No first-timer’s visit to Porto is complete without stopping by Livraria Lello, the famous Harry Potter bookshop - in this short guide you’ll find everything you need to know to plan your visit.
Firmly established as one of the world’s most beautiful bookshops, nearly 120 years after its inception, Livraria Lello is today the most popular tourist attraction in Porto.
Queues stretch down Rua das Carmelitas from the early morning hours well before its heavy doors open at 9.30 am, and thousands visit every day.
The dream of the two brothers Lelllo, it was created in 1906 as a home for the studious, the curious, the intellectual, and opened to great fanfare with media reports stretching as far Brazil. The inauguration was attended by important literary figures of the day, including the writer and diplomat, Abel Botelhoit who is quoted as saying “Erecting a temple to the cult of ideas is an act of merit that, due to its results, will link the names Lello and Irmão to national recognition”.
Indeed, it seems that Senhor Botelhoit was correct; in 2013 Livraria Lello was declared a Monument of Public Interest by the General Directorate for Cultural Heritage.
Today however, the bookshop reflects the dramatic growth of Porto as a tourist destination, the impact of Instagram, and the effect of Harry Potter on this historic city’s own story.
Legend has it that JK Rowling, during her years working in the city in the early 90s, was inspired by the glorious interiors for aspects of Hogwarts. The bookshop has very much embraced this kernel, and Potter-mania is a big reason the small space and exquisite scarlet staircase attracts up to 4,000 visitors per day (more than Machu Picchu, for example).
It’s hard to believe that as recently as 2015, it was free to enter and photos weren’t allowed.
However, as only 5% of visitors made a purchase, the bookshop started charging for entry.
Although it’s easy to be sceptical of places that become so popular they’ve transformed entirely from what they once were, stepping into Livraria Lello for the first time will still take your breath away. And, despite the jostling for photo opportunities and overcrowding, the aspect which surprised us most was that the Lello really does try to maintain itself as a bookshop first and foremost, despite its new status as a tourist attraction.
It prides itself as a protector of the importance of books and the written word, and holds more than 100,000 titles; the entry ticket can be redeemed against the purchase of a book from the diverse and multilingual selection on its shelves. Further, they work with Porto’s cultural tourism department to preserve the heritage of the city and the bookshop.
Did you know? // The magnificent ceiling and interiors of Lello are not made of wood, but painted plaster - a design technique which came to fashion in the early 20th century.
Livraria Lello essentials
Where / Centrally located - find it here
Open / Every day from 9.30 am to 7.30 pm
Cost / €8, which can be redeemed against a book
Tickets / Can be bought online or at the ticket shop next to Livraria Lello
Skip the Line / Priority tickets can be bought online or in combination with this super popular Porto walking tour
Know / Livraria means bookshop in Portuguese!
Crowd / It gets very busy, so respect the space and others
Where & how to Buy Livraria Lello Tickets
For those planning a visit, the most important thing to know is that you cannot simply turn up at the bookshop and pay to enter. Instead, you need to buy your ticket in advance either online or on the day at the ticket office next to Livraria Lello.
Note that unless you have a specific express skip-the-line ticket (see below for further info on this), whether you buy a ticket online or in person from the ticket office you’ll need to join the long queue which can take several hours to go through. It’s first-come-first-served, and some travellers turn up super early to beat the crowds and / or give themselves a moment with fewer people in the bookshop.
Direct Online | The official Livraria Lello website has ticket options to buy in advance. The most popular ‘silver’ ticket voucher is €8 and gives you entrance with the ticket price being redeemed off the price of a book*.
There is also a ‘gold’ option which gives you priority, skip-the-line entrance with reservation of a book (you can choose between ‘The Art of War’ and ‘Romeo and Juliet’). The price of this ticket is €15.90.
Both tickets can be bought here.
*Note that the ticket is only redeemable against the cost of books, not merchandise!
Book a Tour | An alternative option to the above is to join a Porto walking tour like this super popular and highly-rated one. Not only will you visit and learn about Porto’s major sights, it also includes skip-the-line entrance to the Livraria Lello bookshop so could save you quite a bit of time.
There is also a private tour option if you’d prefer a more personal experience.
Harry Porto
Whilst we’re here, we might as well mention that Majestic Cafe (maps) is another place that has been transformed by Porto Potter-mania - ‘Harry Porto’ anyone? Anyone?!
We didn’t know this when we passed the art-nouveau cafe (which used to be a place to visit on its own merits) with its queues of selfie-takers outside, but a quick Google let us know that JK Rowling supposedly spent some time writing her first book in the series here. Unless you’re a big fan, just give it a miss and don’t add to the crowds.
One cool thing we did notice in Porto however were several Portuguese students wearing black cloaks (authentically). As it transpires, these were students from the local university, and they were wearing the traditional ‘Capa e Batina’ uniforms - and they did indeed inspire those worn at Hogwarts.
Other sources of Porto-based Potter inspiration include:
Ever wondered where JK Rowling came up with the names in her famous books? António de Oliveira Salazar, the prime minister of Portugal from 1932 to 1968, came to power under the Ditadura Nacional, and ran the country as an autocratic regime (making it the longest-lived authoritarian regime in Europe); Rowling has confirmed that Salazar Slytherin derives from the Portuguese dictator’s name.
Some believe the small broom shop, Escovaria de Belomonte, was the inspiration may have inspired the broom shops along Diagon Alley (though Edinburgh and York also lay claim to this)
True Potterheads may consider joining this excellent Harry Potter tour that ends at Livraria Lello (note that tickets to the bookshop need to be bought separately).
Livraria Lello Planning Information
Opening Times | Lello opens at 9.30 am, but even in off-season people begin queueing around an hour before this to give them the greatest chance of being in first. Do note that even if you arrive super early, you will NOT have the bookshop to yourself. The second time we visited we were fortunate enough to have early access to Lello for a podcast recording, but the moment that it officially opened, it became very busy.
The crowds and the wait times may be enough to put you off a visit, but for many Lello will always be at the very top of their things to do in Porto list.
You may find the queues to be slightly less if you visit towards closing time (7.30 pm each day), but do be aware that this also comes with the risk that the bookshop will close before you get in if you are in Porto during the peak summer months.
Where | You can find Livraria Lello here on Google Maps.
How to Get There | Livraria Lello is in the centre of Porto so it is easy to access. You can walk, use the bus or take the metro. If you are using the tourist Yellow bus tours you can easily find the bookshop on the route. Get off at the Cordoaria bus stop (maps) or the Carmo tram stop (maps), it is just around the corner from there.
For the metro take the D line and get off at São Bento station, the walk is about 8 minutes from there.
Just around the corner from the bookshop is the beautifully tiled Igreja do Carmo and some of our favourites places to eat in the city - find out more in our guide to visiting Porto.
