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Best Things to Do in Braga
The atmospheric streets of Braga are as welcoming as any in Portugal. Café tables spring up each morning on sunny plazas, while select boutiques tempt passing trade with perfectly-formed window displays.
Although located in Portugal's far north close to Porto, Braga still enjoys a warm Mediterranean climate. It was perhaps this which made Braga an important stop of the Portuguese Way, a footpath ultimately ending in Santiago de Compostela in Spain's Galicia region, and the location of so many religious institutions.
Over centuries Braga has become known for its the multitude of finely constructed baroque churches, not least the impressive Bom Jesus de Monte which stands a short bus ride away on a dramatic hilltop. Come during Easter Week, and you'll experience an explosion of ancient traditions that can trace many of their routes right back to ancient Rome.
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Built in 1565 and restored in 1691, São Vicente sits on the site of a much earlier Visigoth church. As with many catholic churches the rather functional exterior does not betray the luxurious interior.
The Chapel of São Frutuoso was, incredibly, first built by the Visigoth kingdom in the sixth century AD. This makes it some 1500 years old, and one of few such structures to exist anywhere in Portugal. Today its squat Greek cross form and plain...
Work began on the Basilica of the Igreja dos Congregados in the early 18th century when baroque styling was all the rage. By the time it was finished in the 1960s rococo and neoclassical had been and gone. The result, all the same is a stunning...
These small but attractive public gardens are located adjacent to the eastern wing of the 14th century Archbishop's Palace. The garden takes advantage of the historic backdrop and also incorporates the medieval arches that remain of an arcade...
Set between the Santa Barbara garden and Praça do Municipio is the Archiepiscopal Court (Paço Arquiepiscopal), one of Braga's most significant historic buildings. The palace is in fact is a set of three interconnected buildings each with its own...
Located in a 16th century manor house, the museum has a permanent collection of furniture, ceramics, glass and clocks displayed in situ to recreate the decor of an 18th century manor house
This 16th century church is Braga's most important legacy of the renaissance period. It contains an impressive baroque carved altar
Translating from the Portuguese as the Arch of the New Gate, the Arco da Porta Nova is an ornamental gateway leading into the historic centre of Braga from the west. Located on the pedestrianised Rua do D. Diogo de Sousa, it was constructed to a...
Built between 1070 and 1093 on the remains of a Roman temple the Sé has had many facelifts over the years. The present day styling is a mixture of the Gothic and Baroque. Inside is a museum with a collection of relics
Braga's Raio Palace, or Palácio do Raio, was built in the 1750s as the private home of João Duarte de Faria. Although Faria had made considerable wealth as a merchant, he was also a knight of the Military Order of Christ - better known as the...
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Braga travel guide »
Famous for its historical buildings, monuments, gardens and fountains Braga is a beautiful city in the heart of the green Minho region where religious devotion in the form of many churches and other symbols of faith lies...