Estádio do Dragão away guide

Fly straight into Porto's Francisco Sá Carneiro airport, which has direct flights from Manchester and several London airports, then take Metro Line E from arrivals to Estádio do Dragão station with no change, roughly 35 minutes, stepping out beside the turnstiles (Porto Airport, LiberoGuide). Away fans sit in the north-east corner, allocation around 2,500 (Football Ground Guide).

Fast facts

Getting there from the UK

Porto is one of the easy ones. There is no need to fly into a hub and train across, both Manchester and London have frequent direct flights straight to Francisco Sá Carneiro, and Metro Line E runs from the airport terminal to the ground on a single line (FlightsFrom, Porto Airport). The one alternative worth knowing is the Lisbon fallback: if Porto fares spike on a big European night, Lisbon has far more UK capacity, and the fast Alfa Pendular train runs up to Porto Campanhã in under three hours, one Metro stop from the ground (seat61).

Costs are estimates and swing with fixture demand and how early you book.

Getting there from the airport

Take Metro Line E (Violet), which runs directly between the airport and Estádio do Dragão with no change, so you can go from arrivals to the turnstiles in one ride, roughly 35 minutes (Porto Airport, LiberoGuide). Line E departs roughly every 20 to 30 minutes depending on the day and time (Porto Airport). A single fare to the stadium is about €2.30 including the Andante chip, and a 24-hour pass is about €7 (LiberoGuide).

Getting there from the city centre and station

The stadium sits roughly 3.5 to 4.5 km east of the centre, with the Metro station right at the ground, which makes the Metro the easiest option from almost anywhere in the city, about 20 minutes from downtown (Football Ground Guide, LiberoGuide). Some fans walk it instead, around 45 minutes from the centre (Football Ground Guide).

If you arrive by mainline train at Campanhã station, the ground is about one Metro stop away or a short walk (Rome2Rio).

The stadium has its own dedicated station, Estádio do Dragão, the terminus of Line A (Blue), Line B (Red) and Line E (Violet), and also served by Line F (Orange), a short walk to the turnstiles once you exit (Wikipedia, Football Tripper).

Inside the stadium and the away section

The away allocation is in the north-east corner, but the exact block varies by fixture, so check your ticket. For domestic matches away fans are usually housed in block 21 in the Bancada Norte, and the allocation is on the small side (Football Tripper). For European ties the away section is often the upper tier of the north-east corner, accessed via gates 19 and 20, which was the layout for Nottingham Forest's visit, while larger allocations have gone in the upper corner of the East Stand around blocks 47 to 50 (Football Ground Guide, Football Ground Guide).

Porto fans surround the away end and segregation is strong, with netting in place to stop objects being thrown, and the ground can be intimidating on a big European night (Football Ground Guide, Football Ground Guide).

Where to stay

Base yourself in the Baixa, the central commercial district around Avenida dos Aliados. It puts you on the Metro for a straight run out to the ground on Line E or the Blue and Red lines, and keeps you near the bars, restaurants and the riverside (LiberoGuide). It is a compact city, so you do not need to stay near the stadium itself, which is a functional district with little around it on a non-matchday.

Where to drink

Porto is relaxed and beer is cheap, a pint of Super Bock is around €3 (LiberoGuide).

• Adega Sports Bar (Baixa, near Avenida dos Aliados): the city's original sports bar, big TVs, pool and darts, open to all fans and the usual gathering point for visiting supporters (LiberoGuide).
• Ryan's Irish Pub (Rua do Infante D. Henrique, just behind Ribeira): music and sport focused, handy if you are exploring the riverside (LiberoGuide).
• Café Piolho d'Ouro (near the university, central): a historic café-bar popular with locals and football fans, with outdoor seating (LiberoGuide).
• Avenida dos Aliados: the strip of bars and cafés on and around the main downtown avenue, the natural pre-match muster point in the centre (LiberoGuide).
• Praça da Ribeira: bars line the Douro under the Dom Luís I bridge, more scenic than raucous these days but a good spot for a relaxed pint in the sun (LiberoGuide).

Ribeira itself has drifted towards restaurants rather than drinking dens, so keep the riverside for the view and the food rather than a big session (LiberoGuide). There is no particular no-go area for visiting fans in the centre, just keep colours sensible immediately around the ground where the home end presses in.

Where to eat

The dish to try is the francesinha, a heavyweight sandwich of layered meats under melted cheese and a beer-and-tomato sauce, usually served with chips and typically €7 to €12 (Portoalities). The other local speciality is tripas à moda do Porto, a slow-cooked tripe and white bean stew that gave the city's people their nickname, the tripeiros (Discover Oporto).

• Café Santiago (Baixa): the name most locals reach for when you ask where the best francesinha is (Portoalities).
• Cervejaria Brasão (Aliados, plus other branches): reliably excellent francesinha with quick, busy service, central and easy (Portoalities).
• O Golfinho (Rua Sá Noronha): an unpretentious local spot for a proper francesinha among Portuenses rather than tourists (Portoalities).
• O Buraco (Rua do Bolhão): a beloved traditional restaurant for tripas à moda do Porto and other regional plates (Discover Oporto).
• Churrasqueira Paraíso: enormous portions of grilled Portuguese food, a single plate can feed two for under €10 (Lonely Planet).
• Zé Povinho and Restaurante Universal: cheap, generous, everyday sit-down cooking, look for the fixed lunchtime menu do dia for the best value (Lonely Planet).

