitan area has over 1.7 million citizens. It is the second-city in Portugal, after Lisbon.

Currency

The official currency used in Porto is the Euro, like in the rest of Portugal.

Current local time

The timezone is GMT (Greenwich Mean Time). This means that it is the same time as London, it is 5 hours ahead of New York and 11 hours behind Sydney.

Electricity, plugs and sockets

The power sockets in Porto and the rest of Portugal are type F, with two round prongs. The standard voltage is 230V.

Opening hours

Most stores in Porto open from Monday to Friday: 9:30 am – 1 pm and from 3 pm – 7 pm. The city’s shopping centres and souvenirs are usually open until later.

Healthcare

Just as in the rest of Europe, if you are an EU citizen and would like free healthcare in Porto you will need the European Health Insurance Card. If you are from the UK you can apply by clicking on this link.

Helpful telephone numbers

  • Emergency number: 112
  • Porto area code: 2
  • Portugal area code: 351
  • Phone information: 118