As I continue to catch up on the large number of things I did in Portugal from, now, *several*…read moremonths ago... this is the one review I have left that is probably the least likely to have changed in a few months, of a building whose main attraction is the beauty of the building itself, beauty that was all constructed... not recently. Though I did also appreciate the tour, mainly in the history of the building, a building honoring not a king or a royal line like the other glamorous historical building we stopped at earlier in the trip, the royal palace in Madrid, but the history of commerce itself in the country, and the continued independence of a small nation surrounded by Spain on several sides, mostly on the power of their *money*. Money, which of course, they also used to construct this impressive building, that *reminds* you of a building a historical king would construct to honor his own family with stolen riches, but in this case, the riches seem to have been earned more... legally, at least. It is still also used at least sometimes for its original purpose (impressing foreign businessmen, i.e. business meetings), but obviously now mostly for our purposes it's a spot on all the tourists' list of half-hour tours. Definitely worth a stop if you're never been - though it is too bad tickets sell out somewhat in advance, in that I bought 2 tickets to this weeks earlier, not counting on my wife to be feeling rather sick that day and unable to join a tour. I don't think tours are unreasonably priced, given it's a unique, historical, and quite impressive building, but it was definitely not worth it at the effective twice the cost it ended up being when my wife couldn't make the tour. That said, you don't have to reserve the *time* in advance, though as other reviews have pointed out, if you only speak English, they have tours in 3 languages, so you want to get there relatively early the day of your tour, and redeem your tickets, valid for any tour the day, for passes, valid for a specific tour, before all the spots on the *English* tours are taken. They do have tours all day, though. At the end of the tour, they also have a small, presumably subsidized, shop selling pastel de nata, glasses of one specific bottle of Port, and espresso. I say presumably subsidized because, even by the standards of food and drink in Porto, already somewhat better than in the US, all three of those items were... inexpensive, and solid. Obviously that isn't why we went on the tour, but I did have a goal of trying as many of all of those as I could in the time I was in Portugal, so it was a fun bonus.

When is a palace not a palace? I guess this 19th-century building provides the answer because this…read moreso-called palace doesn't have any connection to the royal family. Rather, it was Porto's historic center for trade and corporate law, as well as the local stock exchange. The neoclassical architecture is a striking sight, especially as you walk up the incline of the Ribeira. Reservations are required for a 14€ guided tour to enter the building. Was it worth it? Fortunately the answer is yes if just for two features. The first is the Tribunal Room, a cavernous courtroom decorated with large Michelangelo-style murals depicting the history of Portuguese commerce and law (Photo 6). The second and most impressive feature is the Arab Room, a formal reception hall Inspired by the Alhambra, Taking nearly two decades to complete, it incorporates intricate stucco work gilded with authentic gold leaf (Photo 9). There's also the Nations Courtyard which originally served as the stock exchange trading floor and normally showcases the painted coats of arms of countries that traded with Porto. However, a temporary art exhibit obscured the views when we were here. The grand granite Noble Staircase is impressive though (Photo 2) as are all the Moorish revival interiors. Less interesting are the merchant association offices and corporate studio spaces. Pure filler. RELATED - Exploring Porto? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/OrsoK1kR_F

When I travel, it's important for me to experience the local culture. While visiting a fado house…read morecan feel touristy, the deep history of fado made it a meaningful experience. The performance was simple, yet the passion was felt. The musicians were incredibly talented, and the singer had a deep, soulful voice that captivated the room. My favorite part was hearing the stories they shared about the history of fado. The performance lasted about an hour, the perfect length, though we could have listened all night.

Got to witness a live fado musical performance. It was absolutely breathtaking! Purchased the…read moretickets online in advance. We got there a little early, but unfortunately, the better seats were taking towards the front. So I would recommend getting there as early as possible to ensure you have a really good view. We did have a good view though, and when we came in, they gave us a glass of port wine. The magician themselves were very talented. Especially the singer. Her voice and vocal were strong and empowering. The guitarist and string player were also amazing. They would often solo during the songs. Overall, a very authentic, cozy, and intimate place to see a fado show

Welllllll, you are in Gaia so visiting the port houses is in order. There are organized tours to…read moregive you a taste of chocolate, cocktails or straight up port (aged 10, 20, 30,etc. years). I happen to like Sandeman, so I brought home a cpl bottles of older bottles. Every time I take a sip, I think of returning. Wonderful staff and an amazing product.

We had a great time here today with our expert Ines. We sampled 3 different types of 10 year ports…read moreand splurged on the 10, 20, 30 and 40 yr ports.

World of disappointment! Very overpriced. Long line for "boat ride". It's very lackluster. Waste…read moreof money and time. Someone mentioned that there were actors dressed up and performing as poets or navigators. We did not get this at all. Skip completely in my opinion. Not worth it at all.

If you like history or like museums in general this is a fun place to go! It's focus is on…read morePortuguese navigators and their discoveries across the globe. All there exhibits are interactive including a really interesting half globe that lets you select dates and see what maps of the earth they had in that year. All the information was on computers which had many languages to choose from. The info was detailed and talked about navigators and other influential people with some being a little less known outside of Portugal. The boat ride was fun and informational. The sets were well made and depicted Portuguese history across the world. Overall it was a fun experience for someone who likes history and learning new things.

