Is Livraria Lello in Porto Worth Visiting? Our Honest Experience

A place that kept appearing during our research prior to our visit to Porto was Livraria Lello, a beautiful bookstore in the heart of the city. Our love of books has led us to many incredible bookstores during our travels, so we were immediately interested in visiting. However, from years of travel experience we also know that if a spot gets too popular, it’ll likely be incredibly crowded, especially in such a small space like Livraria Lello.

Despite the unavoidable crowds, we did visit Livraria Lello during our 3-day Porto itinerary, to see what all the fuss was about and answer the question of whether it is in fact worth visiting or whether it’s just an overhyped tourist spot. Since it’s such a popular attraction, we decided it was worth putting together a dedicated guide to give you our very honest experience and what you should be mindful of before you visit. We’ll also give you some of our tips for a more pleasant experience.

If you’d like to see what we got up to in Porto, make sure to watch our dedicated Porto video which we’ve shared on our YouTube channel Kitti and Jon.

What is Livraria Lello and Why is it So Popular?

Livraria Lello is a historic bookstore, located along Rua das Carmelitas, close to the Clerigos Tower and other famous landmarks in Porto, Portugal.

The bookstore was inaugurated in 1906 by brothers José and António Lello. It was designed by engineer Francisco Xavier Esteves in the neo-Gothic and Art Nouveau styles. Whilst the exterior is lovely, the big draw of this bookstore is its interior. When you step inside you’ll immediately see the Grand Staircase in the middle of the store. The staircase has a curved structure with red carpeting and a wooden balustrade, making it one of the most photographed parts of the interior. If you look up the ceiling is just as magnificent, with its stained glass display quoting the motto “Decus in Labore” (Dignity in Work). The handcrafted wooden shelves holding thousands of books are also worth admiring.

Livraria Lello is indeed a work of art, but it has become incredibly popular recently because its staircase is believed by many Harry Potter fans to be the inspiration behind the moving stairs at Hogwarts. Whilst J.K. Rowling did live in Porto, the author never actually confirmed the link. Despite this, the bookstore gets an overwhelming volume of visitors every day and is considered one of the top attractions in Porto.

Livraria Lello Opening Hours, Tickets and Prices

Livraria Lello is open every day between 9AM and 7PM.

In order to somewhat manage the crowds the bookstore has introduced a paid entry system. This also helps to preserve the building, as before that most visitors wouldn’t necessary purchase a book when visiting. There are a few ticket options for Livraria Lello:

• Silver Ticket (12 EUR). This is essentially the standard entry to Livraria Lello. The ticket value is fully deductible towards the purchase of a book.
• Gold Ticket (15 EUR). This ticket gives you fast track entry to the bookstore and the chance to use the ticket value towards books published by Livraria Lello, but not for other publications or any merchandise.
• Platinum Ticket (50 EUR). With this ticket you’ll get priority entry as well as a guided experience in the Gemma Room, which lasts approximately 30 minutes. In addition, you can also use the value towards book purchases.

Tickets do sell out quickly, especially in the high season. Therefore, we suggest booking a time-slot as soon as you know the dates of your visit. You can purchase your tickets through the official website or GetYourGuide.

Silver Ticket vs. Gold Ticket – Which One to Buy?

Unless you want to go for the Platinum Ticket and get a guided tour, you’re probably wondering what the best ticket to purchase is: Silver or Gold?

Both tickets require you to select a time slot for your entry. However, you can stay in the bookstore for as long as you wish. You can also redeem both tickets toward a book. Since the price difference between the two was pretty small, we bought the Gold Ticket.

Essentially, the main difference between the Silver and the Gold ticket was that, whilst we could’ve picked out any of the merchandise with the Silver Ticket, we could only get books published by Livraria Lello with the Gold Ticket. These books are conveniently priced at around the same cost of the Gold Tickets. Another bonus was that the queue for the Gold Ticket entry was way smaller and we could go straight inside the bookstore without having to wait in line for a while.

What was slightly disappointing was that the special edition books themselves were essentially pocket books. Perhaps I didn’t research thoroughly enough to realise this sooner, so I think it’s worth highlighting. Overall, we would still pick the Gold Ticket, since the prices of the books in the store were pretty inflated, so we probably would’ve had to pay a little extra for them on top of the Silver Ticket price.

Book your Livraria Lello Gold Ticket here.

Best Time to Visit Livraria Lello in Porto

Due to the bookstore’s popularity, there won’t be a perfect time to visit. Even in the off season it gets really busy, as we experienced first hand. The only thing you can do to make your visit more enjoyable is to lower your expectations, especially when it comes to crowds and photography.

If you’re in Porto during the off or shoulder season, then it probably won’t be nearly as packed. Try to also visit on a neutral weekday, as weekends tend to be busier. Booking a time slot either first thing in the morning or towards closing time may also allow you to avoid the craziest crowds.

We went towards the end of the day, but since it was a rainy day the queue was still pretty long. Luckily, with the Gold Ticket we could just walk straight in. Despite getting in fast, the bookstore was still packed. We stayed almost until closing time and definitely noticed the crowds thinning the longer we stayed.

What to Expect Inside Livraria Lello

As we stepped inside the bookstore we could see the grand staircase in the middle, with bookshelves and tables surrounding us. Most visitors were hanging around the staircase trying to take photos. Since it’s the focal point of the bookstore it was always very busy, with people waiting for their turn to take a picture and others trying to go up and down.

Once we managed to make it upstairs, we were able to get the iconic overhead view of the curved staircase. Photography is allowed but if you want to take some more creative and professional looking shots, as opposed to just selfies, then you’re going to have to be patient. It took many tries before I could get a somewhat clear shot of the stairs.

However, the staircase wasn’t the only beautiful part of Livraria Lello. We especially loved the stained glass that covered the majority of the ceiling. At least that view was clear of visitors. We also enjoyed looking through the books, which are separated into sections based on multiple languages.

You can spend as long or as little as you like inside, so we suggest making the most of it and enjoying the small details of the bookstore.

So, is Livraria Lello Worth Visiting in Porto?

Overall, if you love books, architecture, are a Harry Potter fan, or are simply looking for something to do on a rainy day in Porto, then visiting Livraria Lello is worth it.

Whilst the entry may seem a bit steep to visit an overcrowded (but incredibly beautiful) bookstore, at least you can use the price of your entry fee towards buying a book. We personally loved this initiative, as it was nice to take something home from our visit. And let’s face it, we probably wouldn’t have purchased a book otherwise.

We lowered our expectations in terms of crowds and photography and in return had a pleasant experience. Whilst the bookshop wasn’t the absolute highlight of our Porto trip, we have no regrets about visiting.

Have you ever visited Livraria Lello in Porto before? If so, what was your experience like? If not, would you add the bookstore to your Porto itinerary or would you rather skip it? Let us know in the comments below.