Palácio da Bolsa

About the museum

The Palácio da Bolsa, the seat and property of the Associação Comercial do Porto, is a neoclassical building whose foundation stone was laid on 6 October 1842. It was built on the ruins of the convent of São Francisco, destroyed by a fire on the night of 24 July 1832, during the siege of Porto, and donated by Queen D. Maria II to the merchants, who wanted to install the commercial exchange and the court of first instance there.

The work lasted almost seventy years and involved six main architects, among them Joaquim da Costa Lima Júnior, Gustavo Adolfo Gonçalves e Sousa, Tomás Augusto Soller and, finally, José Marques da Silva. The building mixes 19th-century neoclassical features, Tuscan architecture and English Neo-Palladianism. The Salão Árabe, the jewel of the palace, was opened on 12 June 1880, and the decoration was considered complete in 1909.

The visit, which must be guided, goes through spaces such as the Pátio das Nações, with its iron and glass dome, the Escadaria Nobre, the Sala do Tribunal, the Sala dos Jurados, which houses the Sala Museu Medina with 12 paintings donated by the painter Henrique Medina, the Gabinete de Gustave Eiffel, the Sala Dourada and the Salão Árabe. The palace receives more than 300 thousand visitors a year, according to the institution itself.

Highlights

• Pátio das Nações with iron and glass dome
• Salão Árabe, opened in 1880
• Escadaria Nobre and Sala do Tribunal
• Sala Museu Medina in the Sala dos Jurados
• Gabinete de Gustave Eiffel and Sala do Telégrafo

Permanent exhibition

• Visita guiada ao Palácio da Bolsa – Guided route through the Pátio das Nações, the Escadaria Nobre, the Sala do Tribunal, the Sala Museu Medina, the Gabinete de Gustave Eiffel and the Salão Árabe.

Operated by

Associação Comercial do Porto

Admission & discounts

The visit is always guided and costs €14 for an individual ticket.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Side entrance with ramp, accessible toilet, lift prepared for wheelchairs and priority service.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The palace is next to the Igreja de São Francisco, in the historic centre.

Amenities & dining

• Restaurant
• Museum shop

The restaurant “O Comercial” operates in the palace (Tuesday to Saturday lunch, Monday dinner). The souvenir shop opens 9:00–18:00 from November to March and 9:00–19:00 from April to October.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

Up to 700 guests.

The Pátio das Nações (506 m²) hosts dinners, meetings, conferences and exhibitions, with a seated capacity of 700 people.

Plan your visit