Inside Neonia: Porto’s Most Unique and Instagrammable ‘Anti-Museum’
Inside Neonia: Porto’s Most Unique and Instagrammable ‘Anti-Museum’
Porto, compact as it is, has a surprising number of museums. I’ve been staying for months at a time for the last 3 years, and I still haven’t been to many of them. There’s an unofficial count of over 40, not including some of the spaces in the many port maker’s cellars, that are museums in its own rights. The €107 million WOW Porto complex has seven incredible museums alone, from cork to chocolate. Definitely worth a visit. Or one of my personal favorites, the Centro Português de Fotografia, a photography museum that repurposes the space of a former prison and one of the best free things to do in Porto.
On a random run, I came across the exterior of a place called the Neonia that caught my eye with its neon-lit futuristic entrance. I was curious, but never would have expected a museum inside with a mirrored labyrinth, crystal infinity room and so many random and quirky installations.
If this is your first time to Porto, save my Quintessential Tips For First Timers In Porto so you don’t miss all the important bits.
What To Expect At Neonia
Think TeamLab meets Meow Wolf, two giants in the immersive art exhibition world, with a neon retelling of Porto’s history.
It’s hard to capture everything that this place is in a few words, but neon-laboratory-carnival-madhouse-retro-art-gallery-arcade-selfie-maze might be a good start.
In their words, the Neonia is an anti-museum, one that the creators have poured a lot of money and attention into. And it shows. We came in with little expectation and were blown away by the sheer scale of the place, over 1500 sqm, not to mention how much time it must have taken to design and execute each room’s themed concept.
You’ll find some typical explanatory text or glass exhibits, but only when it serves the purpose of the room. Instead, you might be looking for speak-easy style doors, or take slide to move from, say, a replica of the famous 1936 Cafe Imperial to the inside of a neo-retro psychedelic metro tunnel or an underground electric control room with Tesla-coils.
Along the way, there’s a carnival room, a plasma lightning crystal ball, and even a giant pin-art toy that’s big enough for your whole body. Millennials will absolutely remember these things from their childhood.
Local Tip: Avoid the crowded river cruises. This is a much better option.
It’s a bit strange, a bit wonderful, and very wildly photogenic.
I expect families with kids could get lost for hours here. It’s also a fun date idea, or just something to do on a random Tuesday morning with friends.
The visit through the 19 themed rooms is self-paced but moves along a pre-designed path, even if you have to ‘search’ for it sometimes. Don’t just walk through. Slow down, be curious, press buttons, push through hidden doors, and just go with the somewhat controlled chaos.
A Walkthrough of Neonia’s Themed Rooms
Local Tip: This is, in my opinion, the best day trip to Douro Valley option.
Here’s a quick breakdown of some of the rooms at the Neonia and my experience. I’ve decided to keep things somewhat vague and leave out many of the details so you can fully experience it for yourself.
Welcome To Porto
A visual overload and neon welcome to Porto. A fun morse code exhibition, some hidden rooms, and a miniature interpretation of the Clerigos Tower that’s tied to a film room showing the footage of the 1917 climbing of the tower by two Spanish acrobats as a part of a publicity stunt. They had tea at the top. There’s so much going on in this room setting the tone for everything to come. One of the hidden door is a preview of the unique ‘entrances’ used to access some of the other rooms.
Historical Porto and Neo Retro Metro Tunnel
In the next room, you start to revisit important locations and events in Porto’s timeline. There’s a nod to the first ATM installed in city, its handicrafts, and notable locations like the Bolhao market. Why there’s a foosball table in here or a game where you balance a bunch of wooden scale weights on a floating disc is my guess.
Cafe Imperial
Walk through the gnarly light tunnel built in an old metro, a nod to the city’s transport system and its iconic metro bridge crossing. A ‘hidden door’ takes you back in time to a replica of the original Café Imperial, a once famous art-deco cafe, that’s now home to one of the most beautiful McDonald’s in the world.
Fluorescent Forest and Carnival Arcade
And then somehow you randomly enter a bioluminescent and dreamlike park with blacklight trees and a glowing path. I did say quirky and weird right? Kids will love the carnival room with its many interactive exhibits, including an arcade game where you are the joystick. Move to move. You’ll have to take the special ‘elevator’ to get here. It made me think of the Severance show.
Decontamination Control Room and Submarine
I mentioned a slide. There’s a slide. A random slide that takes you into what looks like an old decontamination chamber with a Cold War-era computer room. This goes to an underwater world with a submarine, an old Magellan-era ship, and the moon.
Read my guide on HOW TO EXPERIENCE PORTO MORE LIKE A LOCAL would.
Lighthouse Show
Enter the ‘lighthouse’ and press the big button to trigger an immersive light display. We repeated this one several times.
Electric Power Plant
Inspired by the power plants of Rua de Freixo, this room with its Tesla plasma tubes that conducts electricity, safely, through your body and a laser guitar will amuse children and the child in every adult. To get here, you’ll have to ‘push a button’ in a lighthouse and see where it takes you.
The Infinity Room
The mirror room is decorated with strings of colorful floating lanterns, meant as a whimsical tribute to the Sao Joao festivities on Porto’s most magical night of the year. Once inside, the room seems to replicate and go on forever. This is one of the coolest room in the whole place and worth its spot as the finale of your visit.
Visiting Information + Accessibility
Local Tip: If you’re not staying overnight in the Douro Valley, skip the train and take a river day cruise instead.
Neonia is right in Porto’s city center across from one of my favorite brunch gems. It’s open daily from 10 am to 9 pm. I recommend the 10 am slot or an earlier time slot if you want to have the place to yourself, especially the infinity room.
Entry is €22 for adults, with a discounted rate of €17 for children 3-17 and seniors 65 and older and a couple of family pack options. You can book a timed slot here.
I’d expect to spend bout 1-1.5 hours here to explore all 19 rooms. This is a place that is very interactive and built for photos. Neonia is generally accessible, though a few interactive elements like a slide, might be difficult for those with mobility issues. There are stairs and an elevator, as an alternative option in places where you change floors.
Note: The rooms make use of motion lights, projections, and strobes.
The staff is so friendly, and are eager to tell you more about some of the interactive elements, or offer alternate routes if needed.
Final Thoughts
Local Tip: This is currently the best deal for entry to the WOW Museum Complex.
Neonia won’t replace a visit to the Livraria Lello or the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art, but it’s not trying to.
It’s something different. A sensory, interactive, and alternative take on the story of Porto that’s also just fun and photo-friendly.
Don’t overthink it. In my opinion, it’s worth the price of admission, especially if you’ve been wanting to visit a TeamLab space like the one in Tokyo and haven’t had the chance yet.
Updated on August 4, 2025
