Porto Wine Cellar ToursTeleférico de Gaia: the Gaia Cable Car Guide
The Teleférico de Gaia is the cable car that links the Port wine cellars on the Vila Nova de Gaia riverside with the Jardim do Morro area at the top of the hill. The ride takes 3 min 45 s, the one-way adult fare is €7 and the return is €10. This page covers the fares, the hours by season, the two stations, the metro link at Jardim do Morro and the route that uses the cable car to reach the cellars. If you are choosing which port house to visit once you arrive, see the port wine cellars map and the full comparison of Porto wine cellar tours with card prices and booking details.
A Gaia cable car cabin passing a pylon. Photo: Tom Page from London, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Quick answer Gaia Cable Car at a glance
The Teleférico de Gaia charges adults €7 one way and €10 return, with a ride time of 3 min 45 s. Children aged 5 to 12 pay €3.50 one way and €5 return. The line runs between Jardim do Morro at the top and Cais de Gaia on the riverbank. Andante metro tickets are not valid on the cable car.
Key takeaways
- Full prices, validity and the family ticket are in the fares table.
- Hours change with the season and the car closes on Christmas Day only, see opening hours.
- The upper station sits beside Jardim do Morro metro station on Line D, details under the two stations.
- Pair the ride with a cellar visit such as the Burmester Cellar Tour on the Gaia riverfront.
Fares and Tickets
All figures below come from the cable car operator's own price page. The return ticket is valid for 30 days, VAT included.
Price Table
The operator publishes four fare types: a one-way, a return, child rates for ages 5 to 12 and a family return covering 2 adults and 2 children. The 30-day validity means you can ride down in the morning for a cellar tour and ride back up after dinner on the same ticket. Andante cards and tickets, which you use on the Porto metro, are not accepted on the cable car, so budget the fare separately.
| Ticket | Adult | Child 5-12 |
|---|---|---|
| One-way | €7 | €3.50 |
| Return, valid 30 days | €10 | €5 |
| Family return, 2 adults + 2 children | €22.50 | not stated separately |
Validity and Payment Notes
The return ticket stays valid for 30 days, so it also works if you split the ride across two days. VAT is included in every price. This page uses the operator's own current prices throughout.
Sources: Gaia Cable Car
Opening Hours by Season
The operator sets four seasonal windows across the year. The car opens at 10:00 in every season, only the closing time changes.
Seasonal Hours
The long summer window runs from late April to late September with a 20:00 close. One exception applies: on 23 June the car closes early at 19:00. Shoulder seasons close at 19:00 and the winter window closes at 18:00.
The only full closing day of the year is Christmas Day.
| Period | Hours |
|---|---|
| 26 April to 24 September | 10:00-20:00 |
| 23 June only | 10:00-19:00 |
| 24 March to 25 April and 25 September to 24 October | 10:00-19:00 |
| 25 October to 23 March (and 1 January to 23 March) | 10:00-18:00 |
| Christmas Day | Closed |
Timing Your Ride
The ride itself takes 3 min 45 s. The last car depends on the season, so check the hours table before you plan a return trip after a cellar visit.
Sources: Gaia Cable Car
Ride the Cable Car in Porto
A full ride on the Gaia cable car above the cellar rooftops. Third-party video by Travel Addict Guy. This site did not shoot it and has no relationship with the creator.
The Two Stations and the Metro
The line has just two stations, one high and one low, and the upper one connects directly with Porto's metro.
Upper Station: Jardim do Morro
The upper station stands next to Jardim do Morro metro station, which sits at the Gaia end of the upper deck of the Dom Luís I Bridge. Metro Line D crosses that deck, so you can ride from central Porto, step off at Jardim do Morro, where the cable car upper station is next door. Jardim do Morro lies between General Torres to the south and São Bento across the bridge to the north.
The free public garden beside the station, established in 1927, is a popular sunset spot, and the Serra do Pilar monastery stands on the same hill.
Lower Station: Cais de Gaia
The riverside station puts you on the Cais de Gaia, the promenade that faces Porto's Ribeira across the Douro. This is the heart of the port lodge district, with cellar doors, tasting rooms and the departure point for Gaia-side river cruises along Avenida de Diogo Leite. The operator's licensed address is Calçada da Serra 143, Vila Nova de Gaia.
Sources: Gaia Cable Car, Jardim do Morro station
Porto and the Douro seen from Jardim do Morro, the top station of the cable car. Photo: Barcex, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Using the Cable Car to Reach the Cellars
You can use the cable car one way and walk or ride the other. The route below is a loop from central Porto into the cellar district and back.
