Braga and Guimaraes Day Trip from Porto
About this activity
Highlights
- Explore Braga's historic sites
- Visit Guimaraes Castle
- Discover the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte
- Stroll through Guimaraes' medieval streets
- Enjoy a traditional Portuguese lunch
Full description
Included / Excluded
- Guided tour of Braga and Guimaraes
- Transportation from Porto
- Lunch at a local restaurant
- Personal expenses
Itinerary
Pass by: You will meet you guide at our Meeting Point near S. Bento Train Station and he will drive you to Braga, our first stop. On your way to the Minho Region, your guide will give you insights regarding the Portuguese history, development and cultural facts of portuguese heritage.
Famous for religious reasons but also for its architecture, the famous staircase and being the cause of the vertical tram, an amazing piece of 19th century engineering. This was the first of its kind to be installed in Portugal in 1882 and still uses its water powered system to power the 300 meter ramp in just 3min. The church was built by Carlos Amarante, who gave it an Italian-inspired neo-classical design that harmoniously blends into the landscape of northern Portugal. The staircase leading to the top contains 17 landings adorned with symbolic fountains, allegorical statues, and Baroque-style decorations along themes: Stations of the Cross, Five Senses, the Virtues, Moses receiving the Commandments and at the top, the eight biblical figures that contributed to Jesus' condemnation. Any visitor must take in the view from the bottom of the staircase. Facing up are the ornate granite fountains on the various landings and the white chalice-like outline on which the church itself "sits".
The first cathedral, older than Portugal. The Cathedral of Braga was the first Portuguese cathedral, erected several decades before the founding of the country. It began to be built at the end of the 11th century, and was concecrated and dedicated to the Virgin Mary by Bishop Pedro in a solemn session on August 28, 1089. Competing in power with the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela and is the jewel of the city. D. Henrique and D. Teresa, parents of the first king of Portugal, are buried in the Chapel of Kings.
It's now time for a break. Enjoy some free time to explore Braga at your own pace or grab a bite to eat. Discover the city's charming streets, shops, and local attractions.
Afterwards, we will go on a short drive to Guimarães: Is considered the birthplace of Portugal because Afonso Henriques, who went on to be the first king of Portugal, was born here.
The castle´s presence evokes the exciting mixture of legend, poetry and heroism that surrounds the beginning of Portuguese history. On this Monte Largo (Broad Hill), the nucleus of the future nation of Portugal was first developed. In circa 968, Mumadona, the countess of Galicia, ordered a castle to be built on this site, where the population could seek refuge from the constant attacks unleashed upon them by the hordes of Vikings, who arrived by sea from the north of Europe, and the Muslims, who made raids from the territories that they occupied to the south. On taking over the governorship of the province known as Portucalense from his father-in-law, Alfonso VI of León, Count Henry ordered another larger and more solid construction to be built. This represented the beginning of the important defensive structure that we can now see today, dominated by the square keep that stands between the four towers guarding each of the four corners of the walls. Although this is not strictly documented, it is very likely that the building that stands against the inner part of the northern wall was the residence of Count Henry and the birthplace of his son Afonso Henriques, the first king of Portugal.
The small church of S. Miguel do Castelo was built in the 13th century. However, according to tradition, this church would have been built in the 12th century by Count Dom Henrique (Henry of Burgundy), where he would have baptised his son, the 1st King of Portugal Dom Afonso Henriques. Of Romanic style and reduced dimensions, this church reveals great simplicity in terms of decoration. Inside, under the floor of this church lie buried the great warriors of the nation’s founding period.
The historical centre in the area that was within the Guimarães city walls, is associated with the formation and identity of Portugal, and was classified a World Heritage site based on the originality and authenticity applied in its restoration. The city still has a harmonious, well-preserved heritage that is evident in the graceful iron verandas, granite balconies and porticos, mansions, arches connecting the narrow streets, paving slabs smoothed by time, towers and cloisters. For a moment you might imagine yourself to be in a mediaeval setting, where the nobility built their houses over time, such as the Mota Prego house, the Vila Flor and Toural palaces, and the many others that give Guimarães its unique atmosphere.
Meeting point
Start Location
Unknown location
Important information
Know before you book
- Tour operates rain or shine
- Minimum booking of two people required
- Please inform of any dietary restrictions in advance
Know before you go
- Wear comfortable walking shoes
- Bring a camera to capture the sights
- Check the weather forecast and dress accordingly
Cancellation policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Accessibility
- Infant Seats Available
Good to know
- Duration: the hours of duration are approximate 9 hours, The Tour is subject to local traffic, visit schedules, etc
- Please kindly note that access that the castle of Guimaraes has limited access and the access to the walls are now prohibited.
- Tours are usually in one language, but a second language may be used.
- Group size maximum capacity is 27 people.
- Discover Porto in a unique way with a Free Walking Tour with Living Tours, available to all customers who book this activity. Our Free Walking Tour is available on a daily basis, in English and Spanish, at 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. departing from Living Tours Agency located in Rua Mouzinho da Silveira 352, 4050-418 Porto
- Please note: this activity is available with different ticket options, with or without entrance fees included for Guimarães Castle and Braga Cathedral.
Traveler reviews
No AC! Please don’t operate buses with issues!
Unfortunately the lack of air conditioning in the bus ruined the day for me. I was so hot, I could not breath and was getting a panic attack I had to suppress. There were elderly on the bus, and that was unacceptable. It was not a sudden malfunction of the AC, they knew that the AC is not reliable. The tour guide and bus driver and itinerary were all about average.
Good not Great
Both Braga and Guimaraes are really interesting. The first stop was the Bom Jesus church overlooking the town - it was spectacular. We were only able to spend a short amount of time there, I don’t remember what it was, but I think it was less than 30 minutes. Afterwards, we stopped in old town Braga, which was nice however; we spent 2 1/2 or more hours there and ran out of things to do. It would’ve been much better to have spent more time at the first stop, and less at the second. Guimaraes was very interesting, and I felt like we spent the right amount of time there. Our guide was fine. He was difficult to understand at times, I do believe he did his best, but he was very short on follow up questions, and did not add a lot of commentary for other points of interest. Overall, I think we would do it again, but we’ve done many Via Tours over the years and it felt like this one was just a little below expectations.
Excellent and Educational Tour
Excellent experience. Very educational, learned alot about the history of Portugal and the Cities Braga and Guimaraes. Our tour guide Cuber was excellent! He is very passionate about his job! Happy that Maykel the tour bus driver drove us their and back safely. Thank you to Living Tours for making our vacation a memorable one!
Nice trip
Nice trio, I bit rushed, the explanations could be bit More detailed. The tour was both in Spanish and English and that limited the time For explaining more details.
Good value, informative
Cuber, our guide, was very informative, funny and considerate in keeping us protected from the sun as we moved from site to site. Maykel, our driver, expertly navigated the streets. Good value for the money.