Guide · Updated 24 September 2026

This is how Lisbon and Porto compare as filming locations.

Choose Lisbon when you need many different looks close together, and Porto when you want the river, the granite and a darker atmosphere. The same team can film in both.

By Daniel Lopes, founder of Beyond Focus · 2 min read

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On this page

Side by side
Locations
Costs
One team
Hotels
Flights

Side by side

This is the difference between the two cities, point by point.

Lisbon and Porto compared for filming
Point	Lisbon	Porto
The look	Light, colour, the river and the ocean close by	Granite, the Douro and a darker, textured atmosphere
Variety	Historic quarters, modern buildings, beaches and Sintra a short drive away	A denser centre, the river, the port cellars and the Douro valley further up
Getting there	The country's main airport, close to the centre	An international airport close to the city
Permits	A municipal permit for larger shoots, and Parques de Sintra for Sintra	A municipal permit for larger shoots in the historic centre
Where we have filmed	ProKitchens, Erva and Once Upon Lisboa	El Corte Inglés at Air Invictus

Locations

Which city has more filming locations, Lisbon or Porto?

Lisbon has more variety in a small area: Alfama and Belém, modern buildings by the river, and beaches and Sintra a short drive away. Porto is denser and more atmospheric: the Ribeira, the port cellars, the bridges and the Douro.

Best filming locations in Portugal

Costs

Are Lisbon and Porto similarly priced for production?

For the way we work, yes. Our videos start at €700 in both cities, and what changes in the quote is the travel and, for shoots of more than one day, the crew's accommodation, listed separately.

One team

Can the same production crew work in both cities?

Yes. The team that films in Lisbon is the one that travels to Porto, with the same equipment. When a project has locations in both cities, we plan them in the same proposal.

Video production in Lisbon Video production in Porto

Hotels

Which city is better for hospitality / hotel filming?

Both, because a hotel film is about the hotel. Lisbon has more hotels, and Porto has its own small hotels with character. For hotels in the Algarve or the Alentejo, the travel is part of the plan from either city.

Hotel video

Flights

How do flight connections compare for international productions?

Lisbon has more direct flights, especially to the UK, France, Germany and the United States. Porto also connects to the main European cities. For most productions coming from Europe, either works.