Day Trip to Braga and Guimarães – Portugal

Braga and Guimarães are both located to the north-east of Porto. Both cities are well worth a visit and their proximity (only 1,5 hours on the road from Porto to Braga to Guimarães and back to Porto) makes a day trip to Braga and Guimarães and ideal choice. Be prepared to see many churches, two old but well preserved city centres and a bunch of history.

This post contains affiliate links to things like tours and hotels. These help me earn a small commission at no additional charge to you. Every affiliate link is marked with a *.

You can either book a tour to visit these two cities, or if you want more freedom to explore at your own pace and eat where and what you want you can rent a car in Porto from as little as 11,33€ a day (on Discover Cars*) and drive there yourself.

Braga

Braga is a town about 57km away from Porto to the north-east. The town and surrounding area are the third most densely populated area in Portugal, after Lisbon and Porto. Braga is well known for it’s Christian (mainly Catholic) religious events and pilgrimage sites, but also has a lovely town centre and some interesting museums.

Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte

The Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte is a Portuguese Catholic shrine just outside the city of Braga, in northern Portugal. The name means “Good Jesus of the Mount” (as opposed to the bad Jesus… the antichrist? I am not sure, they didn’t explain it anywhere.).

Many stairs lead up the mountain, with small chapels dotted along the way. Inside each small building a different scene from the Bibles (holy book of Christians) New Testament (second half = the life, work and death of Jesus) is depicted with figures and painted murals along the walls. This place is both an important pilgrimage spot, as well as an Instagram famous tourist attraction.

On 7 July 2019, the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019.

Bom Jesus do Monte Funicular

A funicular is a kind of railway in which a single cabin moves permanently attached rail cars up and down a slope.

The Bom Jesus do Monte Funicular was the first funicular to be built in the Iberian Peninsula and is the oldest funicular in the world powered by water counterbalancing that’s still in use today.

Pay attention to the opening times or you will have to take the stairs (again)!

Where to park near the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte?

Very close to the base station of the funicular and also to the stairs leading up to the sanctuary is a free parking spot called “Parking Braga” on Google Maps. However, if you search for it you will find several parking lots with that name, so I linked it here.

Garden Braga

The Garden Braga restaurant looks small from the outside (because in autumn they only have a hand full of tables outside), but it actually has several floors, all decorated in a modern style, with lots of wood, gold, dark metal and many, many, many plants.

I had their French toast and a Latte Macchiato. The toast was incredibly crispy, as if deep fried, and paired very well with vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce and in-house made nut-granola.

Braga Cathedral & Churches

Even though unassuming from the outside Braga Cathedral is one of the most important churches in the country, since the archbishop of Braga is the primate of all Portugal (?). It is also the oldest cathedral in Portugal.

Located on the same square are the Igreja de Santa Cruz = Church of the Holy Cross (which is relatively unassuming from the outside as well) and the Igreja de São Marcos, which has life-sized statues of the apostles of Jesus along the façade. It is located on the grounds of a hospital which had originally been built for poor people and pilgrims visiting the city. In front of this hospital/church you can also find the “Braga” sign.

Raio Palace

The Raio Palace is one of the best examples of Braga civil architecture from the middle of the 18th century. The blue tiles (Azulejos) along its façade make it stand out among the modern houses surrounding it.

Where to park in Braga?

I parked at Onepark – Estacionamento Braga, close to the Raio Palace. The price was 0,3€ per 15 minutes, so for the ~3 hours I was in the city I paid 3,6€. Which is way cheaper than any paid-parking I found in Porto.

Guimarães

The historic town centre of Guimarães was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001, recognizing it’s “well-preserved and authentic example of the evolution of a medieval settlement into a modern town” in Europe.

Santos Passos Church

The Santos Passos Church is another catholic church on the list of things to see. It resides at the end of a park that is colourful even in late autumn. It is neither a very big, nor a very small church, but it is quite pretty.

Castle of Guimarães

The castle of Guimarães is also called the “Cradle of Portugal”, due to it’s historic importance (Portugal’s first King was born in the city and a major battle took place here after which the kingdom of Portugal was founded. Before then Guimarães belonged to the kingdom of Galicia) and influence. However, it was closed because all the employees were on strike, when I went there, so I did not get to see it and can’t tell you if a visit is currently worth it.

Inner City

Many buildings of old have been preserved within the city centre of Guimarães, most of which were built in the Pombaline style. A Portuguese architectural style of the 18th century. If you want to see many of them at once, go to the Toural Square within the city and slowly turn 360 degrees around your own axis. Pombaline houses in every direction.

Benedito Brunch

Instead of coffee I opted for a large smoothie today around lunchtime, since the breakfast from earlier was still taking up space in my stomach. The smoothie was fresh and delicious and the food on the tables around me looked good, too.