Porto Modern and Contemporary Architecture Private Tour

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Recommended by 100% of reviewers

| Porto, Portugal

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9 hours (approx.)

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Overview

Discover the modern and contemporary architecture of the Porto metropolitan area through a unique tourist experience.

In exclusive transport and with a specialized guide, you will have the opportunity to explore some of the most emblematic buildings in the region, such as the Museum and Casa de Serralves, Casa da Música, the Cruise Terminal of Leixões or the Piscinas das Marés and the Boa Nova Tea House, among others.

Our guided tours are a unique and personalized experience so that you can get to know the best architecture in the city and its authors, some of them world-renowned such as the Portuguese architects Siza Vieira and Souto de Moura and the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas.

On our tour, you will have the opportunity to explore and visit these buildings from the architect's perspective at a comfortable and pleasant pace, so that you can absorb all the knowledge, beauty and uniqueness of each one.

Book now and let us show you the most fascinating architecture in this amazing region.

What's Included

Bottled water

Lunch
Snacks
Museum of Serralves

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Meeting and Pickup

Pickup point

Pickup details

Start of the tour from the Accommodation or meeting point with the group. End of the tour and arrival of the group at the Accommodation or Meeting Point Transfer is free from and to the accommodation or meeting point to be arranged

What To Expect

Casa da Musica

Visit the building designed in 1999 by the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, winner of the Pritzker architecture prize. It quickly became a contemporary icon of the city due to the novelty and formal expressiveness of its architecture, helping to place Porto on the international itinerary of culture and tourism.

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Edifício Burgo

Comprising a horizontal volume of 3 floors and a tower of 17 floors, dedicated to offices, this project was designed by Eduardo Souto de Moura, winner of the prestigious Pritzker Prize in 2011. With great visibility, its gray tower punctuates the busy Avenida from Boavista. To cover the building's facade, the architect from Porto designed aluminum and granite modules, which are placed in such a way as to give the illusion of being formed by several stacked pieces. Granite, in addition to its enormous resistance, gives the building a uniform appearance, in this illusory game of overlapping.

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Museu Serralves

The Museum and Casa de Serralves are harmoniously inserted in the extensive area of Parque de Serralves, one of the most emblematic places in the city to enjoy art, architecture, culture and nature. The Museum of Contemporary Art, designed by Portuguese Pritzker Architecture Prize winner Álvaro Siza Vieira, was inaugurated in 1999. Visitors to the Museum, in addition to the on-going exhibitions, discover the particularities of the spaces that make up this magnificent architectural work. The Casa de Serralves, which once belonged to Count Carlos Alberto Cabral, is a unique example of Art Deco architecture and dates back to the 1930s. Significant names of the time intervened, such as the Portuguese architect Marques da Silva, Charles Siclis, Jacques Émile Ruhlmann, René Lalique and Edgar Brandt. After being integrated into the Park area, it was transformed into a house-museum. It currently has a magnificent permanent exhibition of paintings by the famous Spanish painter Miró worth visiting.

2 hours 10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Edificio Vodafone

Located on the main avenue in the west zone of Porto, the company's office building was designed by Barbosa & Guimarães, Arquitetos, after winning an ideas competition launched in 2006 under the motto "VODAFONE LIFE, A LIFE IN MOTION", a phrase that reflects the attitude and philosophy of the company. The building was conceived faithful to this idea, with a contemporary and dynamic image that conveys the sensation of movement and defies statics, having the work completed in 2009.

40 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Parque da Cidade

The Parque da Cidade do Porto, designed by the Portuguese landscape architect Sidónio Pardal, is one of the largest urban parks in the country with an area of 83 hectares, whose continued construction began in 1991 and ended in 2002. This beautiful park has a sophisticatedly designed landscape, with lakes, varied flora and fauna, integrated into the urban fabric of the city and with a considerable area that extends to the maritime area, a rarity worldwide. The modeling of the land, the stone elements and the trees create particularly pleasant interiors where the visitor does not realize that he is in a densely populated area, being able to enjoy a large green area within the city for leisure or sport, being nowadays much used by the Porto population.

1 hour 10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Casa da Arquitectura - Centro Portugues de Arquitectura

Casa da Arquitectura – Centro Português de Arquitectura, created in 2007, is a non-profit association of a cultural nature dedicated to the dissemination and affirmation of architecture at national and international level.

40 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Casa de Chá da Boa Nova

Designed by Architect Álvaro Siza Vieira in co-authorship with other Portuguese architects, the work having been completed in 1956, it is located in the maritime area of Leça da Palmeira.

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Piscina das Mares

Designed by the Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza Vieira, whose work was completed in 1966, the set of swimming pools and changing rooms is located in the maritime area of Leça da Palmeira, 20 minutes by car from the city of Porto.

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Porto School of Architecture

Known internationally as the “Porto School” and attended by students from all over the world, it was designed in 1984 by one of its best representatives and maximum exponents of modern and contemporary Portuguese architecture, the architect from Porto Álvaro Siza Vieira, awarded with the Pritzker Architecture, whose work was completed in 1999. The area where this university complex is located has a privileged view over the Douro River, and its architecture is a reflection of this visual relationship in the way the complex is implanted on the ground.

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Mercado Bom Sucesso

This emblematic building of the city since 1952, which stands out for its dimensions and modernist architecture, which marked an era in the city, was designed by order of the Municipality of Porto to ARS-Arquitetos as a structural equipment, necessary for the growth and urban development of the city. west part of the city. It functioned as an important market for supplying the population and in 2011 it was classified as a monument of public interest, having been closed in the same year for works due to the degradation of its condition and competition from the large hypermarkets. It was reopened in 2013 as a commercial gallery, with catering stores, offices and a hotel, having maintained the original design as much as possible but functionally adapted to the present day to support local trade and services, as well as tourist and hotel growth in this central area. from the city. The tour ends in the best way, if you want to enjoy tasting snacks, tapas and drinks.

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

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Additional Info

Confirmation is instant and will be received at time of booking
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap

Frequently Asked Questions

(6)

Q: What is the cancellation policy for the Porto Modern and Contemporary Architecture Private Tour?

A: You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the tour for a full refund. For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the tour start time.If you cancel less than 24 hours before the tour start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.Any changes made less than 24 hours before the tour start time will not be accepted.Cut-off times are based on the tour local time (WEST). Read more Apr 2025