Teenage daughter in Porto Portugal

[Cottagecheeseisnotcheese]

going to Porto self catering for a week in July will have hire car but are on a budget, (so things that are £70+ per person are out). Quite happy to do a bit of driving we are not sitting by the beath type all day, my DH likes to explore the non touristy things all day but need ideas for teenage daughter, we don't need to be with DH all day every day but do want do most things as a family. will be going down to Douro valley and probably Guimaraes etc Any ideas welcome of both what's good but also anything that is overhyped and not worth the effort and/or money

Porto is lovely just to walk around. Some decent shop if she likes a bit of shopping. Sunset from the Gaia side is definitely worth watching. We did a 2 hour walking tour which finished with a Porto cocktail in the bar where everyone watches the sunset. That was a highlight for us and cheap as chips. It was this one. Lenor our guide was fantastic.

https://www.getyourguide.com/porto-l151/porto-evening-walking-tour-with-fado-and-pesticos-t199411/?ranking_uuid=5e1d2b21-a66d-41c6-a886-627a4e5941fd

We loved walking the city and stopping for a coffee and Portuguese tart. There is a market on the Gaia side. Not sure what days but right along the river side. We also took a boat tour under the various bridges. Port tasting on the Gaia side is worth it too. How old is she?

I agree with pp that just walking around is great.
There’s plenty of lovely architecture to see if she’s into sightseeing.

Other things I’d recommend:

Breakfast at Majestic Cafe
Livraria Lello Bookshop
World of Discoveries Museum- I remember this as a particularly bonkers place
Take a river cruise
Take a tram ride on one of the traditional trams
Take the cable car and funicular
Eat a decent francesinha

If she’s an older teen then Port tasting is good fun. I seem to remember that we bought some sort of package deal that included a boat tour, cable car ride and port tasting plus entry to a museum for a very good price from one of the ticket boxes down by the river. It was a good few years ago, but there may still be similar now.

Get the tram to the beach. I think it's Line 1 - it's the oldest tram still operating, and the beach is at the end of the line.

https://porto-north-portugal.com/porto-guide/linha-1-line-tram-porto-to-foz.html

From memory it takes about 20 minutes and it's a lovely ride. Goes along the river. Then the usual beach entertainment

Don’t bother with the six bridges river boat ride. Complete waste of time.
Matosinhos fish market was great - you either choose the fish and they cook it or just order off menu. We got an uber there and then walked back along the coast and got the tram.

Following. porto sounds amazing. I totally love Lisbon. Does it have a similar vibe?

Go out to Braga and make her walk up sll the steps to the Bom Jesus church! (You could always take the little funicular.)

Remember to book in advance for the Livraria Lello - the queues are insane.

We did all the museums. The Cathedral and Bishop's Palace were good, the view from the Palace windows and its terrace are amazing and we found the buskers impressive!

She is 14, thanks for the help especially links. I will want to do a port wine thing

I don’t think anything is a waste of time if you’re in a new city. We had a beautiful day, sat on a boat and watched the world go by. Something different to see/buildings and architecture etc.

We did a 2hr river trip and it was honestly the biggest waste of money and time. NO commentary AT ALL, one complimentary glass of (bad) port and that was it.

We love a boat trip too but clearly chose badly there! So if you do choose a trip, choose carefully!

did anyone do the paiva walk? not sure I could manage but Dh and DD could