ARCHITECTURAL HIGHLIGHTS
1. Mercado Ferreira Borges
Rua Ferreira Borges • Open 10:30pm–midnight Mon–Thu, 10:30pm–2am Fri–Sat • Adm
This impressive red cast-iron building, erected in 1885, is typical of the vast market halls that appeared around Europe at that time, utilizing the potential of this new cost-effective construction material. Not many such buildings survive, so this one is an important slice of history. It is now a live music venue and club.
Mercado Ferreira Borges
2. Paço Episcopal
Terreiro da Sé • Open 9am–1pm & 2–6pm Mon–Sat • www.diocese-porto.pt
Traces of this episcopal palace’s original 13th-century architecture still remain, but most of what can be seen today is the is the result of a major Baroque redesign in the 18th century, probably by Nicolau Nasoni.
3. Serralves
Two buildings occupy the grounds of the landscaped Parque de Serralves. Art Deco lovers will be charmed by the elegant proportions of the grand Casa de Serralves, designed by French architect Charles Siclis for Count Carlos Alberto Cabral. It contrasts with the sleekly minimalist building of Álvaro Siza’s Museu de Serralves.
4. Estacão de São Bento
More like a palace than a railway terminus, Porto’s São Bento station (see Estacão de São Bento), which opened in 1916, is ornamented with azulejo tiles created by ceramic artist Jorge Colaço. The granite structure, in functional French style, contrasts with the white stucco and blue-tiled exteriors of the historic centre.
5. Teatro Nacional São João
Praça de Batalha • Open 1–7pm Tue–Sat, 2–5pm Sun and for performances and exhibitions
Porto architect José Marques da Silva won the tender in 1910 to build a new theatre on the site of the Teatro do Principe, which burnt down in 1908. The result was this stolid edifice, which opened in 1920. The run-down building was taken over by the state in 1992 and its exterior, decorative stonework, woodwork and ironwork were extensively restored.
6. Livraria Lello
More than just a bookstore, Livraria Lello is a Porto institution and a work of art in its own right. Xavier Esteves, its designer, fused Neo-Gothic and Art Nouveau influences to create its elaborate façade and an interior dominated by stained glass and a bright red spiral staircase.
Livraria Lello’s famous red staircase
7. Casa da Música
Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas’s white temple of culture (see Casa da Música), designed in his trademark angular style, is the epitome of 21st-century Modernism. From curved glass to wooden walls, the materials used to construct the interior have been selected, not only to look good, but to fit the building’s purpose – even the chairs have been specially designed so as not to impede the perfect acoustic balance.
8. Centro Português de Fotografia
This forbidding building (see Centro Português de Fotografia), built in 1767, looms in the heart of Porto’s old Jewish quarter. The original wrought-iron gates are still in place, and stone-walled cells now house exhibitions and displays of the museum’s fascinating collection of bygone photographic equipment, paraphanelia and vintage prints.
9. Ponte Dona Maria Pia
Avenida de Gustave Eiffel
The spectacular 350-m (1,160-ft) wrought-iron span of this bridge over the Douro, engineered by Gustave Eiffel, was the world’s longest single-arch bridge when it opened in 1877. It no longer carries trains and is not open to pedestrians or vehicles.
10. Majestic Café
Portugal’s grandest café (see Majestic Café) has a glittering Belle Époque interior, elaborate marble carving and huge ornate windows. Designed by local architect João Queiroz, it opened in 1921. It was given a major facelift between 1992 and 1994 to restore it to its former glory.
Façade of the Majestic Café
