7 of the best Museums of Porto

If you are one of those people who likes to visit museums while traveling. Enjoy learning the history, art and culture of a place, then this post is especially made for you. You can find here information about 7 of the best museums that you will be able to find in Porto.

Serralves Foundation

Visiting Serralves is one of the best things to do in Porto. It was founded in 1999 and is one of the most important museums in Portugal. The Serralves Foundation is the headquarters of several buildings, where the contemporary art museum designed by Siza Vieira, a world-famous Portuguese architect, is also located nearby. You can find temporary exhibitions of both Portuguese and international Contemporary Art. There is also the Serralves House, one of the great exponents of the art deco style in the city of Porto. There are 14 rooms where you can see temporary exhibitions by Portuguese and foreign artists, a library and an auditorium to immerse yourself in a journey through time. The Serralves gardens are enormous, with more than 18 hectares. There are waterfalls, trails, caves, forests, sculptures and where you can admire its incredible design. And finally the Manoel de Oliveira Cinema House, restored by Alvaro Siza Vieira.

It is the most prominent cultural institution in Porto. There is a lot to visit. So plan your visit without rushing so that you can make the most of it. From climbing a passageway at the height of the treetops to a small rural area with farm animals that children love to visit.

Useful information:

• Admission: Around €10/€20. Includes a visit to the gardens. You can buy tickets for the spaces separately or including everything. On Sundays admission is free from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Hours: Tuesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in summer and in winter until 7 p.m. Closed on Mondays.
• Address: Rua de Serralves 210, 4150 Porto

Fernando de Castro House Museum

This museum is a hidden gem. A house made for decorative arts, in which nothing else fits on its walls. With pieces of churches in its rooms, bed headboards on its walls as decorative elements, millions of books, sculptures of all kinds and decorations from various countries. This house was the residence of a family of art collectors, but especially sacred art. Her last heir, María da Luz de Araújo Castro, decided to donate the house to the citizens of Porto so that it could be a public museum, since it was a posthumous wish of her brother. In 1951, it was added to the collection as part of the Soares dos Reis Museum.

Useful information:

• Admission: €5
• Schedule: Depends on the day. You can find this information online through Google sites. It has a maximum capacity of 10 people per hour. Visits in several languages also depending on the time, so we recommend booking as soon as possible through the Online Document.
• Address: Rua Costa Cabral 716, Porto. Metro stop: Combatants.

Infant House Museum

The building that houses it is one of the buildings with the most history in the city, known as Casa do Infante because Infante D. Enrique, better known as Enrique “The Navigator,” was born there. The most important figure in the era of Portuguese discoveries, and the one who will take Portugal to the African coasts, thus strengthening the naval power of the kingdom. During its history, the building was a mint, it also functioned as a royal stay during visits to Porto and finally as a customs office. During the visit you can learn, through videos and sketches, all the transformations of the city, have access to models of Porto of that time and see an exhibition of the different products that were stored in this place. Among his most relevant works are a Roman mosaic and remains of a Roman palace. We talked a little more about this museum in the Free Tour of the Old Town and Ribeira of Porto.

Useful information:

• Admission: €4 for adults. Free Sundays.
• Hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Closed on Mondays.
• Location: Rua da Alfândega 10, 4050-029 Porto, Portugal. 

Portuguese Centre of Photography.

Portuguese Center of Photography

The Portuguese Center of Photography houses an important collection of photographs related to Portuguese history, mainly from the last century. But it also has current photographic exhibitions from Portugal and other places. The museum, founded in 1997, also exhibits images of the old Porto prison that operated there. The building itself is already an interesting place to visit, with its thick granite walls for protection purposes, double bars and iron doors. In April 1974, a few days after the Carnation Revolution, the building was deactivated and its prisoners transferred. We will tell You more a about this building during the Fundamental Free tour of Porto. In addition, on one of the floors there is a large number of old cameras, since it was created to protect and promote the photographic heritage of the city.

Useful information:

• Free entrance
• Hours: Tuesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 3 to 7 p.m. Closed Monday.
• Address: Largo Amor de Perdicao, 4050 - 008

Romantic Museum of Porto

The “Quinta da Maceirinha” is where the Romantic Museum of Porto is located, a place where the lifestyle of the great Porto bourgeoisie of the time is reproduced. It is an old residence from the 19th century where King Charles Albert of Piedmont and Sardinia lived, who died there in 1843. Later, in 1972, it became a museum of Romanticism. The Museum contains furniture, pictorial works, and objects from this period, which is what is interesting about this museum; you can imagine what type of objects a royal family collected in the last century. You will also have access to the original chapel of the house. It is located within the Crystal Palace Gardens with privileged views of the Douro River that we talked about in the Free Tour of the Old Town and Ribeira of Porto.

Useful information: 

• Admission: from €4. Free Sundays
• Hours: Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sundays from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Closed on Mondays.
• Address: Rua de Entre Quintas 220, 4050- 240, Porto, Portugal

Soares dos Reis National Museum.

It is one of the oldest museums in Portugal. It contains a fascinating number of sculptures and engravings in glass, ceramics, granite and porcelain. More than 13,000 thousand works ranging from the 17th century to the beginning of the 20th century. In its rooms you can also glimpse decorative art typical of royalty, works of jewelry, tableware, clothing, relics obtained from Portuguese discoveries overseas, as well as the furniture art that is exhibited, since at the same time it seems like a history museum. It's very interesting for those who try to know a little more about the past life of the inhabitants of these lands. The Soares dos Reis National Museum also has a collection of sculptures by António Soares dos Reis, a 19th century sculptor from Porto, after whom the museum is deservedly named. One of the most recommended visits in the city of Porto and don't miss its beautiful gardens.

Useful information:

• Admission: Tuesday to Saturday from €5 and on Sundays entry is free
• Hours: Wednesday to Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday from 2 to 6 p.m. It is closed on Mondays.
• Address: Rua de Dom. Manuel II 44, 4050-522 Porto, Portugal.

Tram Museum.

The tram museum

The Electric Car Museum, known as the Tram Museum, houses a beautiful collection of cars and trams that tell the history of this medium in the city. The museum is located in a former thermoelectric plant, a beautiful Art Deco building a few meters from the river. An interesting activity for lovers of this means of transport since Porto was the first city on the Iberian Peninsula where one of these trains circulated, which is why it has very interesting examples on display that have served the city of Porto for many decades and They constitute part of the historical heritage of Portugal. In addition, in this museum you can see photographic exhibitions that tell the history of trams, their drivers and the evolution of public transport. A beautiful photographic exhibition that shows old Porto toured by tram, which we will tell you about in the Free Tour of the Old Town and Ribeira. 

Useful information:

• Admission: Around €4. In addition, with your ticket you can travel on public transport up to 4 hours later for free.
• Hours: Tuesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays from 2 to 6 p.m.
• Location: Alameda de Basílio Teles 51, 4050-127 Porto, Portugal