Porto the city of Harry Potter

PORTO THE CITY OF HARRY POTTER

 

Porto is a historic city that spreads magic and charm. It's no wonder that J.K. Rowling was inspired by the city to finish the first Harry Potter manuscript.

For a year and a half, the writer lived in Porto, where she taught English, and the inspiration of the city's streets and places is visible in the novels.

Discover the five places most closely associated with Harry Potter in the city of Porto.

 

1. Café Majestic

The Café Majestic is one of the most commonly visited places in the city of Porto, with its unrivalled beauty. The Belle Epoque atmosphere is what distinguishes this establishment and has won it several awards over the years.

J.K. Rowling was inspired to write about the atmosphere and magic that prevail in this café. Rowling was inspired to write (and finish) the manuscript for the first book in the saga: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. As the writer has since confirmed, the Café Majestic was one of the places where she wrote the most, and some say that she finished the first book at one of the café's marble tables.

In any case, if you're visiting Porto, don't miss the opportunity to visit this iconic spot.

2. University of Porto

Have you ever wondered where the Hogwarts students' clothes came from? It’s simple. .. from Portugal! J.K. Rowling was an English teacher in Porto, a city where academic life was very strong and where students often wore their university robes.

Inspired by them, she used the same clothes for the characters at Hogwarts. But there's one more curiosity about the University of Porto that stands out: the Lion Fountain in front of the rectory. It is said that this fountain was the inspiration for the Gryffindor symbol, which is also a lion.

One small curiosity that has also been confirmed by the author is the name Salazar Slytherin, which was inspired by the name of the Portuguese dictator.

 

3. Crystal Palace Gardens (Jardins do Palácio de Cristal)

The Crystal Palace Gardens are the ideal place to relax, enjoy nature, read and of course . . write!

It is believed that J.K. Rowling spent some of her time in this garden writing chapters of the book. It is also said that this garden may have inspired some of the details of the Forbidden Forest/Dark Forest.

4. Lello Bookshop

For many years, Harry Potter fans believed that the bookshop had inspired J.K. Rowling to write the book. The iconic red staircase with its curves and peculiar features seems to have inspired the changing staircases that led Hogwarts students to get lost in the school. This bookshop could have inspired Flourish & Blotts (the Harry Potter bookshop) or even Ollivanders, the shop where wizards bought their wands.

However, to the disappointment of many fans, the writer confirmed that she had never been to the bookshop, but would have liked to. Even so, the Lello bookshop continues to be a must-see in Porto, as it is considered the most beautiful bookshop in the world by the global platform One Thousand Libraries.

5. Swing Discotheque

This discotheque no longer exists. It was a discotheque next to the Boavista roundabout, but it is important to highlight it. On the first page of the book "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban", the writer mentions her former housemates from her time in Porto and refers to them as the grandmothers of Swing.

 

If you are a real Potterhead (the name given to Harry Potter fans) then Porto is definitely a city you need to know. There are even tours that take you to visit these places and tell you about the history and cultural importance of some of them.

 

Book your visit to Porto and choose a hotel with a central location. PortoBay has two hotels in the city, the PortoBay Flores, a 5-star hotel in the famous Rua das Flores and the PortoBay Teatro, a 4-star hotel, next to the Teatro Sá da Bandeira!