The Porto Bookstore That Inspired Harry Potter’s Hogwarts – Tips for Visiting

The Porto Bookstore That Inspired Harry Potter’s Hogwarts – Tips for Visiting

There’s a reason they call it the Harry Potter bookstore in Porto, Portugal. You’d almost expect to bump into Harry Potter himself at this Porto bookshop.  Or that the exquisite red staircase might move.

That’s the magic of Livraria Lello, or ‘Lello Bookstore’,  the bookshop that’s said to have inspired J.K. Rowling when she was writing the first book in the Harry Potter series.

It’s easy to see why.  This fantastical bookshop is usually ranked at or near the top of  lists of the most beautiful bookstores in the world.

For a book geek like me, it’s a magical world of words – – one where you could grab a book and a butterbeer and while away the hours, surely one of the best things to do in Porto.

J.K Rowling and the Harry Potter bookstore in Porto

Staircase and shelves at the Harry Potter Bookshop in Porto, which is actually called Livraria Lello

J.K. Rowling taught English in Porto from 1991 to 1993.  During this time she developed her ideas for the entire seven-book Harry Potter series, and got a start on the first one, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (or Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in certain markets). 

Rowling was a regular customer at Lello.  As soon as you walk in the door, and before you can say “Voldemort” (he who must not be named), you’ll notice a resemblance between the shop’s undulating crimson staircase and the Grand Staircase at the Hogwarts school of wizardry.  Others say it reminds them of Flourish and Blotts, where young sorcerers buy their magic manuals.

It’s believed that Rowling was influenced by other aspects of life in Portugal.  The Hogwarts’ uniform may have been inspired by the black suits and cloaks worn by students at nearby Porto University.  At the University of Coimbra, south of Porto, the students sport Potteresque black capes.  And Rowling has admitted that bad guy, Salazar Syltherin, got his name from the Portuguese dictator, António de Oliveira Salazar.

Take a Harry Potter tour in Porto: Explore Porto through its charming spots that helped inspire the creation of the magical world of Harry Potter.  Book the tour here.

Or combine your visit to the Lello Bookstore with a 4-hour walking tour of Porto.  Book the walking tour & Lello visit here.

Porto book shop harry potter

Bliss tip!  Where to stay in Porto: 

Porto has many affordable Airbnb options in the city centre. Click on this link to get $33 off your first booking with Airbnb.

For a midrange option, I also enjoyed Malmarendas Boutique Lodging.  It’s a small, affordable 4-star hotel in a historical building, a few minutes walk from the Bolhao market.  Check pricing and reviews for Malmarendas Boutique Lodging.

For a top of the line luxury option, try the Yeatman Hotel, a wine hotel with an incredible view of the city in Vila Nova de Gaia (across the river from Porto).  Check pricing and reviews for the Yeatman Hotel.

The Harry Potter bookstore is one of the top places to visit in Porto

Porto book shop Harry Potter

The Lello Bookstore was quite a sensation when it opened in Porto in 1906. 

It was the brainchild of the two Lello brothers. José, man of letters and a lover of literature, books and music dreamt of becoming a book seller.  He and his brother António became part of the intellectual elite in Porto and, after a few years, opened the ornate shop.  The Porto bookshop was intended to be a temple of letters and the arts, Marketing and Communications Director Manuel de Sousa told me.  “It was like a church, feeding the soul.”

The building looks narrow from the outside, its neo-gothic facade adorned by two figures representing art and science. 

Inside, it’s a fantastical world of books and remarkable architecture (like something out of a novel), dominated by the marvelous staircase.  The intricate ceiling design is deceiving.  It looks like it’s made of carved wood, but de Sousa  told me that it’s painted plaster.  The huge stained-glass skylight bears the latin insignia, “decus in Labore” or “dignity in work”, the motto of the company created by the Lello brothers.

The motto has been handed down over the ages, and the bookshop is still 49 per cent owned by the Lello family.

Porto book shop Harry Potter

I didn’t run into Harry Potter at the book shop, but I did see one of the original Lello brothers.

Tips for visiting the Livraria Lello bookstore:

Porto book shop Harry Potter

In later years, the bookstore experienced several decades of disrepair, but in 1995, a massive wizardry project returned it to its former glory.  It takes a lot to maintain the store’s magic, including a paint job on those famous stairs every year.

Over one million people visit the shop each year.

