Porto has quietly become one of the most interesting art cities in Iberia. It is home to a renowned school of architecture, a world-class contemporary art museum, a lively gallery district and walls covered in murals.
Serralves
The Serralves Foundation combines a contemporary art museum designed by Álvaro Siza with an Art Deco villa and a large park full of sculptures, woodland and gardens. Exhibitions change regularly and the park alone is worth a visit.
Miguel Bombarda arts district
Rua Miguel Bombarda and the streets around it in Cedofeita are lined with galleries, design shops and concept stores. Galleries often coordinate openings on the same evening, when the street fills with people moving from one space to the next with a glass of wine.
Architecture
Porto's architecture school produced two Pritzker Prize winners, Álvaro Siza and Eduardo Souto de Moura. Look for Siza's work at Serralves and the Boa Nova tea house by the sea in Leça da Palmeira, and Souto de Moura's touch in the city's metro stations. Casa da Música, by Rem Koolhaas, is a striking concert hall worth seeing inside on a guided tour.
Museums
The Museu Nacional Soares dos Reis, Portugal's first public art museum, holds Portuguese painting and sculpture from the 19th century. The Centro Português de Fotografia occupies a former prison and is free to visit.
Street art
Murals appear across the centre, from small stencils to whole building façades. Walk around the Rua das Flores area, the Trindade car park walls and the side streets of Bonfim and Cedofeita. Many artists also paint shopfronts and electrical boxes.
Azulejos as public art
Porto's tiled churches and São Bento station are a reminder that the city has been decorating its walls for centuries. Notice how modern artists still reinterpret blue-and-white tiles today.
Find exhibitions
Openings, design markets, workshops and guided art walks are listed on Agenda Norte under Art & design, updated every morning.