What better thing to do on a rainy day that enjoy a literary moment in Porto? We’ll teach you how and where in a moment!
November is here and winter is coming, even in sunny, happy Portugal, so we need a backup plan for rainy, cold (or well, coldish) days. Do you know what I like to do on such days? Well, if I can, I sleep late.
But when I’ve had enough sleep, I grab a good book, curl up back in bed and start reading for the sake of reading. But what happens when: 1. I’m in Porto and 2. I have no book to read? Well, if both conditions are satisfied, I take a walk to Lello Bookshop. Porto is renowned for its stunning, old architecture – which has earned it a well-deserved spot on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list. And it so happens that one such example of stunning architecture is this bookshop, widely regarded as one of the most beautiful in the world.
Lello Bookshop is housed in a historical building, an eclectic mixture with a neo Gothic interior and an Art Nouveau exterior. As you enter, you will be invaded by the smell of book and the air of literature. This is a corner of heaven for every bookish library mouse (and human). And everyone is invited to come. The facade is covered in real marble and the inside is dominated by a giant spiral staircase that will remind you of Hogwarts and Harry Potter and his friends.
I could spend hours in the bookshop without getting bored. I am a declared library mouse, though.
I’d usually get a car in Porto, but another favorite option to get to Lello Bookshop is to book online a Porto taxi, which can be so comfortable and elegant.