Bus

Buses are a great way to get around this hilly city. One of the most popular tourist routes is Bus 500, which follows the pretty coastal road to the beaches of Foz do Douro and onwards to Matosinhos. Many sightseers opt for hop-on, hop-off buses (€17), with tickets valid for 48 hours after you first validate them. The Red line departs from the Ribeira, while the Blue line leaves from Torre dos Clérigos. For both routes, departures are roughly every half hour.

On buses, you can buy an individual ticket on board (€1.50 one way), but if you’re going to use public transport more than once, save money by first buying a €0.60 rechargeable Andante card from a metro station, STCP kiosk, or affiliated convenience stores (look for the Andante decal), then load it up with cash or trips. For both metro and bus journeys with an Andante card, the cost depends on whether trips are within the city limits (€1.20 one way) or beyond (up to €5). On each trip, tickets and Andante cards must be validated.