Barcelos, Braga & Guimarães Tour
Description
Embark on an unforgettable journey through the charming cities of Barcelos, Braga, and Guimarães, ad have a tasting of the North of Portugal. Barcelos – A town bursting with color and creativity. Famous for its traditional ceramics and the legendary Rooster of Barcelos. Braga – known as the “Portuguese Rome” for its incredible concentration of religious landmarks and architectural wonders. With its blend of ancient traditions and modern charm, Braga is a perfect destination for those fascinated by history, culture and religion. Guimarães – We conclude your journey in Guimarães, the historic city known as the “birthplace of Portugal.” With its well-preserved medieval architecture and charming streets, Guimarães offers a glimpse into the country’s past while showcasing its peacefull modern life.
Tour Options
Itinerary
On Thursdays you have the possibility to visit the biggest market of Portugal. This market takes place right in the center of Barcelos.
We will visit this baroque church with its lovely blue tiles and golden carvings. This church is known for its legend about a dark wooden cross.
One of the old city defence towers. On the top of the tower you have an beautiful view on the baroque gardens and the marketsquare. Inside of the tower there is an interesting artcraft expositions from local artists.
We will visit the main church which is the oldest church in the city.
Here you will discover the legend of the rooster and see the original cross from the legend. There are also some other interesting artifacts found all over the city.
Enjoy the lovely view on the Medieval bridge from the 15th century castle of the duke of Bragança.
We will start our citywalk in Braga entering by the old citygate.
Wander around in the Gardens of Santa Barbara and enjoy the flowers of the season.
You will pass by the remainings of the 11th century castle part of the old city wall.
On the central square of Braga -where the ´old locals´ gather around to socialize- you will see a mix of interesting architure from different periods.
Constructed in the 17th century the front of the church is hiding two roosters. According to the legend nearly weds should find this 2 roosters for a long and happy mariage.
We will visit the main church of the city. Parts of this church are even older than Portugal itself. In one of the chapels of this cathedral you will find the tumuls of the parents of the first King of Portugal.
The sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte is famous for its extensive staircase and its lovely gardens. Here you will enjoy the beautiful scenery with a spectacular view over the city of Braga.
Enjoy the silence at the most peacefull sanctuary of Braga. The sanctuary is build in neoclassical style and is the the largest Marian devotional shrine in Portugal, second only to the Sanctuary of Fátima.
The typical Largo da Oliveira is named after a miracle with a 500 years old olivetree what was situated on the square. The square is surrounded by some 17th century traditional ´Porch Houses´ and the ´Nossa Senhora da Oliveira´ Church. In the middle of the square there is a porch called "Padrão do Salado".The porch referes to the succesfull battle of Salado in the 14th century. The charming square of San Tiago is marked by the presence of the old City Hall building and some residencial buildings from the 17th and 18th century. Lunch time (not included).
The Palace of the Dukes of Bragança was built in the 15th century by D. Afonso. He was the ´bastard´ son of King João I. We will also visit the museum on the first floor of the palace with a collection of national and international antiques.
According to the legend the first king of Portugal, D. Afonso Henriques, was baptized here. The presumed baptismal font that was used in the ceremony is kept here.
We will see the castle where the first King of Portugal was born and the chapel where he was baptised.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
This tour does not start from Porto district, please check our pickup points.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- May be operated by a multi-lingual guide
- Not recommended for travelers with reduced mobility
Reviews(3)
Vcs canceled the tour, without even warning, bad service, I do not recommend to anyone, I had to arrange the tour with another operator
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We went on a tour of Barcelos, Braga, and Guimaraes with José and his companion Evangeline (?) and it was a great day. They picked us up right outside our place in central Porto in the morning, and then we headed to the street market in Barcelos (which runs on Thursdays... we didn't buy anything, but it was fun to experience)... Other than the market, Barcelos is a fairly sleepy town, feels pretty "local" and off the beaten path, though it is famous for the legend of the "Rooster of Barcelos" which has become a symbol across all of Portugal. From there, we headed to Braga, which has something like 26 churches -- and we got to take a look at probably a dozen of them over the course of the day, including the impressive Cathedral which was a major seat of Catholic power in the area... in addition to the nearby Bom Jesus, which is beautifully located up a mountain at the end of a long-stretching staircase (although unfortunately they are doing renovations inside the church right now... but the exterior views are the star of the show, anyway.) Finally, we made our way to Guimaraes, the "birthplace" of Portugal since this is where the first king, Alfonso Henriques was born, and where he battled his mother to declare independence from Spain (long story. The guides will tell it to you!) There is a castle here, but we walked past it and spent time touring the more grandiose Dukes manor nearby. The town itself is also pleasant to walk through -- quaint and medieval in its layout, but still a fairly large city. After all of this, we were quite satisfied but, even though the tour was technically done, José was nice enough to show us a few more sights... he had time, so he extended the tour to do a little detour down the coastal region, seeing the beach towns and fisherman villages, such as Vila Nova do Conde, with a historical Portuguese sailing ship and a couple more interesting churches. Oh, I forgot to mention... this is billed as a "small group tour" which would have been fine, but it ended up being a private tour for just the two of us! Even better!
<p>We went on a tour of Barcelos, Braga, and Guimaraes with José and his companion Evangeline ? and it was a great day. They picked us up right outside our place in central Porto in the morning, and then we headed to the street market in Barcelos which runs on Thursdays... we didn't buy anything, but it was fun to experience... <br/> Other than the market, Barcelos is a fairly sleepy town, feels pretty local and off the beaten path, though it is famous for the legend of the Rooster of Barcelos which has become a symbol across all of Portugal.</p> <p>From there, we headed to Braga, which has something like 26 churches -- and we got to take a look at probably a dozen of them over the course of the day, including the impressive Cathedral which was a major seat of Catholic power in the area... in addition to the nearby Bom Jesus, which is beautifully located up a mountain at the end of a long-stretching staircase although unfortunately they are doing renovations inside the church right now... but the exterior views are the star of the show, anyway. </p> <p>Finally, we made our way to Guimaraes, the birthplace of Portugal since this is where the first king, Alfonso Henriques was born, and where he battled his mother to declare independence from Spain long story. The guides will tell it to you! There is a castle here, but we walked past it and spent time touring the more grandiose Dukes manor nearby. The town itself is also pleasant to walk through -- quaint and medieval in its layout, but still a fairly large city. </p> <p>After all of this, we were quite satisfied but, even though the tour was technically done, José was nice enough to show us a few more sights... he had time, so he extended the tour to do a little detour down the coastal region, seeing the beach towns and fisherman villages, such as Vila Nova do Conde, with a historical Portuguese sailing ship and a couple more interesting churches.</p>
