The Best Concert Halls In Porto

Porto is a city of arts, including theater and music. A number of cafés and restaurants are dedicated to the creative culture that has developed, filling up neighborhoods with tunes and plenty of entertainment. Bands and DJs jam in the bars around town, but if a concert is what you’re looking for, these are the spots to check out.

Casa da Música

Building, Concert Hall

This concert hall plays the music from three main orchestras: the Orquestra Nacional do Porto, Orquestra Barroca and Remix Ensemble. Between the three groups, there are plenty of opportunities at Casa da Música to listen to some of the best live instrumentals that Porto has to offer. This large space is also an architect’s dream, and guided tours of the building are offered daily.

Coliseu do Porto

Concert Hall, Theatre

This musical and cultural landmark has been an artistic symbol since 1941. Although it was almost purchased once by a Brazilian Church, the city and its citizens intervened, and today, the Coliseu do Porto is managed by a group of citizens as a cultural venue. Their website highlights an agenda, so curious music-lovers can plan their visit in advance. At the Coliseu do Porto, an eclectic variety of talent is offered, and this year the scheduled shows include Dave Matthews, the Simon & Garfunkel Story, and a couple pop culture artists from Portugal.

Hard Club

Building, Concert Hall, Music Venue

Young, hip, trendy and diverse are a few words that can be used to describe Porto’s Hard Club. Once located across the Douro River in Vila Nova de Gaia, it now sits in the historic Mercado Ferreira Borges, where red beams from the building add to the venue’s artistic side. This is a concert hall but also a club that hosts a wide variety of music and styles, as well as a venue that hosts art exhibits.

Rivoli Theater

Cinema, Theater

The Rivoli Theater isn’t a concert hall per say, but it is a multidisciplinary venue that hosts music in addition to cinema, expositions, dance events and more. In this way, it’s an artistic smorgasbord. The venue has been renovated and updated a few times since it first opened in the early 1900s, and today it’s a municipal theater.

About the author

Nina Santos

Nina is a Portuguese-American writer living in Lisbon. She spends all of her time exploring and sharing the amazing things that Portugal has to offer.