Livraria Lello

Livraria Lello is a historic bookstore in Porto known for its ornate interior, prominent wooden stair, and stained-glass skylight. The current bookstore building opened in 1906 and is widely noted for its early 20th-century Neo-Gothic and Art Nouveau detailing.

Inside, the principal features are the sweeping double-return staircase, the curved wooden galleries and a coloured glass skylight over the central selling floor; the shop contains extensive book collections on multiple floors. The compact historic interior and decorative details are the main reasons many people visit.

The shop was commissioned and opened in the first decade of the 20th century and has operated as a bookseller since that time, with restorations carried out to preserve its decorative fabric. It remains a functioning bookstore while also receiving significant visitor interest.

Livraria Lello is located in central Porto, in the parish area near the Clérigos Tower and Rua das Carmelitas, and is a short walk from several central city attractions.

• Opening date and design: The building opened in 1906 and was designed by the engineer Xavier Esteves, combining Neo-Gothic and Art Nouveau details.

What to See #

• Main floor and staircase: The main floor contains the shop counters and the ornate central double-return wooden staircase that rises to the upper gallery.
• Upper gallery and stained-glass skylight: An upper gallery wraps the shop interior and is reached by the staircase; the gallery contains bookshelves and decorative woodwork beneath a stained-glass skylight.