Sights in Braga
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Cathedral
Braga’s extraordinary cathedral is the oldest in Portugal, begun when the archdiocese was restored in 1070 (probably on the ruins of a mosque) and completed in the following century. It’s a rambling complex made up of differing styles, and architectural buffs could spend half a day happily distinguishing the Romanesque bones from Manueline musculature and baroque frippery. The original Romanesque style is the most interesting and survives in the cathedral’s overall shape, the southern entrance and the marvellous west portal, which is carved with scenes from the medieval legend of Reynard the Fox (now sheltered inside a Gothic porch).
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Archaeological Museum
The new archaeological museum houses a nicely displayed collection of fragments from Braga’s earliest days. The four rooms feature pieces from Palaeolithic times (arrowheads, funerary objects and ceramics) through the days of Roman rule (when Braga was known as Bracara Augusta) and on up to the period dominated by the Suevi-Visigoth kingdom (5th through 7th centuries). The most fascinating pieces are the huge miliários (milestones), carved with Latin inscriptions, that marked the Roman roads. There is also a section of mosaic flooring recovered from a local site, which dates from the 1st century AD.
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Municipal Museum
An 18th-century aristocrat’s palace is now home to the enthusiastic municipal museum, with a nice collection of Roman relics and 17th- to 19th-century pottery and furnishings. The palace itself is the reason to come, with its polychrome, chestnut-panelled ceilings and 18th-century azulejos depicting hunting scenes. The ground floor is paved with deeply ribbed flagstones on which carriages would have once rattled through to the stables. The mazelike gardens at the rear also warrant a visit.
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Antigo Paço Episcopal
Facing the cathedral is the severe Antigo Paço Episcopal. Begun in the 14th century and enlarged in the 17th and 18th centuries, it’s now home to university offices and the municipal library. A heavily carved, painted and gilded ceiling looks down on the library’s computer room; this and the azulejos lining the main stairway are well worth a peek.
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Jardim de Santa Bárbara
Outside the spiky-topped, medieval north wing of the Archbishop's Palace is the 17th-century square known as Jardim de Santa Bárbara, with narrow paths picking their way through a sea of flowers and topiary. On sunny days, the adjacent pedestrianised streets Rua Justino Cruz and Rua Francisco Sanches fill with buskers and café tables.
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Praça da República
A wonderful spot for bench-sitting or coffee-drinking in the sun, the broad Praça da República is the ideal place to start or finish your day. An especially mellow atmosphere descends in the evening, when coloured lights spring up and people of all ages congregate to enjoy the night air.
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Estádio Municipal de Braga
Home to Braga's football team, Sporting Clube de Braga, the city's 30,000-seat Estádio Municipal de Braga is 2km north of the centre off the northbound EN 101; you can buy match tickets at the team shop in the Centro Comercial Galeries do Bingo on Avenida da Liberdade.
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Arco da Porta Nova
West of the old centre on Rua Dom Diogo de Sousa, the diminutive but elegant, 18th-century Arco da Porta Nova once served as the city's main gate. It bears the ostentatious coat of arms of the archbishop who commissioned it, Dom José de Bragança.
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Câmara Municipal
At the western end of neighbouring Praça do Município, Braga's Câmara Municipal sports one of Portugal's finest baroque façades, designed by André Soares da Silva. It's closed to the public, but worth seeing from the outside.
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Casa Do Raio
An extroverted work by André Soares da Silva is the Casa do Raio, its rococo face covered in azulejos. It is closed to the public, but still worth seeing from the outside.
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Torre de Menagem
The square-shaped, crenellated tower behind the cafes is the walled-up Torre de Menagem, which is all that survives of a fortified medieval palace.
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Termas Romanas
A short walk from the museum are the Termas Romanas, ruins of an extensive bathing complex dating from the 2nd century AD.
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