Soares dos Reis National Museum in Porto: opening hours, ticket price, collections and getting there

Updated on October 18, 2026

The Soares dos Reis National Museum is Porto's major art museum, housed in the neoclassical Carrancas Palace near the Cordoaria and the Crystal Palace. It is regarded as the oldest public art museum in Portugal and brings together sculpture, painting, decorative arts and fired arts from the Middle Ages to the 20th century, with a central place for 19th-century Porto artists. Its best-known work, the statue "O Desterrado" by the sculptor whose name the museum bears, is here. Prices seen in October 2026.

Highlights

Portuguese sculpture

The sculpture rooms show 19th-century busts and statues around the work of António Soares dos Reis (1847-1889), a key figure of Portuguese naturalism. Look for "O Desterrado" ("The Exile"), his most famous marble statue, which became a symbol of Portuguese art of the period.

The Carrancas Palace

The building matters as much as the collections: stucco ceilings, grand staircases and state rooms of a palace built in the 18th century. Look up in the first-floor rooms.

Painting and decorative arts

The museum holds works by Portuguese naturalist painters such as Henrique Pousão, as well as goldsmiths' work, ceramics and furniture. A chronological route places Porto within the country's art history.

Ticket

General ticket: €10. Admission is free for Portuguese citizens and residents, up to 52 free entries a year (citizen card and tax number required); other exemptions and reductions exist (ask at the ticket desk).

Practical info

Tips

Tickets can be bought online on the museum's ticket site or on the spot. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours. Last entry is at 5:30pm. The museum is closed on Mondays and on 1 January, Easter Sunday, 1 May, 24 June (São João) and 25 December. Construction of Porto's new Pink Line metro may disrupt traffic around the museum: come on foot. For another major art museum, see the Serralves Foundation.

How to get there

Soares dos Reis National Museum, Rua de D. Manuel II 44, 4050-342 Porto. About 10 minutes' walk from the Cordoaria and the Clérigos Tower, towards the Crystal Palace. See also our guide to getting around Porto.