9+ MAGICAL Harry Potter Porto Places & Inspirations in Porto, Portugal!
If you’re here to discover the Harry Potter Porto places then prepare to be wowed as a fan when you see where ideas for Harry Potter came from like the Astronomy Tower and the Hogwarts robes and places where she wrote chapters now known as the Porto Harry Potter cafe.
Porto as a city in general was a magical place so its no wonder JK had the inspiration to write such an imaginative piece(s) of literature. I felt it like I felt it in NYC and Edinburgh; the cities are muses.
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Where is Porto?
Porto is a beautiful city in Northern Portugal that lies on the Douro River as well as the Atlantic Ocean and is steeped in history, seafood, wine, culture and Harry Potter!
Porto Harry Potter Link
JK Rowling lived in Porto between 1991 and 1993 and was where her daughter was born before she moved back to the UK. And while living there, she penned the first three chapters of Harry Potter and The Philosophers Stone.
Pounding the cobbled streets, towered by centuries-old buildings and observing the unique aspects, how could she not write about what she was seeing.
Where to Stay: Be Oporto Apartments Clerigos right next to one of the Porto Harry Potter inspirations, clean, spacious and private accommodation, walkable to all major Porto sights, and close access to public transport.
Harry Potter Porto Portugal Places
Read on to discover exactly what inspired Rowling, the parts of the books that came straight out of Portugal, a Porto Harry Potter tour suggestion as well as addressing whether the rumours about the Porto library Harry Potter are true or not!
1) Majestic Cafe Porto Harry Potter
Rowling ‘used to love writing in cafés‘ and at the time of living in Porto, she was completely anonymous so writing HP in Cafe Majestic was probably wonderful for her.
In an interview, Rowling confirmed that this was one of the most beautiful cafes she wrote in so is the number one place to visit if you’re looking for Harry Potter in Porto.
People who worked at Cafe Majestic Porto Harry Potter at the time said they saw her in the cafe writing and when re-reading the Mirror of Erised, I picture her here. This is the Harry Potter cafe Porto!
Address: R. de Santa Catarina 112, 4000-442 Porto
‘Chocolate and coffee in one? Can you imagine the power?’
Something I totally forgot about a lot of countries in Europe is that cafes, restaurants and shops are closed on Sundays. It was Sunday and Cafe Majestic was closed. But it was still grand from the outside, you could see the decor through the window and still swarmed with tourists even when it was closed!
2) Praça dos Leões (Lion Statue)
This mighty ‘fountain of winged lions’ is situated in a large plaza in front of the University of Porto and is a popular meeting spot or place to enjoy a picnic.
It is an exact Porto Harry Potter inspiration because it looks just like the lions that represent the house of Gryffindor in the HP world.
‘You might belong in Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart, their daring, nerve, and chivalry, set Gryffindors apart‘
3) University of Porto Uniforms
The only public university in Europe that has a uniform is the University of Porto and you can see that these look very similar to the movies!
Rowling confirmed that this was her inspiration for Hogwarts Robes and I can see the resemblance immediately. This is where Harry Potter and porto truly cross over!
I happened to be in Porto on the day of freshman initiation which meant the streets were jam-packed with students in these long, black, elegant robes and hundreds of onlookers. It looked and felt like all these kids were being dropped off and about to board the Hogwarts Express.
The square in which the lion statue is located was blocked off and filled with the parade of University students who were making as much noise as possible. So I saw two Porto Harry Potter links in one!
Throughout the rest of the evening you could see herds of them walking the alleys of Porto and around midnight there were dozens of them, in these Hogwarts-original robes, in McDonalds.
4) Escovaria de Belomonte
Not exactly a Harry Potter Porto place but still has a magical element as it’s an old broom shop in the heart of the city.
Address: Rua De Belomonte 34, Porto
‘Sure you can manage that broom, Potter?’
5) Crystal Palace Gardens (Jardins do Palácio de Cristal)
While not directly linked to Harry Potter and Porto places nor mentioned by the author, Jardins do Palácio de Cristal has a spark of enchantment to it so is a nice place to hang out and read the books.
Online rumours say it inspired the forbidden forest or the grounds of Hogwarts but again I think this is just speculation and nothing has been confirmed.
