Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The people of Porto have always taken pride in being hard workers. Commerce came
to define Porto, as royalty or religion would define other cities (like Lisbon and Braga, re-
spectively). The Commercial Association of Porto (Associação Comercial do Porto) even
had its own system of courts and a representative to the king. In 1832, the monastery of
the São Francisco Church burned down, and the queen offered the property to the Com-
mercial Association. They seized the opportunity to show off, crafting a building that
would demonstrate the considerable skill of Porto's tradesmen.
Cost and Tours:
The “Palace” can only be visited on a 30-minute guided tour (€7).
Tours leave every 30 minutes in whatever language is necessary (often English plus an-
other language). You may have to wait up to 30 minutes for an English tour; it's easy to
call ahead to set up an appointment.
Hours:
Daily April-Oct 9:00-18:30, Nov-March 9:00-12:30 & 14:00-17:30, last visit
30 minutes before closing, no photos inside, in big building marked
Associação Comer-
cial do Porto
on Rua Ferreira Borges, tel. 223-399-013,
www.palaciodabolsa.com
.
Note
that the building still houses the offices of the Chamber of Commerce, and is often rented
out for events.
