Porto
Practise a language with strangers. Free, no booking, come alone.
Verified places and programmes
- Biblioteca Municipal Almeida GarrettThe municipal library in the Palácio de Cristal gardens (Rua de Dom Manuel II). Open Monday 14:00–18:00 and Tuesday to Saturday 10:00–18:00; closed on Sundays and public holidays. With a reader card you can borrow books for free and use the internet computers.→
- CLAIM – Centros Locais de Apoio à Integração de MigrantesLocal support centres for migrants listed by AIMA. In Porto they include SEIVA (Rua de Vilar 130), JRS Porto and centres at several universities. Check the list for addresses and contacts before you go.→
- Jardins do Palácio de CristalFree-access gardens above the Douro, next to the Almeida Garrett library. Open 8:00–19:00 from October to March and 8:00–21:00 from April to September. A calm first-weekend walk.→
- Parque da CidadePorto's city park: 80 hectares of green space stretching to the Atlantic. Open 7:00–22:00 from October to March and 7:00–24:00 from April to September. A public park for a long walk or a run.→
- Museu do PortoThe city museum. Open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00–17:30. Entry costs €4, and Cartão Porto. holders with a Porto tax address, students and under-18s get in free; check the page for the full list.→
- Cultura Porto (Câmara Municipal do Porto)The city council's culture site, with libraries, museums and the programme of municipal cultural venues. Many activities are free: a good way to fill your first weekends.→
Coming alone — what to expect
- Language cafés are the easiest room to enter alone: everyone is there to talk to people they do not know, and the host seats you.
- Mixed levels are normal. Say your level once; nobody corrects you unless you ask.
- You do not need to be a learner: native speakers are the scarce resource and hosts love them.