Porto Sao Bento Train Station
Built at the beginning of the 20th century, this train station has to be a must stop in your Porto tour. The vestibule of the station is covered with about 20 thousands azulejos, the typical ceramic tiles. Not only beautiful, these tiles tell stories connected to Portuguese history, from royal scenes to everyday activities such as the wine shipment down the Douro river to Porto.
Did you know? The word azulejos doesn’t derive from ‘azul’, blue, but its origin is found in the Arabic word zulug, meaning ‘polished stones’.
Livraria Lello
This place is for all you bookworms. The library is stunning, the woodwork amazing, the book collection quite good. Only, the crowds are going to spoil the experience. Don’t get me wrong, I loved to visit livraria Lello, but the hoards of people queueing to snap that picture sitting on the stairs just makes my blood boil. I couldn’t tell if there’s a time of the day when it’s less crowded, I’m afraid there isn’t, as the library opens quite late in the morning. So, man up, give yourself some extra dose of patience, and just try to ignore all the tourists and the constant posing.
Igreja do Carmo
Few steps away from the library you’ll find another azulejo gem. The good thing is that you won’t find crowds here and you will get to enjoy at peace these beautiful tileworks.
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