Livraria Lello: The World’s Most Beautiful Bookshop

Is charging an entry fee an innovative way of keeping Porto’s historic Livraria Lello bookshop open? Is it really connected to a mission to get the world into books? Or is the store — as many suggest in internet reviews — simply a money-grabbing, overcrowded tourist trap? It’s easy to agree with that last point when one encounters the selfie brigade, whose eyes never stray from their phones and whose sole interest in the books on display is as a backdrop for their posts on Insta and TikTok.

Livraria Lello was opened in 1906; the ultimate result, by a rather tortuous route, of a lottery win in 1869 by Frenchman and budding bookseller and publisher Ernesto Chardron — an interesting parallel to the present day, when bookshops need to have a rigorous business plan rather than trusting to luck and hoping for their own lottery-like windfall. Chardron never lived to see Livraria Lello because he died in 1885, leading to his business interests passing through several hands before the inauguration of ‘the world’s most beautiful bookshop,’ but without him it may never have come to fruition.

If you’re in the literary city of Porto it’s certainly worth a visit, though there are few things that it might be useful to be aware of first:

The souvenir publication, ‘Livraria Lello: The Book’, contains some interesting background material but suffers from rather too much corporate ‘mission statement’ stuff (and repeated justification for charging for entry, though it is careful not to describe the entrance fee as a ticket, preferring to call it a ‘literary voucher’ which is apparently aimed at encouraging the world’s population to take up reading). It also opens with a message from the CEO, and nobody wants to read those. Seriously, C-suite, face facts.

You get to choose a ‘free’ souvenir book to set against the price of the ticket. Oops! I mean ‘literary voucher’. However, the range is limited, and among the section which hosts the eligible titles there are some that can only be had if a supplement is paid. And this information — along with much else about taking advantage of one’s ‘literary voucher’ — is only forthcoming at the till.

Perhaps offering a discount on any book, in addition to the rather slim qualifying selection, would be more in line with the shop’s stated ambition to spread the word about reading? Profits wouldn’t be impacted too much, if at all. As someone who’s been amidst the shuffling queues, I can confirm that there’s no shortage of punters who might have their arms twisted and pockets prised open by an astute retailer. I bought the souvenir book for €24.90, so a little discount would have been nice, considering that I’d already handed over €15.95 for the privilege of gaining entry. I also picked up my ‘free’ book, an extremely slim collection of Herman Melville short stories. It says on the jacket that there are six of them, so an appropriate addition to the puff on the cover might have been ‘Like short stories? These are our shortest yet!’

The current business model seems to have less to do with altruistic missions and is perhaps more aligned with achieving those all-important profit margins. Nevertheless, and despite what might be seen as my minor quibbles — although I prefer the term ‘helpful suggestions’ — Livraria Lello is a fabulous and unique place and a must for anyone who loves books and hasn’t got claustrophobia or anger management issues.

Rays coming through the skylight illuminate the crowds

The Livraria Lello building is a striking example of the neo-Gothic style — unmistakeable for anyone who’s looking for it, though the queues that snake down the Rua das Carmelitas also offer a solid clue. Inside, the bookshop is exquisitely decorated with wood panelling, an imposing stained-glass skylight, and ornate lanterns. The ceiling and interiors appear to be adorned with sculpted wood surfaces and decorative touches, but in reality they are all expertly formed from painted plaster.

A rail runs along the shop’s ground floor, along with a full-size replica of the large wooden cart which was once used to move the books around. Showcases on the same floor host Livraria Lello’s collection of rare books, displayed in honour of the memory of the authors, publishers and bookshops who came before.

The ornate ceiling, showcases and books for sale

The standout feature of Livraria Lello catches the eye as soon as you enter: the crimson staircase. It is both a beautiful construction and a bottleneck of gurning selfie-snappers who treat it more as a stand-on than standout feature. If a traffic marshal is needed anywhere in the store, it’s adjacent to the staircase, possibly armed with a cellphone jamming device and a cattle prod. This place would be totally stunning, “If only,” my companion Amy said, “all these people would clear off.” She didn’t actually say ‘clear’, but you get the picture, I’m sure.

To accelerate the queueing process, which is governed by 15-minute time slots, it’s worth splashing out as we did on the €15.95 gold tickets. Oops! I did it again! I mean, a gold literary voucher, don’t I? I have since discovered that lunchtime and late afternoons have lower visitor numbers, so if you take anything from this article, that might be the most useful titbit. So get yourself along to Livraria Lello, but proceed with fiscal caution, saintly patience, and sharpen up those elbows.

Special thanks to my companions on the visit, Amy and Jasmine Conrad. Also, credit to Amy for taking such excellent photos, a couple of which you can see here.

Livraria Lello is on Rua das Carmelitas, 144 Porto, 4050-161