Frequently Asked Questions

Livraria Lello is open Monday to Sunday, from 09:00 am to 7:30 pm. We close on 25 December, 1 January, Easter Sunday, 1 May, and 24 June.

Livraria Lello is located on Rua das Carmelitas, 144, 4050-161 Porto, Portugal. Choose PLAN YOUR VISIT on the menu and find out details on how best to get here, swiftly and comfortably.

In order to enter Livraria Lello, you need a Ticket-Voucher. There are various types with the cost starting at €8 (fully discountable against the purchase of a book). Check the TICKET-VOUCHER menu to find out more.

Livraria Lello provides the following means of payment: cash, Multibanco, Visa and MB WAY. Please note that when purchasing the Ticket-Voucher in the queue, you cannot pay in cash.

You may purchase the Ticket-Voucher online, click TICKET-VOUCHER on the menu, or in person, at the entrance to Livraria Lello at the time of your visit.

Head directly to the entrance of the Bookstore and wait in the normal queue should there be the need to wait on your day of visit. When your turn arrives, show your Ticket-Voucher either in a printed or digital format (on your smartphone or tablet).

To get into Livraria Lello, you should buy a Ticket-Voucher even if your intention is to buy books. Indeed, the value of the Ticket-Voucher will be discounted from the book purchase. Consult the TICKET-VOUCHER menu to find out more. You may also opt to purchase books without visiting Livraria Lello, try checking out our online store or even placing an order via email at customercare@livrarialello.pt.

In addition to the situations stipulated by law – persons with disability or incapacity; the elderly, pregnant and persons carrying children –, entrance priority is awarded to holders of the Friendship Card.

No, Livraria Lello does not allow entrance with travel bags and luggage.
 

No, Livraria Lello does not allow entrance to children’s pushchairs.
 

The Ticket-Voucher value (8 euros) is deductible only against book purchases. You may use one Ticket-Voucher for each purchase. 
 

For children up to and including three years of age, there is free entrance into Livraria Lello. However, in these cases, you should acquire a Ticket-Voucher Infant. Please also note that you may be requested to provide official documentation demonstrating the age of your child.

If you are registered as a client with this website, you may alter the date and time you selected for our visit in your reserved area. You may also return the Ticket-Voucher within a period of 14 days from its purchase without the need for any justification. To return a ticket voucher, you must do so using your registered account on the Livraria Lello website. If you don't have a registered account, you will need to register with the email address you used to purchase the ticket-voucher when you bought it, and then proceed with the return at: 
Personal Area -> Return 
Please note: If you need to return more than one Ticket-Voucher, you must enter all the Tickets-Vouchers at once by clicking on the "Add Code" button.

Yes, the Ticket-Voucher has an affixed time slot. You need o select the date and time slot of your intended visit to Livraria Lello.

The Ticket-Voucher is valid up to 30 minutes prior to the closure of the Bookstore on the day for which it was bought. 

Yes.

In your reserved area, you have access to the option ACCESS DATA that allows you to change your password.

On entering the option MY ACCOUNT, there appears the option START SESSION. There, you should click on the option “FORGOT YOUR PASSWORD?”, which will then request you provide an email address where you can receive all the information necessary to changing your password.

Online purchases may be made through any of the following payment methods: Visa Credit Card, MasterCard Credit Card and MB WAY.
 

If you received notification from a transporter informing you that the order was not delivered because there was nobody home, you should email us at customercare@livrarialello.pt, to request a rescheduling of the delivery.

You may buy Ticket-Vouchers for the same day, up to 30 minutes prior to the Bookstore closing whenever still available (availability indicated on the product page).

You may buy Ticket-Vouchers for future dates and time slots in accordance with the availability detailed on the product page, for a maximum term of 1 year. You then only need to select the date and time slot or your Ticket-Voucher and a corresponding visit to Livraria Lello. 

The Ticket-Vouchers will be sent to your email and made available in your personal area (whenever having an account with our website). You may either print them out or display them on your respective mobile device (smartphone or tablet) at the time of your visit at the Livraria Lello entranceway. 

