Best of Braga and Guimaraes Day Trip from Porto

based on 1184 reviews

Duration:9 hours (approx.)
Location: Porto, Northern Portugal

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The Minho region is an old Portuguese province and its located in the North of Portugal. Minho is known for its green landscapes, crossed by affluent rivers, and the biodiversity enriches the views for those who visit Minho. The region presents a big coastal zone with beautiful beaches.

The full-day Tour to Minho gives you the opportunity to visit the region and two cities: Guimaraes and Braga. Travel through the Minho and visit the historical centers of these two cities learning about Portuguese history in the process. Then have a traditional lunch (optional) at a local restaurant.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

WHAT TO EXPECT

1. Porto
Your expert guide will collect you from your hotel/accommodation or meeting point and will drive you to Braga, our first stop. On your way to the Minho Region, your guide will give you insights regarding the Portuguese history, development and cultural facts of portuguese heritage.
2. Bom Jesus Funicular
Famous for religious reasons but also for its architecture, the famous staircase and being the cause of the vertical tram, an amazing piece of 19th century engineering. This was the first of its kind to be installed in Portugal in 1882 and still uses its water powered system to power the 300 meter ramp in just 3min. The church was built by Carlos Amarante, who gave it an Italian-inspired neo-classical design that harmoniously blends into the landscape of northern Portugal. The staircase leading to the top contains 17 landings adorned with symbolic fountains, allegorical statues, and Baroque-style decorations along themes: Stations of the Cross, Five Senses, the Virtues, Moses receiving the Commandments and at the top, the eight biblical figures that contributed to Jesus' condemnation. Any visitor must take in the view from the bottom of the staircase. Facing up are the ornate granite fountains on the various landings and the white chalice-like outline on which the church itself "sits".
3. Se de Braga
The first cathedral, older than Portugal. The Cathedral of Braga was the first Portuguese cathedral, erected several decades before the founding of the country. It began to be built at the end of the 11th century, and was concecrated and dedicated to the Virgin Mary by Bishop Pedro in a solemn session on August 28, 1089. Competing in power with the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela and is the jewel of the city. D. Henrique and D. Teresa, parents of the first king of Portugal, are buried in the Chapel of Kings.
4. Braga
It's now time for a break. If you chose the lunch included option the guide will take you to a local restaurant where you will have a delicious traditional portuguese meal with drinks included. Try the very famous "Vinho Verde" wine, a white wine with unique caracteristics. If you decided to not to include lunch on your tour, you will have free time and restaurant options to lunch on your own or to explore a bit more Braga's old city center. (Vegetarian option during lunch is available, make sure you request it during the booking process)
5. Guimaraes
After lunch, we will go on a short drive to Guimarães: Is considered the birthplace of Portugal because Afonso Henriques, who went on to be the first king of Portugal, was born here.
6.
The castle´s presence evokes the exciting mixture of legend, poetry and heroism that surrounds the beginning of Portuguese history. On this Monte Largo (Broad Hill), the nucleus of the future nation of Portugal was first developed. In circa 968, Mumadona, the countess of Galicia, ordered a castle to be built on this site, where the population could seek refuge from the constant attacks unleashed upon them by the hordes of Vikings, who arrived by sea from the north of Europe, and the Muslims, who made raids from the territories that they occupied to the south. On taking over the governorship of the province known as Portucalense from his father-in-law, Alfonso VI of León, Count Henry ordered another larger and more solid construction to be built. This represented the beginning of the important defensive structure that we can now see today, dominated by the square keep that stands between the four towers guarding each of the four corners of the walls. Although this is not strictly documented, it is very likely that the building that stands against the inner part of the northern wall was the residence of Count Henry and the birthplace of his son Afonso Henriques, the first king of Portugal.
7. Igreja de Sao Miguel do Castelo
The small church of S. Miguel do Castelo was built in the 13th century. However, according to tradition, this church would have been built in the 12th century by Count Dom Henrique (Henry of Burgundy), where he would have baptised his son, the 1st King of Portugal Dom Afonso Henriques. Of Romanic style and reduced dimensions, this church reveals great simplicity in terms of decoration. Inside, under the floor of this church lie buried the great warriors of the nation’s founding period.
8. Centro Historico de Guimaraes
The historical centre in the area that was within the Guimarães city walls, is associated with the formation and identity of Portugal, and was classified a World Heritage site based on the originality and authenticity applied in its restoration. The city still has a harmonious, well-preserved heritage that is evident in the graceful iron verandas, granite balconies and porticos, mansions, arches connecting the narrow streets, paving slabs smoothed by time, towers and cloisters. For a moment you might imagine yourself to be in a mediaeval setting, where the nobility built their houses over time, such as the Mota Prego house, the Vila Flor and Toural palaces, and the many others that give Guimarães its unique atmosphere.