What to do

• Livraria Lello: one of the world's most beautiful bookshops, neo-Gothic with a famous curving staircase, book ahead to skip the queue (Megapass).
• Clérigos Tower: the baroque bell tower that marks the skyline, climb 240 steps for a panorama of the old town (Megapass).
• Dom Luís I bridge: Eiffel-era ironwork over the Douro, walk the upper deck for the best view in the city (Megapass).
• Ribeira: the UNESCO-listed riverside heart of the old town, all tiled facades and tight lanes down to the water (Megapass).
• São Bento station: the entrance hall is lined with thousands of blue-and-white azulejo tiles, and it is free to walk in (Megapass).
• Port cellars, Vila Nova de Gaia: cross the bridge to the lodges on the south bank for a cellar tour and a tasting (Megapass).
• Douro river cruise: a short six-bridges boat trip is the easy way to see the gorge and both banks in an hour (Megapass).

Common questions

How do you get from the airport to the stadium?

Take Metro Line E (Violet) directly from Francisco Sá Carneiro airport to Estádio do Dragão station with no change, about 35 minutes, stepping out beside the turnstiles. Trains run roughly every 20 to 30 minutes and a single fare is about €2.30 including the Andante chip (Porto Airport, LiberoGuide).

Which airport should I fly into for FC Porto?

Fly into Porto's own airport, Francisco Sá Carneiro (OPO), about 15 km north-west of the centre. You do not need a hub, both Manchester and several London airports run frequent direct flights, roughly two and a half hours, on Ryanair, easyJet, Jet2 and TAP (FlightsFrom, Football Tripper).

Where do away fans sit at Estádio do Dragão?

In the north-east corner, though the exact block varies by fixture, so check your ticket. Domestic matches often use block 21 in the Bancada Norte, while European ties tend to go in the upper tier of the north-east corner via gates 19 and 20, or the upper East Stand around blocks 47 to 50 for larger allocations (Football Tripper, Football Ground Guide).

How many away tickets are usually available?

The away allocation is typically around 2,500. Nottingham Forest took 2,516 and Arsenal 2,526 for recent European ties, and it can be smaller for domestic fixtures (Football Ground Guide, Football Ground Guide).

What time should I get to the ground?

Give yourself time. The Metro is quick but fills up on matchday, and segregation checks around the away turnstiles take a while, so aim to be there 45 minutes to an hour before kick-off. The airport-to-ground run is about 35 minutes if you are coming straight in (Porto Airport).

Can you drink inside the stadium?

Standard Portuguese league rules apply, with concourse kiosks selling beer and soft drinks, though full-strength alcohol availability can vary by fixture and for European ties. Do most of your drinking in the city centre beforehand, where it is cheaper and the atmosphere is better (LiberoGuide).

How much is a beer in Porto?

Cheap by UK standards. A pint of the local Super Bock runs around €3 in city-centre bars, less in the older tascas (LiberoGuide).

Is Porto safe for away fans?

Porto is a relaxed, walkable city and generally safe for visiting supporters. Usual big-city sense applies, watch your pockets in busy tourist spots and on the Metro, and keep colours low-key immediately around the ground where the home support is dense. There is no particular no-go area for away fans in the centre (LiberoGuide).

Where are the away-friendly bars and areas?

The Baixa around Avenida dos Aliados is the natural base, with Adega Sports Bar the usual gathering point for visiting fans, and Ryan's behind Ribeira for sport on the screens. The Ribeira riverside is scenic for a relaxed pint, though it now leans towards restaurants over big sessions (LiberoGuide, LiberoGuide).

Does the match ticket include free local transport?

No. Unlike some German grounds, a Porto match ticket does not cover the Metro. Buy a rechargeable Andante card, about €0.60 for the card, then load single trips or a 24-hour pass for roughly €7, valid on Metro, bus and local trains (Portugal Expert, LiberoGuide).

How far is the stadium from the city centre?

Around 3.5 to 4.5 km east of the centre, about 20 minutes on the Metro or a walk of roughly 45 minutes. The Estádio do Dragão station is right at the ground, so the Metro is the obvious choice (Football Ground Guide, LiberoGuide).

What is the capacity of Estádio do Dragão?

It holds 50,033 as an all-seater ground. The record attendance is 52,004, set against FC Barcelona at the stadium's inauguration on 16 November 2003 (Wikipedia).

Where should I stay in Porto?

The central Baixa around Avenida dos Aliados is the pick. It keeps you on the Metro for a direct run to the ground, and puts the bars, restaurants and riverside on your doorstep. The city is compact, so there is no reason to stay out near the stadium, which is a quiet district on non-matchdays (LiberoGuide).