Climbing the Clérigos Tower

What it is

The Clérigos Tower is the Baroque tower that has dominated the centre of Porto since 1763. It was designed by the Italian architect Nicolau Nasoni, who also built the church it belongs to, and it is the highest point of the historic centre, a World Heritage Site since 1996. The complex has three parts: the tower, with its 360-degree view over the city; the Clérigos church, Baroque, with an elliptical plan; and the Clérigos Museum, with the art collection of the brotherhood that runs the building.

What you see

You climb a narrow stone spiral staircase that closes in as you gain height. At the top, on the viewing platform, the red rooftops of the centre, the cathedral, the Ribeira, the Douro with the Luís I Bridge and, on the other bank, the Gaia cellars lie at your feet. The same ticket includes the museum and the church.

Hours

Open every day from 9:00 to 19:00. On 24 and 31 December it closes at 14:00, and on 25 December and 1 January it opens from 11:00 to 19:00. Last entry is always half an hour before closing.

At Easter, in summer and at Christmas it also opens at night, from 19:00 to 23:00, only for climbing the tower.

Price

• By day, tower and museum: €10 general admission, €7 for students aged 11 to 18 and free for under-10s.
• At night, tower only (on special dates): €5, free for under-10s.

Tickets are bought at the ticket office or online on its website.

How long to allow

An hour with the climb, the viewing platform and the museum. If there is a queue on the staircase, in summer, a little more: the stairs are narrow and you move slowly.

Getting there

It stands between Rua de São Filipe de Nery and Rua de Nossa Senhora da Assunção, right in the centre. The nearest metro stations are São Bento and Aliados, on the yellow line; São Bento railway station is about ten minutes' walk. If you drive, the nearest car park is the one at Praça de Lisboa, right alongside. Livraria Lello is a minute away: you can link the two visits.

Accessibility

The church and museum are accessible to people with reduced mobility. The tower staircase is not; for them, since 2015 the museum has had a multisensory space that reproduces the experience of the climb and the view.

With children

Under-10s do not pay. From 6 or 7 years old they enjoy the climb; before that, the narrow staircase and tiredness can feel long. There is no room for pushchairs in the tower: leave it downstairs or use a baby carrier. If anyone has claustrophobia or vertigo, think about it: the last stretch is very narrow.

When to go

First thing there is less queuing and the morning light comes in from the east over the Ribeira. In the late afternoon the city turns orange; in summer, the night visit lets you see Porto lit up.