Discover Local Porto: What to Do Around Mercure Porto Centro Santa Catarina

Recently restored, the market's wrought-iron roof and multi-level stalls sell fish, cheese, flowers, and produce from families who've run the same counters for generations. Go before 1pm on a weekday if you want to eat at one of the small food counters without a wait — locals take their lunch hour seriously here.

A short walk from the market, this is where locals send you when you ask about the city's signature sandwich — layered meats under melted cheese and a beer-and-tomato sauce that takes all day to make. Order it with a fried egg on top and go hungry; it's not a light lunch.

Porto's main shopping street runs past Capela das Almas, a church façade covered floor to roof in blue-and-white azulejo tiles depicting the life of St. Francis — one of the most photographed walls in the city, and easy to walk past without noticing if you're not looking up.

Right by the market on Rua de Alexandre Braga, this is a pastel de nata counter where you can watch the tarts come out of the oven and eat them warm with a bica, Porto's short espresso. No seating to speak of, just a counter — that's the point.

The old riverside district is steep, colorful, and full of small family-run shops selling ceramics, cork goods, and embroidery rather than souvenirs. Walk the waterfront at golden hour when the Dom Luís I bridge and the port wine lodges across the river in Vila Nova de Gaia catch the light.