Why it deserves a visit
Built for Porto’s Commercial Association from the nineteenth century onwards, the palace links formal reception spaces including the Nations Courtyard and the richly decorated Arab Room.
What to look for
The nineteenth-century Commercial Association building combines courtyard, staircase and ceremonial rooms intended to represent Porto’s economic power. Compare the Nations Courtyard with the Arab Room, whose revivalist decoration developed over several decades. It rose on part of the former São Francisco convent site after the 1832 fire.
Plan your visit
Visits normally follow a guided circuit at a set time and language. Book the appropriate tour and check changes caused by ceremonies or institutional events, since the rooms are not freely accessible.
The former Commercial Association building is visited mainly through guided circuits that include ceremonial rooms such as the Arab Room. Book the correct language and time, and do not assume every area is accessible during institutional events.
Work began in 1842, and the richly decorated rooms were completed over several decades.
