Open House Porto returns on 4 and 5 July with visits in Maia, Matosinhos and Gondomar

Architecturally significant buildings and infrastructure across the Porto area will open to the public for the 11th edition of Open House Porto on 4 and 5 July. Alongside sites in Porto, the programme extends to Maia and Matosinhos and, for the first time as the guest city, Gondomar. Highlights include the municipal space TODOS, Quinta do Mitra and the Porto Customs House railway branch.

Porto: key Open House Porto sites and guided sessions

Among the venues on the Open House Porto itinerary is TODOS, Domus Social’s workshop-home. On 4 and 5 July, visitors can explore this space created through the refurbishment of a two-storey municipal building on Rua Manuel Pinheiro Rocha, in Campanhã.

Located at the entrance to Bairro do Cerco, the workshop-home was designed to support a wide range of activities, audiences and needs. It has since hosted training sessions, workshops, meetings and other local community initiatives.

On Saturday, 4 July, visits are scheduled for 14.30 (with commentary) and 15.30 and 16.30 (accompanied). On Sunday, 5 July, visits take place at 10.30 (with commentary), 11.30 and 12.30 (accompanied). The sessions will be led by architects Catarina Ribeiro and Vitório Leite from merooficina, the practice behind the architectural project that underpinned the building’s redevelopment.

Quinta do Mitra will also welcome the public for special visits, offering a closer look at the building that has served as the headquarters of STCP Serviços in Campanhã for the past year. The rehabilitation works, commissioned by Porto City Council through the municipal company GO Porto, were completed in 2023 to a design by architect Nuno Brandão Costa.

The project included both the building’s restoration and a comprehensive redesign of the surrounding landscape within the estate’s perimeter. The outdoor space was reshaped into a large public area for leisure and expansion, conceived as a continuation of the urban park linked to the Campanhã Intermodal Terminal.

Three special sessions are planned: on Saturday, 4 July, at 11.00, there will be a guided tour led by architect Cátia Meirinhos, a member of STCP Serviços’ Executive Board; on Sunday, 5 July, at 10.00 and 11.00, visits will be led by historians Elsa Marques da Silva and Cristiano Cardoso, who were responsible for developing the estate’s heritage study.

Dona Maria Pia Bridge and the Porto Customs House railway branch are two pieces of infrastructure that reflect the country’s modernisation and the city’s industrial growth at the end of the 19th century. The Douro escarpment site that accommodates the railway branch later became derelict-used for rubbish dumping and precarious housing, with a risk of landslides-prompting Porto City Council to begin stabilisation and cleaning works on the slope. The commentary visit takes place this Sunday, 5 July, at 18.00, led by architect Pedro Bandeira.

Maia and Matosinhos on the route

In Maia, one of the featured stops is the Quinta da Gruta Environmental Education Complex. According to the site description, in their intervention in the grounds and building, the architects aimed to establish “a conceptual matrix capable of turning it into material for other spaces and other buildings”. Self-guided visits are available on Saturday and Sunday (10-13 and 14-18). Commentary visits take place on Saturday (10, 11 and 12), with architect Alberto Vieira.

Also in Maia, the programme highlights visits to Fundação Gramaxo, Outeiro, Quinta dos Cónegos, the Municipal Shopping Centre and Cinema Venepor auditorium, as well as the João Álvaro Rocha Documentation Centre.

In Matosinhos, the former Vasco da Gama canning factory-now known as the Exhibition Pavilion of the former Vasco da Gama Factory-was restored by Matosinhos City Council and converted into a venue for cultural events, exhibitions and creative initiatives. Accompanied visits run on Saturday and Sunday at 14, 15, 16 and 17. Other sites open to visitors include the former Galp Refinery in Matosinhos, the Leixões Porto Customs House, Casa Roberto Ivens, Casa da Arquitetura and Quinta de São Gens.

Gondomar as Open House Porto’s guest city

Designed by José Carlos Loureiro as a home and studio for Júlio Resende, Casa Atelier in Gondomar “constitutes one of the most notable examples of Portuguese modern architecture associated with the Porto School”, according to the Open House Porto organisation. Accompanied visits are scheduled for Saturday (14.30, 15, 15.30, 16.30, 17 and 17.30). Commentary visits take place on Saturday and Sunday (16), led by architect Joaquim Vieira de Magalhães.

In Gondomar, visitors can also find the Multi-purpose Pavilion and Lugar do Desenho – Fundação Júlio Resende.

No session requires advance booking, and participation is on a first-come, first-served basis. More information is available at 2026.openhouseporto.com.