The Shop

Visited everyday by thousands of people from around the world, Livraria Lello’s cultural heritage is in constant and perfect synchrony with its time, being more alive, more inhabited and more dynamic than ever. A bookshop of encounters between the Book and the Reader would have to express through its space the essence of literature, but also the essence of the city where it grew up – Oporto. By renovating its building, Livraria Lello sought to express the same splendour with which, in 1906, dazzled all the literature enthusiasts. Livraria Lello now offers new spaces to its visitors. Located in the bookshop’s basement now exists a space dedicated to reflection and cultural intervention, where authors, artists and culture enthusiasts are able to dialogue and produce culture. This place hosts a programme called Living Voices, organizing cultural and artistic events in the fields of literature, theatre, cinema and ideological debate. One of Livraria Lello’s missions is to create and preserve its collection, which represents a significant investment for the bookshop. Thus, it was created Gemma, a space dedicated to the cult of books.Today, Livraria Lello, besides being one of the most beautiful bookshops in the world, it is also a cultural fulfilling space, it is the house of encounters between every reader, culture and literature.

Shop History

The origins of Livraria Lello take us back to 1881, when the brothers José and António Lello opened in Porto an establishment dedicated to the commerce and edition of books. José Lello, a man of culture, reading enthusiast, book and music lover, dreamed of becoming a bookseller, which came true in 1881. Several years later, his brother, António Lello, also came into this bookseller business. On the January 13th of 1906 is inaugurated the Livraria Lello’s building as we know it today, shaped by the magnificent vision of engineer Francisco Xavier Esteves. The inauguration takes place in an environment full of significant political figures, artists, respected bourgeois and city merchants, among which stand out the writer Guerra Junqueiro, the director of O Comércio, Bento Carqueja, the writer Júlio Brandão and Aurélio Paz dos Reis, the pioneer of cinema in Portugal. A remarkable growth in Oporto tourism during the last years increased, consequently, Livraria Lello’s tourism, this growth led to a new business model of the bookshop visits with the introduction of vouchers, which value can be deductible in books. However, this new business model didn’t deviate Livraria Lello from its true essence: a bookshop of the world in Oporto, open to every literature enthusiasts. In 2016 and 2017, Livraria Lello embraced the challenge of the building’s refurbishment with the purpose of protecting the bookshop’s heritage, renovating its interior and restoring the façade and stained glass.

Products and Services

Import, export, distribution and retail trade of books, periodical and non-periodical publications, stationery, phonographic and videographic editions. Retail sale of souvenirs, handicrafts and merchandising and similar products by means of establishment or via electronic means. Tourism of exploration of monuments, buildings and other historical sites. Sale of drinks and small meals for consumption in the place of establishment.

Business Hours

Contacts

Parish: União das freguesias de Cedofeita, Santo Ildefonso, Sé, Miragaia, São Nicolau e Vitória
Address: Rua Carmelitas 144 , 4050-161 Porto
Postal Code: 4050-161 Porto
222002037
info@livrarialello.pt
https://www.livrarialello.pt/pt-pt/
https://www.instagram.com/livraria.lello/
https://twitter.com/LivrariaLello
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7qhsbIgPUZ85WL5SWEcIlQ/featured?view_as=subscriber
https://www.facebook.com/LivrariaLello/

General Data

Main activity: Bookstores, tobacco shop and Stationer’s
Opening Year: 1869
Main Code of Economic Activity (CAE): 47610