Porto is filled with great restaurants serving delicious dishes. Yet, sometimes, we crave packing a few of our favorite drinks and snacks and enjoying the outdoors instead. Fortunately, Porto is blessed with a pleasant climate and amazingly beautiful scenery – which makes it the perfect city for having a picnic. With so many gardens, parks, and lookout points available, you’ll have no trouble finding the perfect picnic spots in Porto to enjoy all the foods you discover on our Porto Food Tours. To make it easier for you, we’ve gathered a few options.

Best Picnic Spots in Porto

1. Parque da Cidade

Parque da Cidade is the biggest urban park in the country and is definitely the most well-known outdoor space in Porto. With a landscape full of lakes and trees, it is the perfect spot for:

• Jogging;
• Riding a bicycle;
• Playing with kids and pets;
• Or, in our case, having a picnic.

2. Jardins do Palácio de Cristal

The gardens of Palácio de Cristal are a true paradise just a five-minute walk from the city center. Strolling around the park, you can watch the colorful peacocks strutting around, the ducks swimming in the lake, or even take photos of the amazing views over the Douro River.

When you decide to go, don’t forget the picnic basket! Besides the countless spots on the grass that you can find, there are also many picnic tables for the ones that don’t like to sit on the ground.

Opening and closing times:

• Winter Time (October – March): Open from 8 am to 7 pm
• Daylight Saving Time (April – September): Open from 8 am to 9 pm

3. Quinta do Covelo

In the 18th century, Quinta do Covelo (at the time Lindo Vale) was a private house of a rich family from Porto. The descendants then sold it to Manuel José do Covelo, giving it its current name. In the 20th century, it was donated to the city hall, its current owner.

Today, Quinta do Covelo includes a children’s playground and a little coffee shop. It is one of the hidden public gardens of Porto. Sometimes even locals forget about it. It can be visited every day from 7 am to 8 pm (except for the children’s playground, which only opens at 10 am).

4. Parque de São Roque

The park of São Roque is one of the quietest and most relaxing gardens in Porto and since it is a bit out of the city center, most travelers don’t even know about it. Peace and quiet is what you will find here amongst the large gardens with little stone benches, along with a lake, fountains, beautiful sights to the Douro river, and… a circular maze that every kid loves!

Right at the entrance, you will see an old building from the 18th century that was the old palace of Quinta da Lameira, the villa that it was before being converted into a public garden. It is open every day from 8 am to 8 pm.

Pack your picnic and find a shady spot by the lake to enjoy a slow afternoon away from the city’s hustle and bustle. This is definitely one of the best picnic spots in Porto you can find.

Opening and closing times:

• Winter Time (October – March): Open from 8 am to 7 pm
• Daylight Saving Time (April – September): Open from 8 am to 8 pm

5. Parque de Serralves

It is not by chance that Parque de Serralves is one of the 250 most beautiful gardens in the world, according to “The Gardener’s Garden”. Comprised of 18 hectares, this paradise is home to more than 200 different species of plants, along with various types of gardens, lakes, woods, and flowers.

Serralves is one of the top parks in Porto. While exploring, we encourage you to hunt down the contemporary pieces of art that are spread throughout the garden. After all, the park is also home to the Serralves Contemporary Art Museum. Even though this park is a private space, you’re more than welcome to visit it. The entrance fee is 5 euros, with a visit to the museum included it costs 13 euros. Our favorite spots for picnics include the Rose Garden and the Herb Garden.

Opening and closing times:

• October to March (Mon-Fri): Open from 10 am to 6 pm
• October to March (Sat, Sun, Holidays): Open from 10 am to 7 pm
• April to September (Mon-Fri): Open from 10 am to 7 pm
• April to September (Sat, Sun, Holidays): Open from 10 am to 8 pm

6. Jardim Botânico

The Botanical Garden is at Quinta do Campo Alegre and it has two lakes, greenhouses of cactus and tropical plants, and centenary trees in every corner. In case you want to do a picnic while learning a lot more about the flora of the world, this is the place to be. Here you will also be surrounded by the beautiful Camélias, the iconic flower of Porto.

Opening and closing times:

• November to March: Open every day from 9 am to 6 pm
• April to October: Open every day from 9 am to 7 pm

There you have it, some of the best picnic spots in Porto. Our list isn’t exhaustive, so there are many other great locations in and around Porto to plan a wonderful day outdoors. Of course, if you are in Porto and decide to go for a picnic, you should stock up on local food and wine first and we have just the solution for that!

Enjoy!
Your Foodie Friends in Porto