But the crowds of people also created some issues for an independent book shop that receives no government tourism subsidies.  “The store would be packed, but we weren’t selling any books,” said de Sousa.

To manage the stream of tourists, the shop started charging an entrance fee (5.50 Euros online), which is redeemable against the purchase of a book.  That’s helped to make the crowds more manageable and it’s resulted in a rebound in book sales.

Still, a visit to the Harry Potter bookstore remains one of the top things to do in Porto.  You can save time by buying a voucher online before you go.  The voucher allows you to avoid the lineups for Livraria Lello tickets.  If possible, your best bet to minimize the wait times is to go during a weekday toward the end of the day.  The bookshop is open every day from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

People regularly line up first thing in the morning to get into the shop.  Although there are no guarantees, your best bet might be to go late in the day, rather than early in this case.

Porto book shop Harry Potter

The Magic of Reading

Porto book shop Harry Potter

On UNESCO World Book Day during my visit, Livraria Lello invited ten of the other book stores that regularly make the “world’s most beautiful” lists to talk about ways to promote reading and independent book sellers.

It’s a goal that touches my heart and I was honoured to be in the company of people dedicated to the noble pursuit of sharing the imagination in print.

“Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic.” 

-J.K. Rowling , Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Porto book shop Harry Potter

More Information:

Livraria Lello is located at 144 Rua R. das Carmelitas 144, 4050-161 Porto. 

Top Tip:  Avoid long lineups by buying a voucher online for 5.50 Euros.  The cost of the voucher is deductible on the purchase of a book.  Tickets can also be purchased at the building next door to the Lello book shop. 

Tourism Information: Visit Porto, Visit Portugal

Where to stay in Porto: Check pricing and availability for the Yeatman Hotel or Malmerendas Boutique Lodging.

Suggested Reading: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7), The Book of Disquiet: The Complete Edition by famous Portuguese poet, Fernando Pessoa

Avoid data roaming fees:  I use an aloSIM eSIM (a digital SIM card) to stay connected when I travel.  Get 5% off your first order with the promo code:  TRAVELBLISSNOW.

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Porto book shop harry potter
There are 10 comments for this article
  1. Burcu Basar at 12:48 am

    Great post and photos. I have also been there in 2013 and you were not allowed to take photos then. I sure wish to visit once again. Porto is full of old book stores, it was its most charming part for me.

    • TravelBlissNow Author at 2:59 pm

      Thank you! I really love old bookstores (or any bookstores and libraries) too! And I thought Porto was wonderful and hope to return.

  2. Stephanie Rumore at 10:47 pm

    Great post and just stunning pictures. I find Portugal as a whole generally quite overshadowed by its neighbours but it’s one of my favourite destinations! I’ve visited Lisboa and Lagos but never made it to Porto- although I have heard it is even more beautiful than Lisbon! I’ll be sure to add this bookshop to to-do list when in Porto!

    • TravelBlissNow Author at 12:43 pm

      Thanks Stephanie! I have fallen for Portugal too, but haven’t yet made it to the Algarve. You’ll love Porto and, if you go, be sure to buy tickets for the bookshop online to avoid the lineup.

  3. Erin Morris at 4:19 am

    I love bookshops! This one looks amazing! I didn’t even know it existed before this post. Thank you for sharing and the list of beautiful bookshops around the world. It’s my goal to make it to as many as possible now. Do you have a favourite fantasy book to read?

    • TravelBlissNow Author at 2:15 pm

      Thanks Erin! I share your goal of visiting all of the beautiful bookshops on the list. My favourite fantasy books would have to be the Harry Potter books – – read them all, some twice!

  4. Kwei Quartey at 9:12 am

    “Livaria” in Portuguese means “bookstore,” not “library.” Almost the same thing in Spanish: “libreria,” means bookstore also. You can be forgiven for the error since obviously the words sound like “library.”

  5. Liva Engstrom at 6:24 am

    The reason why it s getting thousands of visitors a day, however, is due to its rumored association with JK Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series. Rowling lived in Porto as an English teacher in the early 19 and supposedly it was Lello that inspired the look of certain famous settings in Harry Potter. These include the bookshop Flourish and Blotts and the Hogwarts moving staircases. feel like walking into a Harry Potter book, so it s not hard to imagine Rowling pulling some inspiration from this magical little place.

    • TravelBlissNow Author at 4:31 pm

      Yes, you’re quite right on why it’s getting so much attention, but as you say, it’s really quite a magical book shop on its own.

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