Artist talk in front of a colorful mural at StartArt Residency in Vila Verde, BragaGroup meal at a long outdoor table during a StartArt Residency cohort, near PortoWorkshop laughter and creative critique at StartArt Residency, Vila Verde, PortugalKayaking on the Rio Homem near StartArt Residency, Vila Verde, PortugalGolden hour floating on the Rio Homem during a StartArt Residency cohortInterior space with mural artwork at StartArt Residency in Vila Verde, Braga

An art residencyin Northern Portugal.

240+ artists from 60 countries · 2019–now
·
★★★★★ 4.96 · Res Artis verified
Just Start
What's open now

Four ways to stay.
One house, one rhythm.

Themed residencies in summer, year-round co-living, weekend getaways, and curated yoga retreats — all under the same roof on Rio Homem.

Art Residency

Paint a wall

All-inclusive program for artists and art lovers seeking time, focus, and simplicity.

May – September 2026
Apply for any 2-week window
from €1,400 / 14 nights + IVA
Co-living

Live in community

For digital nomads and remote workers wanting to live and work in an international community.

Year-round · weekly & monthly
Rooms available now
from €107 / night + IVA
Yoga Retreat

100H Immersion

A complete 100-hour yoga teacher training in a riverside forest sanctuary.

Summer 2026 · 7 days
6 Early Bird left
from €900 / 7 nights
Weekend Stay

Just visit

For travelers and Portugal residents who wish to stay a few days. A bed, breakfast, the river.

Year-round · 2 to 4 nights
Direct booking · best rates
from €60 / night + IVA
Why here

The only place in northern Portugal combining an art residency, a retreat center, and a river.

240+ artists · 60+ countries · 2019–now

A real cohort, not a brand.

Seventeen people for fourteen nights. Painters, writers, filmmakers, and the quietly creative. Nobody's a customer.

Vila Verde, Braga · Portugal

Forty minutes from Porto, ten from Rio Homem.

Rio Homem runs through oaks and eucalyptus, a short walk from the kitchen. Swim, kayak, walk the banks. Peneda-Gerês is an hour up the road.

Three meals included

Full board, long table.

Three vegetarian meals at one long table. Local, seasonal. Tuesdays we walk to the mercado and cook what we find.

Braga · Capital of Culture 2025

A house already covered in paint.

Frida, Malala, bell hooks, the Earth Goddess — they live on our walls. You inherit the house from the residents before you, and leave something for the ones after.

A week at StartArt

Seven days, loosely organised.

You arrive Sunday. Dinner is on the table. From Monday, a rhythm finds you.

Mon
Mural day
scaffolding up by 9
Tue
Mercado
whatever is in season
Wed
Long table
fourteen chairs, one kitchen
Thu
Studio
doors open, doors closed
Fri
River
SUPs & cold beers
Sat
Fire
everyone stays up
Sun
Slow
nobody hurries
Is StartArt for you?

You don't need to consider yourself an artist to come visit us.

Remote workers, weekend escapers, digital nomads, friends-of-friends — anyone curious about a slower rhythm and an international community is welcome. Surrounded by nature and world heritage sites: 40 minutes from Porto, 1 hour from Peneda-Gerês National Park, on the riverside of Rio Homem.

Stay with us

Two ways to sleep, one rhythm of life.

Weekly stays starting at €107/night. All prices in EUR + IVA. For longer stays, monthly co-living, or group bookings, message us — we tailor.

Shared room

Shared bathroom · best community vibe

750/ week + IVA
€107 / night + IVA
  • Bed in shared room (2-4 ppl)
  • Three vegetarian meals / day
  • Fast wifi everywhere + studio access
  • River + pool + night activities
  • Pickup from Porto airport
Book a week

Need something custom? Longer stays, monthly co-living, group or retreat bookings, off-season rates.

Message us on WhatsApp →
Braga · Portuguese Capital of Culture 2025

Forty minutes from Porto.
A different Portugal.

Braga is small, ancient, and stubbornly its own. Rococo churches, granite cafés, a produce market twice a week. In 2025 the city carries Portugal's Capital of Culture title — museums, festivals, and an unusually awake art scene on our doorstep.

Nearest airportPorto (OPO) · 40 min
Train + our pickupincluded on arrival day
Closest townBraga · 15 min
Closest river swimRio Homem · 7 min walk
Closest mountainPeneda-Gerês · 1 h
See on Google Maps
StartArt Residency
Vila Verde, Braga
Porto
Braga
Gerês
Journal

Notes from the house.

All posts →
Ready when you are

Come and make something.

Tell us who you are and what you're working on. We write back to every application within a week.

Questions

The ones we get most often.

Can't find yours? marketing@startartresidency.com — we reply.

Who can come to StartArt?+
Artists, writers, filmmakers, photographers, digital nomads, remote workers, weekend travelers — and a number of curious souls without any creative practice. We look for openness, not a CV.
How much does it cost?+
Weekly stays start at €750 shared / €940 private (+ IVA), all-inclusive of meals, wifi, studio, river and night activities. Art Residency programs from €1,400 / 14 nights + IVA. Yoga Retreat from €900 / 7 nights. Some partial scholarships available for under-represented artists.
What is included?+
A bed (shared or private, your choice), three vegetarian meals a day, shared studio space, full industrial kitchen, fast wi-fi everywhere, pickup from Porto airport, and all excursions (river swim, Tuesday market, mural walk, Gerês hike).
Is StartArt only for artists?+
No. The Art Residency is for those with a project. The Co-living is for remote workers and digital nomads. The Yoga Retreat is open to all. The Weekend Stay is for travelers wanting to taste the rhythm. Outside residency weeks, anyone is welcome.
What languages do you speak?+
The house speaks Portuguese, Spanish, English, and a little French. Our materials and CTAs are fully available in PT, ES and EN.
How do I get there?+
Vila Verde is 40 minutes from Porto Airport (OPO) by car. Pickup is included on arrival day. Bus + carpool routes from Porto are also possible — we send detailed transport info upon booking.
Instagram

Follow the house@startartresidency

Follow on Instagram
Five people painting a colorful mural with abstract shapes on a brick wall outdoors.Group of seven people engaged in a discussion around a table in a sunlit room with a large mural of two boys holding a deer on the wall.Artists creating at StartArt Residency, nature retreat near Porto, PortugalThree people sitting on a wooden floor painting a large colorful hand artwork on paper.Group of five young adults sitting and standing around a table in a casual room with a colorful mural, writing and smiling.