Porto Airport is also known as Sa Carneiro and is the 3rd busiest airport in Portugal. Budget flights arrive from all over Europe and TAP has flights from North and South America. If you have car hire at Porto Airport, it is an easy 15 km drive to the city using the IC1 highway. Porto has ancient origins from roman times but remains to be a waterfront city of culture and history, popular for visitors exploring this region of Portugal.
Porto Airport is a bright and modern airport with one terminal and has all the facilities you could need for a trip. There are information points around the terminal should you get lost and a tourism desk to help advise you on what to see in Porto. ATMs and a currency exchange desk provide all your money services and there are free internet access points, if you wish to surf the internet whilst you wait for your flight. There are over 20 shops to keep you busy, selling everything from confectionary and toys to local produce and luxury brands such as Swarovski, L’Occitane and Caroline Herrara. When you get hungry there are 11 cafes and restaurants to choose from, you can have a traditional meal at Douro or fast food at the Food Gallery.
Porto is an attractive waterfront city with tourist areas like Baixa that are a maze of old narrow streets, that you can explore. Look out for the Sao Francisco church and the Stock Exchange with its amazingly ornate Arab Room. Next to the river you will find the area of Ribeira, where you can see colourful houses with ornate metal balconies and the old port wine cellars. You can choose to take a port wine tour, if you wish and discover how port is made as well as trying a sample. Take an ocean front drive along the Foz and see the 6 bridges that cross the Douro River. For some relaxation, take a leisurely cruise along the river, preferably at sunset to enjoy the incredible city and bridge skyline.
Get out of the city with your car hire in Porto and drive to the lovely sandy beaches of Espinho, and relax, swim and sunbathe. For something a little different, learn more about local wines by taking a tour of the vineyards in the Minho region and enjoying the beautiful countryside of this region.
