Majestic Café

The Majestic Café

The Porto audio-guided tour invites you to a journey in time at the Majestic Café, a century-old institution of the Rua Santa Catarina and one of the most famous cafés of the city.

A chic Parisian-style café

Opened in 1921 under the name of Café Élite, this place, small in size but great in history, saw the personalities and artists of the local cultural life pass through. Chosen for the tradition of the tertúlia, those friendly gatherings around a coffee, the establishment bet from the start on a chic Parisian-style image, and changed its name to Café Majestic only one year after its creation. A successful bet: great national figures, like the poet António Nobre, and foreign ones, like Jacques Chirac, took their place there. It is also here that, it is said, J.K. Rowling liked to write, which makes the Majestic a place of pilgrimage for the lovers of her novels. Its marble façade and its interior decor make it a veritable jewel.

What there is to see

The Majestic Café charms with its marble façade and its Belle Époque interior, mirrors, woodwork and refined atmosphere. More than a café, it is a place of memory of the cultural life of Porto, where one sits down as one goes back in time. A pilgrimage for literature lovers, it offers an elegant break in the heart of the Rua Santa Catarina.

Practical information

The Majestic Café is on the Rua Santa Catarina, in the centre of Porto. An active café, it welcomes visitors according to its opening hours, often with high attendance; its façade can be contemplated freely from the street.

When did the Majestic Café open?

In 1921, first under the name of Café Élite, before becoming the Majestic Café a year later.

What personalities has the Majestic Café welcomed?

The poet António Nobre, Jacques Chirac, and, it is said, the writer J.K. Rowling, who liked to write there.