Things to do in Braga
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Cozinha da Sé
Contemporary artwork hangs from the exposed stone walls at this handsome Braga newcomer. Sé serves traditional, high-quality dishes (including one vegetarian selection), with flavourful standouts liked baked bacalhau (dried salt-cod) and açorda de marisco (seafood stew in bread bowl).
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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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Café Astória
Set beneath a grand old portico, with tables on the plaza, Café Astória has a diverse menu of salads, pastas, grilled meats and seafood. Daily lunch specials (€8) are better value than the mains. The upstairs bar and dining room (with veranda seating) opens from 7pm to 2am.
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Taperia Palatu
A Spanish/Portuguese couple serves up delectable Spanish tapas and classic Portuguese dishes in a pleasantly minimalist dining room or the airy courtyard in front. Top picks include gambas ao olho (grilled shrimp), secretos de porco preto (wild boar) and grilled calamari.
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Adega Lusitana
This new restaurant has a traditionally decorated dining room, a wine bar and a lush outdoor patio. Tapas, trusty bacalhau dishes and wild boar are among the varied offerings. Saturday nights feature live fado (reservations recommended), with DJs spinning some other nights.
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O Alexandre
A handsomely appointed dining room sets the stage for the top-notch cuisine at one of Braga’s best Portuguese restaurants. Grilled meats, bacalhau com nata (baked codfish) and an excellent cabrito assado (roasted kid) are particularly recommended.
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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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Theatro Circo de Braga
One of the most dazzling theatres in the country reopened in late 2006 following a lengthy restoration. Inside the grand fin de siècle building, you can catch concerts, theatre and dance, with offerings ranging from the staid to the truly avant-garde.
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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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Anjo Verde
Braga’s best vegetarian restaurant serves up generous, elegantly presented plates in a lovely, airy dining room with ancient stone walls splashed with colour. Vegetarian lasagne, soy burgers and vegetable tarts are among the tasty selections.
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Espaço Cultural
Just north of the Praça da República, this youthful new arts space hosts exhibitions, concerts, film screenings and other cultural fare. There’s also a shop selling fair-trade items and a cafe where you can linger over a bite or a drink.
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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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Livraria Café
Tucked inside the bookshop Centésima Página, this charming cafe serves a changing selection of tasty quiches (tomato with camembert, broccoli and brie) along with salads and desserts. Has outdoor tables in the pleasantly rustic garden.
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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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Retiro da Primavera
Fortifying yourself before your long bus journey? Avoid the bus terminal's café and nip round the corner to this unpretentious place serving a bigger choice of good-value, standard Portuguese fare.
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Colinatrum Café
On a hill overlooking the countryside, this airy cafe is a fine meeting spot for a coffee or sunset cocktail. From the outdoor terrace, you’ll have a splendid view of Bom Jesus do Monte.
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Gosto Superior
Keen to prove to the Portuguese that vegetarianism is much more than eating lettuce with their beef, this restaurant serves imaginative, meat-free dishes in a trendy, chilled environment.
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Taberna Do Felix
Situated near the Arco da Porta Nova, this attractive country-style tavern prepares unusual Franco-Portuguese dishes; try the tapas or delicious pataiscas (fish fritters).
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Restaurante A Ceia
This locally popular, easy-going adega (wine tavern) has highly recommended Minho specialities such as alheira, a light, garlicky sausage of poultry or game.
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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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