Casa da Música

Amazing architectural and audio experience! We did a self-guided tour of Casa da Música and absolutely loved it. The audio guide was excellent—clear, informative, and perfectly paced. Exploring the different rooms was truly breathtaking; each space has its own unique atmosphere and acoustic character. We highly recommend doing an inside tour to fully experience the building. We’re already looking forward to coming back for a concert next time—we’ll definitely make sure not to miss that!

Northwest of Porto's historic center stands a much more recent monument: the Casa de Música. This concert hall was designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and was scheduled for completion in 2001 when Porto was the European Capital of Culture. Due in part to its unusual shape, the building wasn't completed until four years later, opening its doors on April 14, 2005. Besides its modern design, the building is also renowned for its exceptionally good acoustics (and rightly so, considering its construction cost €111.2 million). There are two halls: the large Suggia Hall with 1,238 seats and the flexible Hall 2 with 300 seats and 650 standing. Even if you're not attending a concert, a visit to the Casa da Música is worthwhile.

A stunning masterpiece of architecture, it's pretty amazing that the acoustics is superior with lots of glass and cement used in the interior. Love this place, don't miss it and don't miss the guided tour either

Crazy architecture and even more crazy when you see how all the details in each venue come together to create the perfect space for each concert. I would recommend buying a ticket for the tour (8 euro). You can just explore on your own pace and use your phone and headphones to be guided through the building by scanning the qr-codes.

Modern concert hall with a futuristic look, scheduled to open in 2001 when Porto was the European Capital of Culture, but inaugurated in 2005. The architecture is contemporary, and there are guided tours if you want to learn more about the building. The reception floor is huge, so kids can safely run around while you wait for your show. The children’s events are in Portuguese, interactive, feature different instruments, and last about 1 hour. After the show, there is a big esplanade around Casa da Música and some greenery near the roundabout where kids can let off steam, though you should watch out for skateboards. For concerts, the hall has excellent acoustics, making the listening experience very good in most seats.

Casa da Música is an incredible building with striking modern architecture – well worth seeing in person. We booked a guided tour and it was definitely worth it, giving real insight into the design and history of the space as well as access to areas you wouldn’t normally see. A must-visit in Porto whether you’re into music, architecture or just looking for something unique to do.

This is an impressive art of modern architecture. Unfortunately I was a bit late to arrive and was not able to visit inside, but the building itself is marvelous. There is a good space for skateboarders outside it, with many people skating and skateboarding around the area.

Futuristic structure from Koolhaas that hosts the main concert hall as well as numerous other gathering places. Truly a masterpiece !

Unique architecture which in stark contrast to the old European buildings throughout Porto. The tile room brings in the traditional Portuguese tile work into this modern building.

We watched a jazz performance here. The seats were not the most comfortable and can be pulled out to be adjusted according to depth. I just found myself trying not to slide back in. There are windows at the back of the concert hall so you can actually have a sense of daylight and sunset during the performance. Buying a ticket was very quick and easy. There is a coat check. There is a very busy cafe downstairs and the bathrooms are there as well. The ushers walk you all the way to your seat (not just your row). Nice service. The baked goods prices at cafe are extremely reasonable which surprised me why US concert halls have such overpriced foods. Apparently there are one hour ticketed tours available which we didn't get to go on.

Pretty interesting building, and quite curious as to why certain architectural choices were made. It's quite imposing and across from a cool park. Would have been fun to watch/ hear something here, and it was intriguing to watch the comings and goings of people here. Lots of people were hanging out outside the cafe. If you are into unique architecture, it's worth checking out, but you won't be able to see too much of the interior. Their shop is fun and has a number of items made in the shape of the building, so if you are looking for an obscure gift for the architect or architecture lover in your life, this may be your spot.

Casa da Musica is a big tourist attraction for Porto, but I'm not certain I saw the appeal. The architecture of the building is impressive, but it wasn't exactly easy to see where you're supposed to enter or exit. Also, they only have 1 tour in English (or so I was told) and it's at 4 pm. Even looking at the entrance of the museum, I couldn't exactly tell what it was supposed to be about. Everything seemed really vague. After the cathedrals, train station, food, walking around looking at all the gorgeous buildings in Porto, and port wine tours to look forward to, my group wasn't exactly willing to ride the metro back here just to take a tour. So we skipped it. I would have liked to see what it's about, but since I didn't take the time or pay the money to see, apparently it didn't draw me in enough.

Had an excellent lunch here. The turkey main course dish was so good, simple but good. Dessert was very good as well. We had the crème brûlée and some other pineapple dessert. The crème brûlée was the best. Only downside was the service was not good.