Best of Braga and Guimaraes Day Trip from Porto

based on 1097 reviews

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

From $64.31

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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.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Posted By : themawesome
We had a lovely day with Castro! The tour was very good and he gave us lots of very interesting information about the history and culture of the region. Thank you!
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-05-10 12:40:00

Posted By : drmelikemercan
Our tour and what we saw were wonderful, but I believe our guide Castro made it incredibly energetic and full of life. We joined the English tour, and his English was like a native speaker's, with theatrical flair. We are grateful for revealing the secrets of port wines to us:)) Looking forward to seeing you again on another tour. Goodbye, Portugal."
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-05-10 12:34:15

Posted By : Piotr_J
Where do I start? Our guide was so knowledgeable and was able to share it in a way that made it enjoyable. A full on day, but a great way to see the real deal and get a thorough update on the history and the different areas. Thanks to Alex who was the perfect guide. Love these tours. AAA+
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-05-09 13:46:52

Posted By : E6949VWgabrielaf
The Tour was very very interesting and various. Diego the Tour Guide was vey kindly. I recomand 💯 Living Tour. They are very professional and helpful. I accidentally missed the Braga Tour and they called me and we found solutions together and rescheduled me. The communication is very good and helpful with personal from Living Tour.

Gabriela F. / Romania
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-05-09 06:11:58

Posted By : Jeff_R
Jesus of the Mount was amazing. Town of Braga is very charming.

If looking for an English speaking tour this is not it.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-05-08 04:57:36

Posted By : marcoscT8721TS
Very grateful to the staff on the trip. Wonderful and attentive people. Mr. Rafael is the driver Victor. Of course, the entire agency team from reception to the end
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-05-07 11:25:46

Posted By : David_m
The unfortunate part of this trip is that it was supposed to be an English tour. However, it was combined with a Portuguese tour. The guide would speak for 10 minutes in Portuguese and about 1 minute in English. We felt like we missed a majority of the information. Never let them put you in a "combined" tour.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-05-07 04:09:43

Posted By : imaneb346
Mario is an excellent guide! We greatly enjoyed this excursion despite the complicated weather. Mario knew how to make this day enriching and is very attentive and available.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-05-03 16:08:00

Posted By : elainecT6874CD
The tour is busy, but you can see the main tourist attractions. It is not recommended for those who want to have a deeper experience of these two rich cities. The driver Henrique was very careful and friendly throughout the journey. The guide Rafael was extremely attentive, helpful and welcoming, even playing typical music to add to the past stories, which shows special care when preparing for the tour.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-05-02 14:56:07

Posted By : Journey299899
This was a well paced and very informative tour. Our guide Andre was extremely knowledgeable and did a great job of keeping things moving during the day, and sharing his knowledge with the group. Lunch was very nice and the best we have had on a day tour so far. Tour pace was about right and our driver did a fantastic job all day. I would highly recommend this tour.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-05-01 12:40:22