Porto’s photography museum inside a former prison — where images, memory and architecture turn the city’s past into something you can physically feel.
About
The Portuguese Centre of Photography in Porto is a free public photography centre located in the former Cadeia e Tribunal da Relação do Porto, at Largo Amor de Perdição, close to Clérigos and the historic centre. Created in 1997, it promotes and preserves Portuguese photographic heritage through temporary exhibitions, archive work, research access, the National Photography Collection and a permanent museum section with a rare collection of cameras. The building itself is one of the reasons to visit: a former prison and court whose heavy architecture gives the exhibitions a strong sense of memory and place. For travellers, the Portuguese Centre of Photography is an easy, atmospheric stop that adds visual depth to Porto. It works especially well as part of a historic-centre route with Clérigos, Livraria Lello, Igreja do Carmo and São Bento, offering a quieter cultural counterpoint to the city’s most photographed landmarks.
What you'll see here
- Temporary photography exhibitions
- The National Photography Collection and photographic heritage projects
- A permanent museum section with a rare collection of cameras
- Archive, documentation and research services
- The atmosphere of the former prison and court building
- Free entry in the heart of Porto’s historic centre
- Guided visits to the building and exhibitions, subject to booking
Worth the trip
Because it gives Porto a different kind of cultural depth: less postcard, more memory.