6) Torre dos Clérigos
This is a church in the heart of Porto and can be seen from many places around the city because it’s so tall.
Now this is a confirmed Porto Harry Potter place because it was the direct inspiration for Hogwarts’ Astronomy Tower – yay!
I stayed in Be Oporto Apartments, located in the street next door, so I saw the tower and heard its bells everyday (highly recommend this Porto accommodation). I was also told that the quintessential image of Porto includes this tower and the street tram so with such influence of the area, I’d include something similar if I were writing a novel too.
It’s impressive by day, stunning by night but it’s at the golden hour of sunset that your eyes are glued to it. See my picture comparison above.
Address: R. de São Filipe de Nery, 4050-546 Porto
‘Lets walk you off the Astronomy Tower and see what you look like‘
7) Swing Nightclub
Rowling, living in Porto, frequented a nightclub called Swing with her flatmates. To whom, she dedicated the third book, The Prisoner of Azkaban.
The first few pages of The Prisoner of Azkaban reads ‘To Jill Prewett and Aine Kiely, The godmothers of Swing’.
Fun fact: The name Prewett is also used for The Prewett Family (related to Molly Weasley), one of the Sacred Twenty Eight.
Address: Rua de Júlio Dinis 766, 4050-321 Porto, Portugal
8) Salazar Slytherin Name
Rowling uses real-life names for the Wizarding World character names like the graveyard in Edinburgh where she found Tom Riddle, McGonnagel, Srymgeour and more.
Well she got the first name of Salazar Slytherin, co-founder of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, namesake of one of the four houses and descendant of Voldemort, from a Portuguese dictator.
António de Oliveira Salazar was dictator and Prime Minister of Portugal for almost 40 years between 1930s and 60s.
A real Porto and Harry Potter connection but to learn more and get an in depth comparison between the Salazars, take this guided Harry Potter Porto tour.
I also seen this as a generic surname including the professor, Abel Salazar, whom after, a street was named as below:
‘We Slytherins are brave, yes, but not stupid. For instance, given the choice, we will always choose to save our own necks‘
9) Livraria Lello Porto Harry Potter
Is this the Harry Potter Library in Porto?
Self-proclaimed as the world’s most beautiful bookstore, and dubbed as the ‘Harry Potter library Porto’ or the ‘bookstore Porto Harry Potter’. This well could be a PR stunt because…
JK Rowling has confirmed that she never visited this bookshop in Oporto. So it is not the Harry Potter bookshop Porto as many articles say.
It’s also not the Porto Harry Potter library because it’s not even a library but I wonder if fans think that ‘Livraria’ sounds like library in English, rumoring that it’s somehow the ‘Livraria Harry Potter Porto’.
Regardless, it’s a lovely shop to visit and it has a huge section dedicated to HP so in some ways it has become the Porto Harry Potter bookshop for HP fans. With so many Harry Potter associations, it’s almost like a Harry Potter museum Porto has taken on.
Also in Livraria Lello, taking centre stage, is a grand, spiralling staircase to get to the upper floor and although it resembles the moving staircase in Hogwarts, it’s just fan speculation. But if you’re looking for the Harry Potter staircase Porto, it’s here in the ‘Porto Harry Potter bookstore’.
Things to know about Livraria Porto Harry Potter in general:
This is one of the busiest places in Porto so prepare for the queues and the amount of people.
Tickets are €8 but you can use this ticket toward buying a book.
Book your tickets online and select your time slot (you can change this too).
You still have to queue for your time slot but it moves fairly quickly.
It is SO hectic inside with people taking selfies on the stairs, looking at books and navigating through the narrow aisles. It might be better to get a guided Harry Potter bookshop Porto tour for exclusivity and learn some tips!
Address: R. das Carmelitas 144, 4050-161 Porto
‘When in doubt, go to the library’
Harry Potter Porto Tour
If you prefer to be taken around Porto by a guide, why not try a Harry Potter tour Porto have on offer like these:
And that’s a wrap for the Porto Harry Potter relationship. Not as many as somewhere like Edinburgh because the author only lived here for 3 years but I hope you use this Harry Potter in Porto guide when you visit this stunning place!
Pingardium Leviosa This Porto Portugal Harry Potter Guide:
