Best things to do in Braga
Portugal’s most important religious centre, there are an astonishing 35 churches in town, but there’s also a fast-growing commercial centre, a renowned university and an underlying cultural vibrancy.
Viewpoints and panoramas
The best districts
Praça da República: An arcaded square at the head of the old town, with a wide avenue in front marked by a trio of fountains; it’s easy to spend a day or so idling around here, drinking coffee in its handsome cafés, some of them century-old survivors from more uptight days.
São João do Souto: Known for its traditional houses and craft shops, this district offers a glimpse into Braga’s artisan culture.
Museums
Museu Pio XII: Situated in a former seminary, this curious museum is divided into two parts: one traces the career of Portuguese portrait-painter Henrique Medina (1901–88), while the other rounds up a wide-ranging archaeological and sacred art collection.
Palácio dos Biscaínhos: This grandiose complex houses a small museum of decorative arts, paintings and sculpture from the 17th to 19th centuries, alongside exquisite tiles and wooden ceilings, thereby demonstrating some of the best Portuguese interior decor of the time.
Parks and gardens
Historical monuments
Bom Jesus do Monte: This monumental Baroque stairway and pilgrim church, sited on a wooded hill 5km to the east, is one of the country’s most important pilgrimage sites.
Sé de Braga: One of Portugal’s oldest cathedrals, this rambling structure was founded in 1070 on the site of a Moorish mosque after the Christian reconquest, though only the original main door (at the top of Rua Dom Paio Mendes) survives in its sculpted, Romanesque form.
Paço Episcopal: The Archbishop’s Palace is the most impressive building in Braga, a strident statement of intent in the very centre of the city.
Day trips in the area
Guimarães: With a carefully preserved kernel of medieval monuments, cobbled streets, delightful squares and honey-coloured houses, the old centre retains both a grandeur and a tangible sense of history that’s helped earn it Unesco World Heritage status.
Peneda-Gerês National Park: The restored village of Soajo offers a glimpse of local life in this remote part of the country.
Citânia de Briteiros: Step back to pre-Roman times in the evocative ruins of a magnificent Iron Age hilltown.
Activities for families in Braga
Braga has plenty to keep the whole family entertained, with tours of different kinds as well as plenty of greenery to explore.
Stadium tours: If you’re a footie-loving family, head to Braga’s spectacular municipal stadium, known as the Estádio AXA. Tours take in the stadium interior and club museum, which can also include a visit to the changing rooms, press room and VIP areas – better still, catch a game.
Bus tours: A fun way to take in the city is on the hop-on, hop-off Yellow Bus which departs hourly from Avenida Central, passing the Sé and train station, and heading out to Bom Jesus and back.
Parks and gardens: Braga boasts some fantastic and unusual green spaces, not least at Bom Jesus do Monte, whose surrounding area is a public park with plenty of family-friendly attractions – woods to walk in, formal gardens and hidden grottoes, not to mention the boating lake and pony-cart rides.
Free things to do in Braga
Few cities in Portugal do festivals like Braga, especially the religious kind, but there are all sorts of other ways to enjoy your time here without having to spend too heavily.
Festivals: During Semana Santa (Holy Week), Braga is the scene of major celebrations which reach a climax in the three days before Easter Sunday, with torchlit processions of hooded penitents who parade by spinning large rattles. Another shindig is associated with the Festas de São João (June 23–24), which is preceded by a festival of gigantones (giant carnival figures) from June 18–20.
Church visits: With churches by the bucket-load – there are 35 in town – you could spend days visiting these magnificent temples of worship, and they’re all free.
Nature and outdoor activities in Braga
The surrounding countryside presents numerous opportunities for both gentle and more vigorous walks, water sports and more.
Garden walks: At Mosteiro de São Martinho de Tibães you can explore the 100-acre monastic gardens, dotted with chapels, hermits’ hideaways and little lakes. There are also two marked trails, a 45-minute one around the cultivated lower slopes, or a 90-minute one that climbs into the surrounding woodlands.
Water sports: Take advantage of the nearby Cavado River and its tributaries, where you can try kayaking or paddleboarding.
Hiking: North of Braga, the Peneda-Gerês National Park has numerous waymarked trails, from short strolls to day treks. There’s a series of trail leaflets in English, mostly for walks of around 10–16km that are fairly well marked with red and yellow pointers.
