Palácio da Bolsa

Lonely Planet review

The Palácio da Bolsa is a splendid neoclassical monument - built from 1842 to 1910 - to honour Porto's past-and-present money merchants. Just past the entrance hall is the glass-domed Pátio das Nações, where the stock exchange once operated. But this pales in comparison with rooms deeper inside, and to visit these you must join one of the guided tours that set off every 30 minutes, and last for 30 minutes.

You can usually join any group; tours are given in any two of Portuguese, English and French. The highlight is a stupendous ballroom called the Salão Árabe (Arabian Hall), with stucco walls that have been teased into complex Moorish designs, then gilded with some 18kg of gold.