Best cultural experiences in Porto

What are the best cultural experiences in Porto, Portugal?

On all of my visits to Porto I enjoyed getting a taste of its unique local culture: Portuguese music, local crafts, architecture, indie shops, art galleries, and some great street art.

I’ve curated some of these cultural experiences in this guide.

Read on to discover ideas for local cultural experiences and activities you can try out on a trip to Porto, even on a short city break.

Cultural experiences in Porto – my top picks

Fado concert: traditional Portuguese music

Fado is a deep and soulful musical style that Portugal is famous for.

It is so significant to the local culture that it has made the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

I didn’t know if I’d like the style at first, I thought it might be a bit too melancholic for my taste.

I was wrong about that. Fado music is easy to fall in love with. It’s moving and captivating, even if you don’t know any of the songs.

Attending a live fado concert is one of the best cultural experiences in Porto and a great way to spend an evening out.

For the most memorable local experience, go to a fado show in a wine cellar, plus Port wine tasting.

Livraria Lello: a stunning bookshop

Livraria Lello is a gorgeous stop for cultural tourists interested in architecture, design, and historic buildings.

It’s an old bookshop with a stunning interior that’s high on my list of cultural experiences in Porto, but it’s also become a very popular tourist attraction. That’s thanks to a mysterious link to Harry Potter…

Beyond its popularity, the bookshop reflects early 20th-century design, craftsmanship, and different architectural styles.

I enjoyed my visit to Lello Bookshop, took all the photos I could take, and left with a lovely memory from Porto.

My visit was on a weekday in off-season in the late afternoon.

The timing is important, because the small space can become crowded if you visit in high season or during weekends. Aim for an early morning time slot, or lunch time, or late afternoon.

Get a ticket in advance. I recommend the gold skip-the-line ticket. You’ll get your money back when you pick a book to buy and redeem your ticket against the price of the book.

Beautiful Portuguese tiles

Porto’s buildings are covered with colourful glazed ceramic tiles. They’re everywhere you look and they’re just marvellous.

They are painted and create gorgeous patterns. Some with simple geometric shapes, some with impressive floral decorations.

The dominant colour is blue, followed by yellow.

The Portuguese name for these tiles is azulejos.

They’re used on all sorts of buildings, from churches to restaurants to residential houses.

For a fun and crafty way to add some cultural experiences in Porto to your itinerary, take a tile painting workshop.

It’s an easy-going, relaxed activity. You’ll receive instructions and guidance on the techniques, and you get to take home a unique souvenir.

The azulejos you see around Porto and other places in Portugal are not just there for aesthetic reasons; they help in isolating the walls, especially in wet weather.

In some places they also have entire stories painted on them. Sao Bento railway station and Igreja Capela Das Almas are famous examples in Porto.

Historically, people who couldn’t read would learn important stories from the pictures on these tiles.

Porto’s Art Block

Not far from the city centre, there’s a bohemian heaven called the Art District, or the Art Block.

Rua de Miguel Bombarda and all the streets around it have an elegant selection of art galleries, displaying contemporary art mostly, plus an array of design shops, indie fashion, vintage shops, and craft studios.

Six times a year, all the galleries in the area unite for an event of simultaneous openings, where they all launch new exhibitions at the same time.

If you can time your visit to attend one of these events, you’ll enjoy one of the most exciting cultural experiences in Porto.

I found myself returning to the art block again and again during visits to Porto. There’s so much to see there.

The whole area has a very alternative feel, with cool cafes and hip bars, but despite being artistic, it doesn’t feel pretentious or snobbish at all. That’s undoubtedly part of the charm of this city.

There are many design shops in that part of the city worth checking out. I wrote a guide to design shops in Porto with more details and photos.

Porto’s street art scene

I loved the street art in Porto, especially the large murals.

The city changed its policy on urban art back in 2013, and some wonderful legal street art has been created since.

To find out more about street art in Porto, read my full guide to Porto street art or take a free street art tour.

The Portuguese Centre of Photography

I felt a bit uneasy when I walked into the photography museum.

There was something austere about it which I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Then I saw some massive metal bars right in front of me. A bit strange…

I wondered if these were put there to accompany the temporary exhibition that was on display at the time, which was about life in prison.

It turned out that the museum is actually inside a prison. To be precise, this huge, impressive building used to be a prison up until the mid 1970s.

Nice to see they put it to good use!

Alongside the temporary exhibition showing life in prison by two photographers with very different styles, which was fascinating and disturbing at the same time, there is also a permanent exhibition. This one is the museum’s collection of cameras from different time periods.

If you’re into photography, or just want to experience this huge, weird building, check it out. Entrance is free.

Extra tip: many free walking tours depart from the square in front of this museum. It’s also the starting point of my self-guided Porto walk.

Porto architecture tour

Walking around downtown Porto, I noticed some of its captivating architecture.

Looking up is always a good idea. What I didn’t know though, was that some of Porto’s most impressive buildings are actually located outside the city centre.

Going on a guided architecture tour of Porto by AtWill Tours was one of my favourite cultural experiences in Porto. It was a way to discover the parts of the city I probably wouldn’t have discovered on my own.

This tour just reinforced what every traveller knows: always go touring with a local, it’s priceless.

The guide, a Porto-born architecture student, had a deep understanding and passion for the subject.

She shared a wealth of information and knowledge, not just about the buildings but also about the history and current state of the city.

The tour lasts four hours (with a break), but you’ll hardly feel the time pass.

In these four hours I learned about Porto’s leading architects and their personal styles and got a glimpse into the local culture from a fresh perspective.

You get to explore different types of buildings, from public institutes to modern landmarks, from social housing to metro stations.

You’ll see an unexpected side of Porto and get a very interesting picture of the relatively recent history of the city.

The tour starts at one of Porto’s most famous museums, Serralves Museum.

It’s an impressive building that teaches you a lot about the style of its architect, Siza Vieira. Later in the tour you’ll find that you can identify his style in other buildings too.

The tour covers some other famous sites, like Casa da Música (a modern city landmark) and Trindade Station. It will also take you to places you may not have thought to visit, like the Porto’s Architecture Faculty – an amazing architectural piece.

Plan your trip to Porto

If you’re planning a trip to Porto, use my detailed Porto travel guide, including  things to do in Porto, the best city tours in Porto and where to stay in Porto.

Save this guide to cultural experiences in Porto on Pinterest

I would like to thank AtWill for inviting me on the architecture tour. All opinions are my own.