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The Best Art Galleries in Porto, Portugal 

Along Rua de Miguel Bombarda and in Bonfim, the city’s most compelling art spaces favor emerging and self-taught artists over the market-polished rosters found in the capital.

Lisbon frequently gets rated as one of the top European destinations for contemporary art, deservedly so. Portugal's capital is home to the country's big-name galleries and plays host to plenty of interesting events. Porto's art scene, in comparison, often gets overlooked, with most travelers spending their time exploring the UNESCO heritage sites, azulejo tiles and Douro Valley wineries. That's a missed opportunity, because Porto has one of the more experimental, out-of-the-box and eclectic art scenes in Europe, and that's what makes it so interesting.

The action is concentrated in two clusters. The biggest and most well-known is centered around Rua de Miguel Bombarda and the surrounding streets, with the second in the Bonfim neighborhood. The contemporary art scene in Porto is generally riskier and less market-polished than the one in Lisbon, with greater emphasis on emerging talent. The best time to dive deep into the Porto art scene is during the Inaugurações Simultâneas, a bimonthly cultural event held in the Miguel Bombarda Art District. All the galleries on the block open new exhibitions at the same time, with live music, street performers and workshops throughout the neighborhood. The next one is set to take place on September 19, and whether you're in Porto or nearby now or then, it's worth a visit.

Where to see contemporary art in Porto

Galeria Fernando Santos

AP'ARTE Galeria de Arte

Galeria Fernando Santos

R. de Miguel Bombarda 526, 4050-379

Fernando Santos became the first gallerist on Rua de Miguel Bombarda when he converted a disused wine warehouse into an exhibition space back in 1993, inadvertently laying the foundation of what would become the beating heart of the city. Santos, whose father ran the Museu Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso in Amarante, opened his first gallery at 22 and spent seven formative years at Porto's Galeria Nasoni before striking out on his own. Three decades later, his gallery is one of the biggest art establishments in the city, occupying over 1,000 square meters on both sides of the street.The massive exhibition space is divided into several distinct areas, each serving a specific purpose. The Main Space hosts the headline solo and group exhibitions. Upstairs, the more intimate Space 117 usually holds smaller shows, though the main exhibition may sometimes spill into the upper level. CUBO is a converted garage space reserved for the most experimental and alternative projects.The gallery's mission has remained the same since its opening: support contemporary artists by putting them in front of more curators, institutions and the public. The robust gallery roster reflects that ambition, pairing Portuguese heavyweights like Pedro Cabrita Reis,........

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