Braga Travel Guide

Braga is the home of Portugal’s Archbishops. It is hardly surprising that there are many churches here to see, as well as the palace of the Archbishop dating from the 14-th century. But there are also many remains going back to per christian times, when the town was one of the more important ones on the Iberian peninsula.

The 14th Century Torre de Menagem that stands in the City’s square is all that remains of the original fortifications. The much altered and extended 12th Century Cathedral was built on the site of an older church destroyed in the 6th Century. Another important sight is the 16th Century Palácio dos Biscainhos.

Just east of the town is one of Portugal’s most famous tourist attraction, the Igreja de Bom Jesus de Monte. It is an impressive Baroque staircase symbolic of the 14 Stations of the Cross that leads upwards to a late 18th Century Church. Ornately carved figures and wall-fountains and Chapels decorate the steps according to the various stages of Christ’s last journey. You can either climb up or take a small funicular railway dating from 1882 that runs-up alongside the steps.