Northern Portugal
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Northern Portugal - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
Sort by:
9 Recommendations
{{numTotalPoiResults}} {{ (numTotalPoiResults===1)?'Recommendation':'Recommendations' }}
0 Recommendations
Loading...
-
1. Citânia de Briteiros
About 10 km (6 miles) northwest of Guimarães you'll find these fascinating remains of a Celtic citânia (hill settlement). It dates to around 300 BC and was probably not abandoned until AD 300, making it one of the last Celtic strongholds against the Romans in Portugal, although its residents are now thought to have become gradually romanized. The walls and foundations of 150 huts and a meeting house have been excavated (two of the huts have been reconstructed to show their original size). The site was excavated in the late 19th century by Dr. Martins Sarmento, namesake of a must-see museum in Guimarães where most of the finds from Briteiros were transferred. You can also visit the smaller Museu da Cultura Castreja, housed in Sarmento's 19th-century family home, in the village of São Salvador de Briteiros, down below the Citânia. Local bus company Guimabus serves Briteiros several times daily from downtown Guimaraes, then it's less than 10 minutes on foot to the museum or a 2.5 km (1.5 miles) hike up to the Citânia.
Estrada Nacional 153, Km 55, Guimarães, Braga, 4805-448, Portugal253 478 952-for guided visitsSight Details
Rate Includes: €3, includes admission to Museu da Cultura Castreja, Closed Mon. Nov.–Mar. -
2. Castelo de Guimarães and Paço dos Duques
This castle was built (or at least reconstructed from earlier remains) in the 11th century by Henry of Burgundy; his son, Afonso Henriques, was born within its great battlements and flanking towers. Standing high on a solid rock base above the town, the castle has been superbly preserved. A path leads down from its walls to the tiny Romanesque Capela de São Miguel, the chapel traditionally said to be where Afonso Henriques was baptized—in fact it was built well after his death, although the baptismal font may be older. The ticket office is in the neighboring Paço dos Duques, former palace of the Dukes of Bragança, which may also be visited. It was built in the 15th century but has been irretrievably altered; in 1959 it became the official residence in the North of Portugal's president, but is normally open to the public, with impressive displays of tapestries, furniture, ceramics, paintings and weapons.
View Tours and ActivitiesRua Conde Dom Henrique 3, Guimarães, Braga, 4810–412, Portugal253 412 273Sight Details
Rate Includes: €2; €6 joint ticket with Paço dos Duques -
3. Centro Internacional das Artes José de Guimarães
Locally born artist José de Guimarães is known for his often large, colorful creations and love of art from other continents. This huge arts center, inaugurated in 2021, showcases not only a representative selection of his own works but also his large collection of African, pre-Columbian, and ancient Chinese art. A focus on the relationships between contemporary art and these traditions often features in the always stimulating temporary exhibitions.
Av. Conde de Margaride 175, Guimarães, Braga, 4810-525, Portugal253 424 715Sight Details
Rate Includes: €4, Closed Mon. -
4. Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Consolação e Santos Passos
One of Portugal's prettiest baroque churches, the slim Church of Our Lady of Consolation and the Holy Steps rises up at the end of a long, elegant formal garden. Begun in the 18th century, the building was topped by two pointed towers almost a century later. The steps and balustrade were added at about the same time. The interior is impressively neoclassical. The exterior is especially magical at Christmastime, when every inch of its facade is adorned with decorative lights.
Largo da República do Brasil, Guimarães, Braga, 4810-446, Portugal253 416 310Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
5. Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Oliveira
This church in the delightful square Largo da Oliveira was founded in the 10th century to commemorate one of the city's most enduring legends. Wamba, elected king of the Visigoths in the 7th century, refused the honor and thrust his olive-branch staff into the earth, declaring that only if the stick were to blossom would he accept the crown—whereupon it promptly sprouted foliage. In the square in front of the church, an odd 14th-century Gothic canopy sheltering a cross marks the supposed spot. The square is now surrounded by charming cafés.
Largo da Oliveira, Guimarães, Braga, 4810-281, Portugal253 416 144Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
-
6. Igreja de São Francisco
The Old Town's streets peter out at the southern end of Guimarães in the Almeida da Liberdade, a swath of gardens whose benches and cafés are often full. Here the stunning Igreja de São Francisco has a chancel decorated with 18th-century azulejos depicting the life of the saint. The church also has a fine Renaissance cloister. The complex now houses a home for the elderly, but both chapels are open to visitors.
Largo de São Francisco, Guimarães, Braga, 4810-245, Portugal253 439 850Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Closed Mon. -
7. Museu da Sociedade Martins Sarmento
At the top of the Largo do Toural is this excellent archaeological museum contained within the cloister of the the Igreja de São Domingos. The museum has rich finds from the Celtic settlement of Citânia de Briteiros northwest of Guimarães, which makes it a logical stop before or after visiting the site. There are also Lusitanian and Roman stone sarcophagi, a strange miniature bronze chariot, various weapons, and elaborate ornaments. Two finds stand out: the decorative, carved stone slabs known as the pedras formosas (beautiful stones)—one of which was found at a funerary monument at Briteiros—and the huge, prehistoric granite Colossus of Pedralva, a figure of brutal power thought to have been used in ancient fertility rites.
Rua Paio Galvão 66, Guimarães, Braga, 4814-509, Portugal253 415 969Sight Details
Rate Includes: €3, Closed Mon. -
8. Museu de Alberto Sampaio
The beautifully preserved convent buildings surrounding the Colegiada de Nossa Senhora da Oliveira house this museum, known for its beautiful displays of religious art, medieval statuary, and coats of arms. The highlight is a 14th-century silver triptych of the Nativity that's full of animation and power. It's said to have been captured from the king of Castile at the Battle of Aljubarrota and presented to the victorious Dom João I, whose tunic, worn at the battle, is preserved in a glass case nearby.
Rua Alfredo Guimarães, Guimarães, Braga, 4800–407, Portugal253 423 910Sight Details
Rate Includes: €3, Closed Mon. -
9. Teleférico de Guimarães
For sweeping views of the town, board this cable car that whisks you up to the top of Mount Penha in 10 minutes. The journey ends with a nice view from the gardens that overlook the city. The climb down is steep, so buy a round-trip ticket.
Rua Aristides Sousa Mendes 37, Guimarães, Braga, 4810-025, Portugal253 515 085Sight Details
Rate Includes: €4 one way, €7.50 round-trip
-
{{ (numCurrentPage-1)*numPageLimit+index+1 }}.
{{ item.neighborhood }} | {{ item.first_keyword }}{{ item.review }}
{{ item.address }}{{ item.phone[0] }}{{ item.details.title }} Details
{{ item.details.content.toString() }}View Tours and Activities -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
No sights Results
Please try a broader search, or expore these popular suggestions:
There are no results for {{ strDestName }} Sights in the searched map area with the above filters. Please try a different area on the map, or broaden your search with these popular suggestions:
