Centro Português de Fotografia interior 2

©Emily McAuliffe/Lonely Planet

Centro Português de Fotografia

Miragaia


This stately yet muscular building (1767) once served as a prison and now houses a photography museum. You actually walk through the thick iron gates and into the cells to see the work, which lends the intriguing exhibits even more gravitas. On the 3rd floor is a collection of cameras spanning every decade; particularly fascinating are the espionage ones, discreetly hidden in everything from Pepsi cans to Marlboro packets.

Immediately south of the museum are the narrow, atmospheric lanes that were once part of Porto’s judiaria (Jewish quarter).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Miragaia attractions

1. Rua de São Bento da Vitória

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With its cobblestones polished smooth by centuries of shoe leather, and pretty tiled houses with little wrought-iron balconies and window boxes brimming…

2. Mosteiro de São Bento da Vitória

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Note the sign in front of this former monastery apologising for the expulsion of the Jews in 1496 under the Portuguese Inquisition and the iron fist of…

3. Igreja Nossa Senhora da Vitória

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In Porto's medieval Vitória quarter, this church stands on land that once belonged to the Jewish community. Completed in 1539, it was given a baroque…

4. Casa da Rua São Miguel

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As you amble down the hill, keep a look out on the right-hand side for the Rua São Miguel. On the corner, at No 4, you'll see a panel of 19th-century blue…

5. Jardim da Cordoaria

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This pleasantly leafy park is known simply as ‘Cordoaria’. Check out the four haunting sculptures by Spain's Juan Muñoz. The romantic, narrow lanes that…

6. Miradouro da Vitória

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Porto is reduced to postcard format at this viewpoint, perched high and mighty above a mosaic of terracotta rooftops that tumble down to the Douro. It's a…

7. Museu da Misericórdia do Porto

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8. Torre dos Clérigos

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Sticking out on Porto's skyline like a sore thumb – albeit a beautiful baroque one – this 76m-high tower was designed by Italian-born baroque master…