Casa da Música
The world's only concert hall with two full glass walls — daylight floods a 1300-seat auditorium designed by Rem Koolhaas.
Coming soon on iOS — be first to walk Porto offline.
Portugal's first building conceived from the ground up exclusively for music, built on Porto's old tram terminus at Boavista roundabout. Opened in April 2005 after four over-schedule years and 100 million euros, it was the centrepiece of Porto's European Capital of Culture year. The shape challenged engineers; the result changed the city's skyline.
What to look for
- Two walls made entirely of glass in the main auditorium — the feature that makes this hall unlike any other on earth
- Gold leaf woodgrain pattern across 13 large interior surfaces, the biggest running 65 by 8 metres
- The Boavista roundabout footprint — the ground you're standing on was once a tram staging area
Located at Rotunda da Boavista; check the live performance calendar before you go, as opening access varies by concert days versus visit hours.
Casa da Música is one of 13 sights worth the detour in Porto, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Porto pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Porto
- Estádio do DragãoThe night this stadium opened, a 16-year-old Lionel Messi made his debut for Barcelona — Porto won anyway, 2–0.
- Luiz I BridgeTwo decks, one Douro crossing — the upper carries Metro line D while the lower lands you at the Ribeira waterfront.
- Estádio do BessaBoavista rebuilt this ground stand by stand while still playing in it — a live Euro 2004 renovation that never cleared the pitch.
- Circuito da BoavistaThe street where Stirling Moss argued against his own championship — and lost it by exactly 1 point.
- Porto Cathedral (Sé do Porto)A Romanesque church that couldn't stop growing — nine centuries of additions without a teardown.
- Ponte de D. Maria PiaBefore the Eiffel Tower existed, Eiffel broke a world record here — a single wrought iron arch longer than anything built before it.