Livraria Lello

Livraria Lello | Porto, Portugal (Bookstore)

Has anyone been? Is it worth buying a gold ticket to "skip the line"? I am not sure I'm up for queuing for over an hour - one blogger's experience... but will it be this bad? ?

ChaoticMissAdventures How much is the ticket? I have never been, but feel like if the price is about the same as the price of a book I would probably pay to skip the line. 1mo

wanderinglynn I‘ve not been yet m, but according to the website, a golden ticket also gets you one of two books. Either Romeo & Juliet or the Art of War, both offered in Portuguese, English, or Spanish. A silver 8€ ticket gets you an 8€ discount. I think I‘d go for the silver ticket because then you have a definite time of entry + a discount if you‘re planning to buy something. 1mo

charl08 @ChaoticMissAdventures @wanderinglynn yeah, I've bought the silver ticket but I'm not sure (given the existence of the golden ticket and the southern european flex re times) how much they stick to the given times....I do think the book swop is a sweet idea 1mo

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charl08 I might just take lots of snacks and some patience... 1mo

wanderinglynn Whatever you decide, good luck! And I hope you‘ll share a photo or two. 1mo

charl08 @wanderinglynn thanks. Hoping to fit a lot in during a short trip, so.... 1mo

BarbaraBB I was there last year and it is way too busy! The line goes fast though if you buy a ticket and they have some great editions but you don‘t see much of the ship itself because of the crowds! 1mo

BarbaraBB They do stick to time slots and I don‘t know about silver or golden tickets, with both you‘d have to face the same crowd I suppose?! 1mo

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BarbaraBB

Livraria Lello | Porto, Portugal (Bookstore)

I visited what is supposed the most beautiful bookstore in the world and inspired JK Rowling in writing Harry Potter. It is gorgeous indeed and their collection is great (for example all the works of all the Noble prize winners in all languages) but tourism has rather spoiled it. People who never read a book but talk too loud and are only there for taking selfie crowded the famous stairs 🤷🏻‍♀️

squirrelbrain Wow, that is gorgeous! ❤️ 8mo

LeahBergen It‘s so beautiful! And I‘ve heard that it‘s overrun with tourists. 😑 8mo

Simona Breathe taking beautiful❣️ 8mo

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BarbaraBB @Simona Hi Simona! How good to see you back here ❤️ 8mo

Simona Thank you 😊 8mo

Megabooks Wow! Stunning! 8mo

Suet624 It sure is gorgeous!!! 7mo

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Henrik_Madsen

Livraria Lello | Porto, Portugal (Bookstore)

As a booklover going to Porto I obviously had to visit the famous and incredibly beautiful bookshop Lello with the famous red staircase in the middle.

It is as wonderful as advertised but it is also a perfect example of how tourists spoil what we visit. We all seek this authentic feeling, but when there are too many of us the authenticity is lost.

(Continued in comments)

Henrik_Madsen Lello is still a bookshop, but you have to buy a ticket which becomes a voucher (so if you actually buy books it is free). It is very crowded, the girl in the information desk boldly stated she didn‘t know anything about the books but only worked with the tourists (she did find a person who could help me), and lots of people were clearly there for the photo opportunity and not the books. (1/2) 5y

Henrik_Madsen I did buy a book and I am happy to have seen such a beautiful shop, but I also felt very much aware of the falseness of it all. Whoever once used Lello as their go-to shop has found more quiet places and it is not the place for browsing. I don‘t have a solution, but I do understand how the people who actually have the famous cathedrals as their parish church must feel. (2/2) (edited) 5y

Bklover So disappointing! Wouldn‘t it be wonderful to visit after hours? I think that bookstores should take much greater care with whom they employ. The people you speak to help set the tone of a place. Still glad you found something to buy! 5y

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Henrik_Madsen @Bklover A visit after hours would be brilliant! It was somewhat disappointing but I can see their problem. It‘s a small shop and it‘s in every guide book so people will come. Sometimes tourists just ruin it for themselves, I guess. 5y

Liz_M Oh no! I am sorry to hear that a beautiful bookstore is almost unable to function as a bookstore. 5y

Henrik_Madsen @Liz_M Yes, it is sad. If I go back in autumn or winter, I`ll try again. Maybe it will be a bit less sought after then. 5y

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