Harry Potter author R.K.Rowling based the interor of Hogwarts Castle on the interior of this Porto book shop. In the book and the film the staircases moved unlike those in the Livraria Lello Irmao Book Shop

The Livraria Lello Irmao Book Shop that helped inspire J.K.Rowling to write the Harry Potter book series

It is closed on Sunday and only open from 9.30am to 1pm on Saturday. It is open 9.30am to 7pm Monday to Friday. You will find it at 144 Rua das Carmelitas. Most of the books on sale are in Portuguese as you would expect in a Portuguese bookstore but there is a section that contains English and French books. On the top floor there is a small coffee shop where you can spend time reading your new book or just people watch. I was surprised to see it also sold port wine and cigars.

The amazing curvaceous art nouveau carved wooden staircase is the centre piece of the shop's interior but the highly decorative ornate wooden ceiling and stained glass skylight are equally as impressive. The interior is a mixture of styles, Art nouveau and mediaeval neo-gothic. Take time to examine the shop pillars. They are decorated with bronze bas-reliefs of figures from Portuguese literature. Glass enclosed bookcases extend to the top of the ceiling and end in a gothic pointed arch. The building was opened in 1906.

These pictures were taken with a wide angle lens and therefore make the shop appear much bigger than it actually is. It is a long narrow shop. On busy days it can be jam packed with people and quite claustrophobic. In the height of the tourist season you may have to stand in line to get in because the place is so popular. To miss the crowds make the Livraria Lello Irmao Bookstore the first thing to visit on your itinerary and be there at 9.30am as the doors open. Being the first into the store is the only way to get interior photographs like these without people being in the way but you have to be quick because the store soon fills up so go straight up to the 2nd floor coffee shop to take the top down photo of the stairs.

The Livraria Lello Irmao Book Shop that helped inspire J.K.Rowling to write the Harry Potter book series

J.K.Rowling worked in Porto as an English teacher in the early 1990's and often visited the Lello and Irmao Bookstore. If you have seen any of the Harry Potter films you can instantly see the similarity between the Hogwarts school for Wizards moving staircases and the the stair case in this book shop. The description in the first book is also very similar. Contrary to what some tourist guides say, NO part of any of the Harry Potter movies were filmed in the book shop.

The bookstore is a business and needs to make money to survive. The owners were finding that out of the thousands of people that visited the store only a few would actually buy anything. The tourist taking photographs would block the isle ways and staircases and discourage genuine customers searching for their next book to read. The owners had to take drastic action to save their company going bankrupt.

The Livraria Lello Irmao Book Shop that helped inspire J.K.Rowling to write the Harry Potter book series

During the tourist high season you have to queue up to buy an entrance ticket at a red booth across the street and then stand in line again to get into the shop. Anything with a connection to the Harry Potter books and films becomes instantly popular. The price of the ticket is refunded if you buy a book. Do not be put off with having to pay to go in. The place is magical if hot and crowded at certain times of the year. I luckily went in the winter.

The beautiful exterior ivory white shop facade was designed in the gothic revival style with pointed arches rather than the Roman style curved arches. The designer, Xavier Esteves tried to capture the essence of medieval Portugal's church and castle architecture. The two figures painted on the front of the building by Jose Bielman represent Science and art.

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