ADDITIONAL INFO

• Specialized infant seats are available
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels
• Children must be accompanied by an adult
• May be operated by a multi-lingual guide
• Third party services are subject to availability and may change without notice
• Usually our tours run in one language but there are cases of one extras language or more.
• Tours run in groups between 8 and 27 people
• Duration: the hours of duration are approximate 9 hours, The Tour is subject to local traffic, visit schedules, etc
• Reservation is mandatory and requires an email request/confirmation. Bookings must be confirmed at least 48 hours befor the date of the servisse. Cancellations within 48 hours or less will be fully charged.
• All tours depart from Porto
• Lunch: included for option with lunch
• Meeting point: Living Tours at Rua Mouzinho da Silveira 352, 4050 - Porto, next to São Bento train Station
• We support our communities. By taking a tour with us you are contributing to our cause: we offer a meal for the homeless and people in need.
• Please kindly be aware that the overall duration of the activity could be influenced by traffic conditions. We highly advise against scheduling any additional activities or making other plans within the hour following the anticipated completion time.
• Please kindly note that access that the castle of Guimaraes has limited access and the access to the walls are now prohibited.
• Vegetarian and Gluten-free meal options are available if requested before the day of the booking. Make sure you inform us before the tour starts.
• Discover Porto in a unique way with a Free Walking Tour with Living Tours, available to all customers who book this activity. Free Walking Tour departs daily in English and Spanish at 9:30 a.m. from Cordoaria (Campo dos Mártires da Pátria 31, Porto) and 4:30 p.m. from Batalha (Rua Alexandre Herculano 412, Porto).

CANCELLATION POLICY

Posted By : JanR470
Cristian our guide was fluent in English and French and full of interesting information about these two famous towns.
Some walking involved but not anything I couldn’t manage by going at my own pace, and mostly downhill
We had a delightful rustic lunch (optional extra cost) in Braga and then toured the old Cathedral
Our final stop was at Bom Jesus de Monte (Jesus of the Mount). A spectacular view of the surrounding area and enough time to descend the first lot of steps (if you are so inclined )
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-06-29 18:49:57

Posted By : keatonjt
We really enjoyed the tour, Marcia was a great driver and Diogo was a friendly guide. We used the 10% discount which made the day very good value. Only improvement would be we felt rushed at Bom Jesus Sanctuary as we were just about able to go the bottom of the staircase and back up, go inside the building/church and nip the loo/grab a snack but didn’t have time for the gardens. We were given loads of free time in both cities/old towns though. The Douro wine valley tour was more impressive than this tour, but it was more expensive and this tour was a great second one to do.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-06-28 14:50:25

Posted By : 888JohnK
Great trip - run by Diogo & safely driven by Marcia - really enjoyed the visit to Braga cathedral & the castle at guimaraes
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-06-28 14:13:01

Posted By : F340OIseanl
Marcia and Diogo did a wonderful job! Braga and Guimarães are each unique and give a calmer, less crowded perspective of the history and daily life of the Portuguese when you’re traveling from Porto. :) God bless you.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-06-28 12:39:35

Posted By : Jorge_R
We reserved a group of seven and they did not
have seats for 2 of us. We contacted Viator to help us with a refund for the 2 that were not able to take the tour, their response was that they need to contact the tour company. The tour company must of given them some made up story because we received an email stating that no refund will be given. The rest of the party that took the tour felt the guide did not explain anything about the history. Don’t waste your money with this company.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-06-28 04:18:45

Posted By : catrionaw212
Castro our guide was wonderful. He created a great experience for us as well as our 5 and 7 year old kids by making sure he included them on the journey. He was enthusiastic, knowledgeable, personable, and entertaining. Highly recommend this tour for it's sights as well.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-06-27 20:13:51

Posted By : 662mireilleg
Le meilleur guide au monde et le meilleur chauffeur
Le sanctuaire de Bom Jesus aurait merité un arrêt plus long 30 mm
Le repas était bon et servi rapidement.
Excellentes conditions climatiques
Je recommanderai living tour
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-06-27 12:12:06

Posted By : thibaultb1303
Un grand merci à notre guide André Vidal et notre chauffeur Jonas qui nous ont permis de passer une excellente journée. Les deux villes visitées sont pleines d'histoire, flâner au milieu des ruelles et visiter des sites comme Bom Jesus nous ont beaucoup plu. Nous recommandons cette excursion très agréable et facile à faire pour tous.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-06-27 11:53:28

Posted By : Shridula_S
Andre was an amazing guide! He was so patient with all questions and concerns during the tour! We got to see wonderful sights of Braga and Guimarães including a wonderful lunch. Not to mention our amazing driver (Viktor) who was always on time to pick us up in convenient locations.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-06-26 19:36:56

Posted By : marioleonardoemilioa
We were fortunate to have Diogo as our tour guide. With his post graduate degree in medieval history, he was able to weave the history of the Braga and Guimaraes into an interesting narrative of Portugal as a global power as part of the tour.
Thank you, too, to Joao our driver for smooth and safe trip and for choosing the route along the Ribiera on the way home.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-06-26 13:47:11