Discover the Beauty of Art Azulejo in Porto, Portugal

Travessa do Carmo, Porto, Portugal
Travessa do Carmo, Porto, Portugal. Photo by Dimitry B on Unsplash

If you ever find yourself in Porto, the first thing you’ll notice are countless beautiful buildings decorated with blue tiles. This Portuguese city is home to some of the best examples of azulejo art, characterized by blue tin-glazed ceramic tilework, which includes these stunning buildings.

Igreja do Carmo

Igreja do Carmo is one of Porto’s most Instagram-friendly places, and it’s not difficult to see why. Its tiled blue façade sets it apart from other buildings in its surroundings, and it’s truly a sight to behold.

Capela das Almas

It was pretty common for azulejo tiles to be used to decorate churches and other religious buildings, and this chapel is one of the best examples of this practice. Blue and white tiles on its breathtaking façade depict the scenes from the lives of saints.

Igreja de Santo Ildefonso

This church is now one of the best examples of art azulejo is Porto, but it didn’t always look this way. It took its current form in 1932 when it was covered with around 11,000 azulejo tiles.

São Bento Station

Just like Igreja de Santo Ildefonso, Porto’s main train station is the work of art of Portuguese artist Jorge Colaço. The artwork inside it depicts the most important moments in Portuguese history, and it took over 20,000 azulejo tiles to bring it to life.