Three days in Porto. Plenty packed in, never rushed.

One moment we’re standing with the group in an airport lounge in Brussels. Three days later, we’ve seen Porto from a tuk-tuk, sat down for dinner by the Douro, explored the Estádio do Dragão and tasted port in the city that gave it its name. There was also lunch at a Michelin-starred restaurant, and on the final day everyone could decide for themselves how much more of Porto they wanted to discover.

A lot for three days. Luckily, it never felt that way.

First, getting everyone there together

With a group this size, an incentive quickly comes with practical questions. Who flies when? How do you get everyone to the destination at the same time? And how do transfers, luggage, hotel and programme all fit together?

For this corporate incentive to Porto, way2events organised a private charter flight to Portugal, allowing the entire group to travel together and in comfort. A charter flight has some very practical advantages for an international incentive: flexible departure times, efficient travel planning and the freedom to build the rest of the programme around the group. Airport formalities, passenger coordination, transfers and hotel arrangements were all taken care of in advance.

It may sound like the least exciting part of the trip. Until you travel with a large group. Then it makes a huge difference.

Seeing Porto by tuk-tuk turned out to be a very good idea

Anyone who knows Porto knows the city has very little interest in being flat. So for our first introduction to the city, we used private tuk-tuks. Practical for the group, comfortable and, to be fair, simply a great way to arrive in Porto.

The drivers took us through historic neighbourhoods, past viewpoints and along streets where, on foot, you would probably start wondering how many hills were still to come. The tuk-tuks were covered and rainproof too. Useful in a city where the weather occasionally has plans of its own.

Along the way, the local drivers shared the history of Porto and introduced the group to some of its hidden corners and lesser-known spots. A relaxed and enjoyable first look at the city.

Dinner overlooking the Douro

That evening, one of the highlights of the trip came early: dinner with panoramic views over the Douro. Porto does a lot of the work for you after dark. The river, the illuminated quays, the bridges and the houses climbing up from the waterfront already provide quite a setting.

So we stayed at the table for a while. Good food, a glass in hand and finally more time for the conversations that tend to get cut short during flights, transfers and city tours. By now, we know that those moments matter just as much on an incentive as whatever is scheduled during the day.

Inside the Estádio do Dragão

Day two started at the Estádio do Dragão. Even if checking football results is not the first thing you do on a Monday morning, a stadium like this is worth seeing from the inside. During the tour, the group explored its architecture, history and impressive infrastructure.

After the morning programme came another culinary highlight: lunch at a Michelin-starred restaurant. Over the past few years, Porto has firmly established itself as a gastronomic destination, with traditional Portuguese flavours sitting comfortably alongside more contemporary cooking. So if you enjoy good food and wine, you will rarely need much convincing to stay at the table a little longer here.

And you can hardly spend three days in Porto and ignore port, the city’s liquid heritage. So later that day, we organised a traditional port tasting. Of course, there were different wines to taste, but we also learnt about the production process, the history and the craftsmanship behind them. A good moment to slow down, catch up and enjoy one of the region’s best-known traditions together.

On day three, everyone could finish Porto in their own way

After two days of shared activities, we deliberately kept the final day looser. Anyone who wanted to head into the city on their own could simply do so. Find a good coffee, browse some shops, wander a little longer or settle down on a terrace somewhere.

For those who wanted to keep exploring, way2events arranged local guides who took participants into smaller streets and neighbourhoods, cafés, boutiques, squares and viewpoints that are easy to miss when you visit the city on your own.

There was no need for everyone to spend those final hours in exactly the same way. After two full days together, that felt just right.

Porto really does work very well for a corporate incentive

This city has gastronomy, architecture, wine, football, the Douro and plenty of places that work well for groups. At the same time, Porto remains compact enough that you are not constantly losing time travelling from one part of the programme to the next. That combination makes it a very interesting incentive destination. For this group, the variety worked particularly well. With way2events, we built a programme with the right balance of comfort, local character, quality and experiences that felt worth travelling for.

Behind all of that, of course, was a substantial piece of organisation. Charter flight, passengers, transfers, hotel, restaurants, reservations, local partners and guides all had to fit into the same schedule.

For the guests, that should never become the story of the trip. They were there to experience Porto.

Thinking about Porto for your own group?

This incentive can be a great starting point for a trip with employees, clients or business partners. The programme can be adapted to the size of the group, the time of year and, most importantly, why you are travelling together in the first place.

Perhaps a charter flight makes sense again. Perhaps you want more gastronomy, more free time or to combine Porto with something outside the city.

Tell us who you want to take.
We’ll start there.

Dare to be bold.