Braga

Introducing Braga

Known as the Rome of Portugal, Braga’s compact centre is packed with splendid baroque churches. Baroque churches, and the clamouring of their bells, are a constant reminder of who’s in charge here. Indeed, Braga has been a religious power centre since the conversion of the Visigoths in the 6th century. Its cathedral –built in the 12th century as Portugal was still being wrestled from the Moors – is the oldest in Portugal.

The hand of God even extends beyond the city to the area’s biggest attraction, the hillside sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte, just to the east.

But don’t come expecting piety alone: the pedestrian streets of the compact centre are lively with cafés and worldly concerns, and students from the Universidade do Minho add much youthful leavening.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009