Braga: churches, baroque stairways and a city older than Portugal

Braga's historic centre is compact and almost entirely pedestrian. Start at Avenida Central and Praça da República, with the Arcada and its historic cafés, where locals have met for generations. From there, Rua do Souto, the oldest shopping street, leads to the cathedral past shops, pastry shops and façades with iron balconies.

Along the way is the Santa Bárbara Garden, set against the medieval wing of the former Archbishop's Palace, with flower beds that change through the year. It is one of the most photographed gardens in the country, especially in spring. A little further on is the Arco da Porta Nova, the city's baroque gateway, which at night looks like a stage set.

Braga was the Roman Bracara Augusta, founded more than two thousand years ago. Traces remain around the city, such as the Roman Baths of Alto da Cividade. Don't expect a Colosseum: expect very patient stones and a city that likes to remind you it was here first.

Braga Cathedral is the oldest in Portugal, consecrated in the eleventh century, before the kingdom was founded. Over the centuries it collected styles: Romanesque, Gothic, Manueline and baroque coexist in the same building, sometimes on the same wall. Inside, the treasury, the chapels and the twin gilded organs are worth the guided visit.

For centuries Braga was the seat of the most powerful archbishops in the Iberian Peninsula, and it shows on every corner. There are richly decorated baroque churches, such as Congregados and Santa Cruz, and palaces like the Palácio do Raio, its façade covered in blue tiles. The Biscainhos Museum shows how the local nobility lived, with old-style gardens.

During Holy Week, the city transforms. There are solemn processions, decorated streets and thousands of visitors. If you come then, book accommodation well in advance and expect a busier, more moving Braga.

About 5 km from the centre, the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2019. The highlight is the baroque stairway, with hundreds of zigzagging steps, fountains, chapels and statues representing the five senses and the virtues. Climbing it was traditionally an act of penance. Today it is also a great leg workout.

If you'd rather spare your knees, there is the Bom Jesus funicular, opened in the nineteenth century and powered by a water counterweight: the descending car fills a tank with water and pulls the other one up. It is one of the oldest of its kind still in service. Many people ride up and walk down, which is the smartest way.

At the top there is the basilica, gardens, a lake with little boats and a wide view over Braga. In the late afternoon the light turns golden and the stairway looks even more beautiful. Bring a jacket: it's windier up here than in the centre.

If you enjoyed Bom Jesus, keep climbing. A few kilometres away is the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sameiro, one of the largest Marian sanctuaries in Portugal, with a monumental stairway and a white church on the hilltop.

The view from Sameiro is even wider than from Bom Jesus: on clear days you can see the city, the valleys and the mountains of the Minho. It's a peaceful, less touristy spot, good for a deep breath and a sunset.

Without a car, getting to Sameiro is tricky. A private tour or transfer lets you combine Bom Jesus and Sameiro in one afternoon, with time for photos and no bus timetables.

Guimarães, the birthplace of Portugal, is about 25 km away. Its castle, the Palace of the Dukes of Braganza and the medieval centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, round off a day in Braga perfectly. Many visitors do both cities in a day, Braga in the morning and Guimarães in the afternoon.

About an hour away is Peneda-Gerês National Park, Portugal's only national park. Waterfalls, lagoons, stone villages, wild garrano horses and trails for all levels make it a paradise for nature lovers.

Coming from Porto, a private tour combining Braga and Guimarães is one of the most efficient ways to see the Minho in a single day, with door-to-door transport and stops wherever you like.