We wanted to is it a Fado place while in town and came across this location. We were able to book…read moretickets to the late show for the same night. We were blown away. The singers were amazing and the guitar work flawless. The only real drawback is the place is very warm inside, even though it was a chilly night, I had to remove my jacket and remain in a T-shirt. Also there is no food or drink menu, you are greeted with a glass of port wine. The show lasted about 45 minutes but felt authentic and worth it.

The talent is exceptional. However the venue is without reliable air conditioning and was…read moreiintoletable. Unfortunately this takes the focus away from the performances.

The church is beautiful. The flow of the exhibition is excellent. You can feel the care that the…read morecity took in making the art not only stand out but be historically accurate and respectful. The explanations are in English and Portuguese. A wonderful and must see place.

I thought I'd have to bribe Jamie W to climb this historic tower, but he surprised me by not…read morewhining about it. I knew from more youthful vloggers on YouTube that the panoramic views were spectacular from the top. At 246 feet, the tower is the highest point in Porto's historic center. However, before we climbed the inevitable 240 steps, the museum beckoned. It was formerly the private quarters of the clerics who founded the church. The space now houses religious artifacts and related art exhibits and extends into the High Church Gallery, a balcony promenade that provides an elevated view of the church's ornate nave (Photo 5). Before entering the stairwell, we had our photos taken in front of a green screen for souvenirs they pitched to us later. The climb wasn't that bad, just a bit claustrophobic in some sections, specially when we had to squeeze by perspiring tourists. They were more spritzing than sprinting. There are two observation floors. The first is about 2/3 of the way up, while the narrower space at the summit provides the ultimate payoff with panoramic cityscape and river views (Video). As usual, the climb down was easier since we knew how long it should take. And yes, there were photos of us standing at the summit in comic poses. I usually bypass them, but for 8€, I couldn't help myself (Photo 7). RELATED - Exploring Porto? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/CzAl-vBlP0

A historic climb for a view of Porto's skyline…read more The Clérigos Tower is a baroque landmark easily spotted from vantage points across historic Porto, and therefore one that's worth climbing for that panoramic view from above. The 75m bell tower monument is connected to a church that was built for the Clergy brotherhood in the 18th century. The ornate church and relic exhibit are also worth sightseeing to gain appreciation of its history. We pre-booked our visit (€10) and were serenaded with a concert taking place in front of the brilliantly lit church altar. From there we were able to head above the nave for a full vantage of the church and dome in its pink & white marble tones. At our exact booking time, we were able to queue in line before taking the steps up the actual tower. The queue was slow-moving because the staircase is narrow and the steps themselves were quite steep making it challenging particularly for those with knee pains. Once we made it to the top, we were rewarded with the 360 panoramic views including the famous bridges connecting to Gaia, and the historical city centre with orange rooftops underneath. It can be a workout getting up and down as the tight staircase has to accommodate the constant two-way flow of visitors. Skip it or hit it? This is one of the prominent sites in Porto but be ready for the stairs.

Pretty sure you need to put it on your list of places to see a show. From the outside you would…read morethink the concert hall is huge. Guess again, what an excellent place to see a concert. Not convinced you can get a bad seat. I sat around row J, center and the view was unobstructed and clear. I enjoy analyzing where the best spot in the house would be to not have a head in front of you but I think the seats are perfectly arranged where this isn't an issue for most. I will say, though, I am going to try for row H next time, it looks like it is the best row (haha) likely the same as all the others though. I am going to weirdly focus on the seating. Not sure why I love this so much but they are like sliding seats. So when someone is trying to get through, you don't have to stand up, fold your seat, sit back down. No! You just push back slightly, the seat slides backwards into the back rest and once the person is past, magic, full seat again. To me this says this concert hall was very intentionally built and I can fully support a wise concert hall. Lovely cafe to relax in before the show with some simple but great options (more basic menu in the evenings during concerts) but worth a little snacky and beer to make your wait go faster. I would hangout in this cafe no matter what. Excellent energy and tons of outdoor sitting. Yes please, go.

Unique architecture which in stark contrast to the old European buildings throughout Porto. The…read moretile room brings in the traditional Portuguese tile work into this modern building.

Great shop that only sells Portuguese made products. From design goods to clothes. Very nice…read moreselection.

From the owner: scar.id store é uma loja de design independente, sediada no Porto, orientada internacionalmente…read moreVendemos e comunicamos uma selecção de produtos de design de criadores emergentes e novas marcas nas áreas do design de moda, mobiliário, produto e iluminação. Trabalhamos normalmente com talentos emergentes Portugueses, que desenvolvam um conjunto de produtos baseados na criatividade, qualidade material, inovação mas sobretudo um certo sentimento intemporal que possa defenir o nosso conceito de modo de vida urbano contemporâneo. A nossa selecção de produtos é baseada em peças únicas ou edições limitadas, pois são os produtos que melhor definem o nosso .id no nome, identidade pelo design. Contudo, se em alguma categoria não encontrarmos um bom produto português vamos procura-lo fora, ou desenhamos nós próprios. A nossa loja Offline está localizada num antiga mercearia dos anos 50, num cruzamento da Bairro Miguel Bombarda, o conhecido Distrito das Artes do Porto. A loja é um espaço branco, iluminado por grandes montras e contrastado por um conjunto de momentos cinzentos ou pretos para organização e mostra de produtos. A nossa loja Online é uma plataforma de comunicação e venda, orientada para a internacionalização, desenhada da mesma forma que a loja Offline: de forma a criar uma relação directa de apresentação dos produtos, os criadores e todas as histórias por detrás.