What is there to do in Leixoes, Portugal?

[thespian]

We are on the 10th August Ventura Cruise (with MiL and FiL) and I wondered if there was anything worth seeing within walking distance from the ship. Or is there a reliable bus that we could get to Porto ourselves? My relatives worry if we go too far from the ship and would prefer to be on an organised trip - but the cost of them is too expensive to do a trip in every port and we've all done the wine /river cruise/ site see trip in Porto before.TIA.

[FatBoy20]

P&O Shuttle into Porto takes about 25minutes.

[white_bear]

When we were there in May with Celebrity, we took the port-provided bus (free) from the terminal to the port gate and it was then a short walk to the bus stop (the folk in the cruise terminal will give directions).  No 500 bus into Porto,  2 euro each way and quite an interesting ride. If you haven't seen the azulejos in the station at Porto, they are worth a look. 

Of course, it may be that P&O will provide a free shuttle, but Celebrity were charging $10 return.

Can't comment much on Leixoes itself other than to say there is a sandy beach.

[thespian]

16 minutes ago, FatBoy20 said:

P&O Shuttle into Porto takes about 25minutes.

Thank you! That will be excellent. I know they'll be happy if it is a P&O shuttle. 

[terrierjohn]

58 minutes ago, thespian said:

We are on the 10th August Ventura Cruise (with MiL and FiL) and I wondered if there was anything worth seeing within walking distance from the ship. Or is there a reliable bus that we could get to Porto ourselves? My relatives worry if we go too far from the ship and would prefer to be on an organised trip - but the cost of them is too expensive to do a trip in every port and we've all done the wine /river cruise/ site see trip in Porto before.TIA.

There is a promenade to the right out of the port gate, alongside a rather pleasant beach, and we stopped for a coffee at a beachfront cafe. We did find a supermarket on a back street on our return, but not much in the way of shops in that area.

[P&O SUE]

3 hours ago, thespian said:

Thank you! That will be excellent. I know they'll be happy if it is a P&O shuttle. 

And it’s free if you’re on select fare. Lovely place Porto. The place the shuttles buses drop off at had HoHo buses and a land train.

[Hlitner]

Depending on your actual docking position (there are a couple options) you should be able to walk (assuming you are mobile) to either the bus stop or the metro (above ground at Leixos).  I am going to push the CC rules and post the link to a pretty detailed port guide:

Cruise Port Guide Leixões - Porto - Portugal (cruisecrocodile.com)

 

I will add a personal comment.  If anyone in your party is opposed to doing things on their own and only feels comfortable on an overpriced, overcrowded, cruise ship excursion than you have a real dilemma.  Your group either splits up for the day or you give in and spend the big bucks on an excursion.  We (and some others here on CC) can give very good and detailed advice on how to DIY and save lots of money....not to mention be able to do what you want, when you want, with who you want.  But experience has shown me that trying to persuade folks to do things on their own is a waste of time with those who cannot deal with independence.  

 

Getting back to the port, DW and I prefer to use the Metro (assuming our docking location makes that possible) since we can take that directly into Porto and across the river (opposite the main part of town) where we enjoy visiting some of the Port Wine houses and having a nice lunch near the river.  Likewise, one could get off the Metro in the main downtown area.  The bus is also a decent option.  Either way you will save money and be able to get to Porto without much hassle.

 

Hank

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

Hello.  If anyone is still reading this, I have a related question.  I've read that Oceania provides a shuttle from Leixoes to Porto, but the person who told me that took a ship's excursion and so could only give me very sketchy info as to where the shuttle dropped.  It sounds like it was in Gaia, across the river from Porto, by a large church.  I've located what "church" the person probably meant, and it is near a large park that is apparently very popular for viewing Porto and the bridge from across the river.  But can anyone give me more specifics on where a shuttle, if offered, might drop me?  I'm finding the info on metro etc. very helpful but trying to find all options. And what about the funicular in Porto?  Has anyone done that?  I know it just goes down or up the hill on the Porto side, but that's about all I've managed to read about  - yet!

[edinburgher]

And what about the funicular in Porto?

the funicular is located right next to tone end of he bridge and easy to spot and connects the riverside location with the  much higher located older quarter of the city,  Although a very short ride,  on foot it would be a steep uphill climb.

 

we've all done the wine /river cruise/ site see trip in Porto before

 

we visited twice and each time took the metro to vila Nova de Gaia where the port houses and riverside are to be found..  (when exiting the metro you are on a level with the bridge and the views are fabulous) Walked downhill to river level .The second time we visited Grahams which is uphill and quieter than the port houses 9like sandemans where most of the tour groups were going)at river level..  At that time they had their own free  minibus shuttles running up and down.  On a lovely sunny day we had more time to sit relaxing enjoying ice creams whilst watching the boat trips come and go along the river alongside.   this is the prettiest part of town to spend some time.There was also a craft market which had not been there the first time.we then  took the funicular up to the higher lever and followed a DIY walking tour which included the itrain station for the fabulous tiles just inside the first entrance. This is the level where you can catch a metro back  to Leixos.

 

There is also a bus but others will need to tell you about that.if you really do not want to go back into Porto,

 

On our third trip we took a shorex to Guimaraes and Braga as we could only do onbe or the other using public transport and that was very nice if it is offered.

Edited October 1, 2022 by edinburgher