Porto is not only about wine, football and francesinhas. Porto is the city of music and art as well! In this article we will show you all the best music related activities you can do in Porto – or nearby. Are you ready? Then let’s get it started.
Ideal Clube de Fado
Ideal Clube is definitely one of the best places to enjoy a Fado concert. It’s intimate, cozy and it features an incredibly decorated vintage space. The shows are for those looking for authentic Fado with good artists. It is located in Rua da Galeria de Paris, the epicenter of Porto’s nightlife.
Every show lasts 50 minutes and you’ll hear traditional fado, far from the commercial one usually located in tourist spots. You’ll also have a few minutes to discuss with the artists about fado history with a glass of port wine if you arrive around 5:30 pm. Remember that the shows are on every day at 6 pm. The price for a show is 15€.
👉 R. da Galeria de Paris 64, Porto
Casa da Mariquinhas
If you want to listen to fado while eating delicious typical Portuguese food, this is the best solution for you. In 1968 Heitor Gil de Vilhena created the Fado Cathedral in Porto. Casa da Mariquinhas is located in the heart of the city, in the typical Sé neighborhood. You can easily reach this restaurant from our Oporto Bridges.
During its 50 years of history, this mythical place distilled fado by the pores of the granite walls. All the great names of the national fado have passed through here. And they continue to pass without microphones, with the greatest intimacy and closeness to the public! This makes Casa da Mariquinhas the ideal place to enjoy the best fado that is sung and played in Porto, accompanied by the best traditional Portuguese cuisine.
👉 Rua de São Sebastião 25-27, Porto
Casa do livro
A bar in downtown Porto that was once the well-known Casa do Livro bookstore. Now remodeled, this space inherited from the old house the name and books spreading throughout the various bar rooms.
Where before there once were only books, now there are also cocktails (and gourmet products), live music, plays and performances. The decor oscillates between modern and classic. Here, the taste for detail is cultivated. You will find classic chairs lined with green and gold fabric and a piano in the center of a room. You’ll also find large closets that house the books and the Venus of Botticelli looking through the space.
👉 Rua da Galeria de Paris 85, Porto
Praça
Praça is the reference place of the lively square where it is located: the Praça D. Filipa de Lencastre. This is one of the central places of the nightlife of Porto. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, you can hear funk and soul. Wednesday is reggae day. Keep in mind that it’s in this square that you can taste the best mojitos of all Porto. And don’t hesitate to also savor the burger with black bread, guacamole and Black Angus meat.
The Fé Club, located in the square, has two floors with songs of different styles. So if you’re not liking the music on the first floor or you want to dance in a different style, you can just go up to the second floor. The most common genre here is electronic music, including house and techno.
👉Praça D. Filipa de Lencastre 203-206, Porto
Music festivals
The most important music festival in Portugal is Neopop. It is a festival that for over 12 summers has brought together all lovers of electronic music in the coastal town of Viana do Castelo. The city is easily reachable from Porto with a train or a bus. If you decide to go there you will find internationally famous people, including Jeff Mills and Solomun. But also Portuguese underground artists or pillars of Lusitanian music such as Rui Vargas.
Closer to the city of Porto, you will find Festival Elétrico, which is also pretty cool. The main theme here is the contact with nature and you will find many different music genres. This festival lasts 3 days.
👉 Neopop Festival, Viana do Castelo
Casa da Música
At the same time minimalist and majestic, the “house of music” was inaugurated in 2005. In addition to being a masterpiece for lovers of architecture, this museum daily hosts tourists and fans of all musical styles. Guided tours in this museum are available every day from 4pm at a cost of only 3€ per person. From our Oporto Wine Cellars you can reach it in only 15 minutes with the subway!
The Casa da Musica looks like a huge diamond looking out over the garden of the Boavista roundabout. It’s a giant of eight floors above ground and three floors below ground. The structure is suitable as a museum but also hosts concerts. The most beautiful room is of course that of the Grand Auditorium (which can accommodate up to 1,238 spectators, 120 musicians and a choir of 143 elements) together with the “Cybermusica” room.
Maus Hábitos
This creatively furnished multiplex space hosts a culturally ambitious program. Temporary art exhibitions and imaginative installations adorn the walls. Meanwhile, on the small stage there are alternating Djs and live bands. The cultural centre also houses a cheap vegetarian pizzeria, open for lunch from Monday to Friday.
👉 Rua Passos Manuel 178 – Porto