Casa do Infante

Casa do Infante is located on Rua da Alfândega, in Porto’s riverside area. Also known as Casa da Rua da Alfândega Velha, it is one of the city’s oldest buildings and preserves the memory of royal services installed beside the Douro. Over the centuries, it housed the former Customs House, the Mint and functions connected to the administration of the Crown. Its name became associated with the tradition that Prince Henry the Navigator was born here in 1394. Classified as a National Monument since 1924, the house reveals a history built in layers: medieval structures, later enlargements and archaeological remains of Roman occupation, including mosaic floors. Today it forms part of the Museu do Porto and contains permanent exhibitions, the Gabinete do Tempo and the Municipal Historical Archive. Between stone, documents and excavated ruins, the building brings together trade, royal power and urban memory.