No, we do not send out the Ticket-Vouchers by regular mail. The Ticket-Vouchers are sent by email and made available in your personal areas (whenever having an account with our website). 

Maximum forecast delivery times stand at five working days for European Union member states. The deadlines may vary for other countries.

Yes. When we send you confirmation of your order, you will receive an email with a link that enables you to follow your order. 

In order to safely process payments, we use a server that encrypts all the information sent between your browser and our server in keeping with the "secure server software" (SSL) technological standard. With the objective of further raising process security, you will also be requested for a second number, contained on the reverse of your card, the CVV2. 

You may return the products already acquired and paid for within a 14-day timeframe without any need to provide any motivation/cause. To this end, send an email to livrarialello@livrarialello.pt expressly stating your NAME, ADDRESS, TELEPHONE NO., and the PRODUCT(s) acquired in relation to which you wish to exercise the right to free contractual resolution, enclosing the invoice/receipt for the respective purchase. Reimbursement will take place through the means of payment used to make the purchase. As from the date of communications of your decision for contractual resolution, you have a 14-day period to return the product in accordance with the terms and conditions and with all the respective accessories (including package, labelling and whenever applicable the Ticket-voucher of the guest it was gifted to) to the following address: Livraria Lello – Logistics Department, Rua das Carmelitas, 144. 4050-161 Porto – Portugal. Note: the client is to incur all the return postage costs.

No. All the processes interrelated with online purchases are dealt with exclusively online.

Thinking of those who visit Livraria Lello frequently, we created the Friendship Card with a range of exclusive advantages. Find out about the advantages and terms of membership here .

You can apply for the Friendship Card in person at Livraria Lello.

No. The Friendship Card is personal and non-transmissible*. To benefit from its associated advantages, present the card in conjunction with your personal identification card. 
*Exclusive for residents of Porto District.

In the case of voucher tickets, you can do this automatically. You will have to do this in your account registered on the Livraria Lello website. If you don't have a registered account, you will have to register with the email address you used to purchase the ticket-voucher when you bought it, and then proceed with the return at:

Personal Area -> Return

Please note: If you need to return more than one Ticket-Voucher, you must enter all the Tickets-Vouchers at once by clicking on the "Add Code" button.

The Monastery of Leça do Balio, where the headquarters of the Livraria Lello Foundation and the Church of Santa Maria de Leça do Balio are located, is in the parish of Custóias, Leça do Balio and Guifões, in the municipality of Matosinhos, district of Porto. Neighboring the Leça River, and an integral part of the Camino de Santiago (Saint James Way), the Leça do Balio Monastery has been classified as a National Monument since 1910.

In response to growing concern about misinformation, identified by the World Economic Forum as the biggest threat of 2024, Fundação Livraria Lello presents "Act The Thought". In partnership with the InsideOut project, by the renowned artist JR, and co-curated with UNESCO's Alliance for Media and Information Literacy, this exhibition promotes a critical dialogue and reinforces information literacy, involving everyone in a collective fight for truth. The exhibition includes a sound installation by the contemporary artist Diana Policarpo that proposes a reflection on how we exercise our freedom in the contemporary era. Access is free, make your appointment in the Lello Bookshop or Lello Bookshop Foundation website.

In the Monastery of Leça do Balio, you can also find the Siza Vieira’s Open Sculpture. Contemporary landmark designed by Álvaro Siza, with the aim of giving visibility to the role that the Monastery of Leça do Balio played in its relationship with the Portuguese Way of Saint James. This space of ecumenical spirituality presents a dynamic interaction between light and form. Built in white concrete, the 400 m² sculpture contemplates the “Viandante” (Wayfarer), which recalls the mission of this space as an appeal to one’s journey. Access is paid, tickets can be purchased on the Lello Bookshop or Lello Bookshop Foundation website.
 

The estimated duration of the visit is 90-120 minutes, including the visit to the Siza Vieira Open’s Sculpture and a short walk on the Leça’s River walkway.