Minho Tour

Minho Tour – Guimarães and Braga – Full Day – 8 hours

The Minho is known as the Garden of Portugal and during this Full-Day Private Tour, you will be able to visit all of the lush green landscape where once brave Portuguese soldiers started the dream of a Nation called Portugal.

Guimarães is known as the "cradle of the nation" because it was the first capital of Portugal. It has a well-preserved old town and a profusion of historic monuments and art treasures.

The historic town has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to the examples of architecture ranging from the 15th to the 19th centuries. Most of the tourist sights are within a demarcated tourist zone that stretches from Guimarães Castle in the north on the hill and then south in a cluster of cobbled streets and squares.

Town life revolves around the Praça Toural, lined with shops, houses and banks and the beginning of the town's main shopping street, the Rua de S. António, but tourists tend to be drawn more towards the picturesque old town, with its imposing granite houses. Many have wrought iron balconies, smothered with flowers and the finest are to be found in the Rua de Santa Maria. The big draw of the city tends to be up on the hill where Guimarães Castle and the Palace of the Dukes of Bragança stand.

The seven-towered castle has a fantastic strategic viewpoint overlooking Guimarães and the hilly, terraced countryside around.

Braga is the spiritual home of the country with thirty-five churches chiming across the city. There is a rich cultural heritage marked by impressive religious festivals and architecture. Everywhere in the old town visitors will encounter fine old burghers' houses and noble mansions built of granite in an imposing style characteristic of this city.

A good place to start exploring the centre of Braga is the Praça da República in the centre of the old town.

Another interesting site is the Paço Episcopal, formed by three buildings built between the 14th and 17th centuries, housing one of the largest libraries in Portugal. The 14th-century Torre de Menagem in the city’s square, which is all that remains of the original fortifications and the Senhora de Sameiro, which is the third most visited pilgrim location in Portugal.

The Cathedral was built in Romanesque style in the 11th century and was enriched with Manueline sculptures in the 14th century, the Misericórdia Church built in Italian Renaissance style during the 16th century, Santa Cruz that features a rococo façade, São João de Souto dating back to the 18th century and the Capela da Conceição from the 16th century.

The Bom Jesus sanctuary is a notable example of a pilgrimage site with a monumental, Baroque stairway that climbs 116 metres (381 feet). As the pilgrims climb the stairs, they encounter a theological programme. The Baroque steps, dotted with chapels, fountains and statues, symbolize the Fourteen Stations of the Cross. The culmination of the effort is the temple of God, the church on the top of the hill.

Entrance Fees Included:

Donjon Tower, Palace of the Dukes of Bragança, Braga Cathedral