The Route Down
Take Metro Line D from central Porto to Jardim do Morro, or walk across the upper deck of the Dom Luís I Bridge if you are already on the Ribeira side. At the upper station, buy a one-way ticket for €7 and ride the 3 min 45 s down to Cais de Gaia. The port cellars line the riverbank from there, and secondary sources count more than 60 of them along the Douro in Vila Nova de Gaia.
For choosing among them, the port wine cellars map lists each lodge with its address and visit options, and the bookable guided visits are compared on the homepage comparison table.
Two Cellars on the Gaia Riverfront
The Burmester cellars sit at Largo Dom Luís I, beside the Luis I bridge. The guided visit runs 45 minutes to 1 hour with a tasting of the option you pick, for $26 on the tour card, and the Burmester Cellar Tour page has the full breakdown. At Avenida de Diogo Leite 344, the Cálem cellars combine a 30-minute guided tour with a 45-minute live Fado concert and two ports for $31, described on the Cálem Cellar Tour with Fado page.
Both meet at fixed addresses, neither includes hotel pickup, and both offer free cancellation inside the stated window.
The Way Back
After the cellars, you have three choices. Ride the cable car back up from the lower station, which is the easiest on the legs and works with the 30-day return ticket if you bought it instead of a one-way. Walk up across the lower deck of the Dom Luís I Bridge to the Ribeira on the Porto side.
Or take Line D from Jardim do Morro if you rode up first. Whichever you choose, check the seasonal closing time in the hours table above, because the last car can fall earlier than your dinner reservation.
Sources: Gaia Cable Car
Around the Top Station at Jardim do Morro
The upper station sits by Jardim do Morro and the Serra do Pilar monastery, so the cable car is easy to pair with the view over Porto before you ride down to the cellars.
Jardim do Morro and the Metro
Jardim do Morro is a free public garden just south of the upper deck of the Dom Luís I bridge, open around the clock and a popular place to watch the sunset over Porto. The garden dates from 1927. Its metro station on Line D opened on 17 September 2005, sits at street level on Avenida da República and has step-free access.
On Line D it lies between General Torres on the Gaia side and São Bento across the bridge, and trains run about every 5-6 minutes on weekdays and every 10 minutes on weekends and evenings.
Serra do Pilar Above the River
Next to the garden stands the Monastery of Serra do Pilar, part of the UNESCO site Historic Centre of Oporto, Luiz I Bridge and Monastery of Serra do Pilar, inscribed in 1996. It has a circular church and a circular cloister, one of only two circular monastic churches in Portugal. A visit to the cloister and the dome costs €2.00, from Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00-18:30 in summer and 10:00-17:30 in winter, closed on Mondays. The terrace viewpoint outside is free.
A good order for the afternoon: the viewpoint at Serra do Pilar, the garden, then the cable car down to Cais de Gaia and a booked visit at a riverside cellar such as the Burmester cellar tour or the Cálem cellar tour with fado.
Sources: UNESCO World Heritage List, Jardim do Morro station, Monastery of Serra do Pilar
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does the Teleférico de Gaia go?
It runs between two stations only: Jardim do Morro at the top, next to the metro station at the Gaia end of the Dom Luís I upper deck, and Cais de Gaia on the riverbank among the port cellars. The ride takes 3 min 45 s. Lodges such as Burmester stand on the Gaia riverfront below.
How much does the Gaia Cable Car cost?
An adult one-way ticket costs €7 and a return costs €10. Children aged 5 to 12 pay €3.50 one way and €5 return. A family return for 2 adults and 2 children is €22.50. All figures come from the operator's price page, which are set out in the fare table.
Is the Gaia Cable Car ticket the same as a metro ticket?
No. Andante tickets are not valid on the cable car, so a metro fare and a cable car fare are two separate purchases. The cable car prices are in the fares section.
How long is the Gaia Cable Car ride and how far does it travel?
The ride takes 3 min 45 s from station to station. The operator does not publish a route length on its price and timetable page, so no official figure is given here. Timing matters more than distance, since the seasonal closing hour in the opening hours table decides if you can ride back up after a cellar visit.
When is the Gaia Cable Car closed?
It closes on Christmas Day only. Every other day of the year it runs from 10:00, with closing times between 18:00 and 20:00 depending on the season, and an early 19:00 close on 23 June. The full seasonal breakdown is in the hours table.
Can I use the cable car to visit the port cellars from Porto?
Yes, and it is the most direct way. Take Line D to Jardim do Morro, ride the cable car down to Cais de Gaia and the cellars line the riverbank from the station door. Two riverfront options are the Burmester Cellar Tour at $26 and the Cálem Cellar Tour with Fado at $31, and the port wine cellars map covers every lodge in the district.