Most visitors end up in Baixa whether or not they use the word. São Bento, Aliados, Bolhão, Santa Catarina and Clérigos are close enough to join on foot, but the hills and queues make the day longer than the map suggests. Here is the order I would use, with a couple of stops worth making time for.
A useful first walk
Start inside São Bento station for the tiled hall, then walk up to Avenida dos Aliados. Head east to Mercado do Bolhão, then browse Rua de Santa Catarina before looping back toward Clérigos and Cordoaria. Open the route in Maps. It is a half-day once you include a market stop, not a brisk hour.
Bolhão is closed on Sundays, so check its official hours before building the morning around it. If you want to go inside Livraria Lello, book a timed ticket through its official site; do not assume the queue outside is a walk-in line.
Three stops with different jobs
For a pastry or bread near the market, Confeitaria do Bolhão is at Rua Formosa 339. It is a working bakery as well as a pretty old room; I usually look at the counter and choose what was made that day. The bakery’s site lists its products and address.
For a quick, messy lunch, Conga on Rua do Bonjardim is known for bifanas: thin pork in a spicy, garlicky sauce in a soft roll. It is not a quiet sit-down meal; that is part of why I send people there. Ask for the house bifana and keep a napkin handy.
Café Majestic on Santa Catarina is the historic café stop, not my pick for a bargain breakfast. Go for the room and a coffee or something sweet, and expect the central location to be reflected in the price. It is open Monday to Saturday; check the official visitor information.
Where to stay, and what the map hides
Baixa is a handy base if you want to walk to the main sights and reach the metro easily. Before booking, check the exact street and which way the bedroom faces: bars, traffic and late deliveries can make a central address noisy. Also look at the route back to your hotel. Ribeira may look close, but the climb back up is real.
My practical rule: do São Bento and the central streets early, eat before the lunch rush if you dislike queues, and leave room in the day for the steep walk you did not notice on the map. Baixa is a good starting point for Porto; it is not the whole city.
