Castles · Tour
Guimarães and Braga with Five Pickup Points Across Porto and Lunch In
Guimarães is where the country started, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage site: a 10th-century castle, a 15th-century ducal palace, and streets and squares that have not been tidied out of existence. The visit covers the castle, the Palace of the Dukes of Bragança and the historic centre on foot. Lunch is included, unhurried, at a local restaurant, with a vegetarian option if you ask for it. Then Braga, the oldest city in Portugal and its religious capital, an archiepiscopal seat and a pilgrimage destination for centuries. The 11th-century Cathedral first, then the Bom Jesus sanctuary in the hills above the city, also UNESCO listed. The group is small, and there are five pickup points to choose from across Porto, which is more flexibility than most of these day trips allow.
What's included
- Bottled water in sustainable packaging
- Braga Cathedral and Guimarães castle entrance fee
- Professional guide
- Drop Off at two locations: Trindade Station & Bolsa Palace
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- Comfortable and modern minivan
- Hotel pickup (Most centrally located Porto hotels)
- Traditional Lunch with Vinho Verde wine and drinks included
Itinerary
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Rua de Júlio Dinis 724, Porto
Rua de Júlio Dinis 724, 4050-012 Porto, Portugal
At the Cooltour Oporto office and shop, at the entrance of Shopping Italia, behind the Guilty restaurant.
Calçada de Vandoma, Porto
Calçada de Vandoma, 4000-013 Porto, Portugal
Meet by the bronze statue of Vimara Peres, the medieval warrior on horseback, on the right-hand side of Porto Cathedral.
Porto
4000-059 Porto, Portugal
Meet at the entrance to Trindade metro station.
R. de São Filipe de Nery, Porto
R. de São Filipe de Nery, 4050-546 Porto, Portugal
Meet in front of the Clérigos Tower.
Palácio da Bolsa, R. de Ferreira Borges 11, Porto
Palácio da Bolsa, R. de Ferreira Borges 11, 4050-253 Porto, Portugal
Meet in front of the Bolsa Palace, near the Ribeira district.
Porto
Pickup in central Porto, where the local guide meets the group, and then the drive north to the first stop.
Bom Jesus Do Monte
Bom Jesus do Monte, the sanctuary on the hills above Braga. The Baroque stairway is the Via Crucis, lined with chapels and statues telling the Passion. The funicular beside it is the oldest water-powered funicular in the world, and it still works the same way. Gardens and a long view from the top.
Se de Braga
Then into Braga itself for the Cathedral, the oldest in Portugal. Romanesque and Gothic work on the same building, cloisters and chapels to walk through, and an atmosphere that has not been modernised out of it.
Braga
A local restaurant, with regional dishes from Braga and a Vinho Verde, the crisp, faintly sparkling white wine of northern Portugal. Vegetarian options on request.
Guimaraes Castle
On to Guimarães, where Portugal began. The medieval castle is where the first Portuguese king, D. Afonso Henriques, is said to have been born. The walls are walkable, and they were fought over for the identity of a country that did not exist yet.
Paco dos Duques de Braganca
A short walk from the castle stands the Ducal Palace, once the residence of the Dukes of Braganza. The architecture, the period furniture and the gardens, all of it built by one of the great noble families of Portugal.
Costo extra
Largo da Oliveira
A walk through medieval Guimarães with the guide, with a pause at Largo da Oliveira, the square at the centre of the old town. The Padrão do Salado monument stands here, and the guide fills in the history around it.
Guimaraes
The day ends in the UNESCO listed historic centre of Guimarães, with free time in a medieval town that has kept almost everything, and which the Portuguese call the cradle of the country.
Rua de Santa Maria
After the free time the guide meets the group here to walk you back, with the history of this street and its buildings on the way.
Porto
The drive back to Porto, with a drop-off at one of two central points, or somewhere central nearby.
Porto
4000-059 Porto, Portugal
Drop-off at Trindade metro station.
Palácio da Bolsa, R. de Ferreira Borges 11, Porto
Palácio da Bolsa, R. de Ferreira Borges 11, 4050-253 Porto, Portugal
Drop-off at the Bolsa Palace, near the Ribeira district.
Not included
- Gratuities
- Food and drinks, unless specified
Good to know
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
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- May be operated by a multi-lingual guide
- Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
- Up to 8 travelers per booking.
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Guiding available in: pt, en, es.
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