First we had a full bus where there was not one empty seat. Unfortunately, I was forced to sit at the very last row of the bus behind the emergency exit row. That left me with no space for my legs. I’m 6ft2 in (188cm) and I was uncomfortable during the whole ride. The visit to the Bragar cathedral as it was far from the picture shown. Our guide had to do two languages and was trying to keep up interest but at times it was hard to do because of the size of the group. Many times he started the explanation before we got to the site ( remember I was in the back of the bus) and couldn’t understand what he was saying or explaining. For future tours, Living Tours should show if the tour is in two languages. They should never fill the bus to its capacity when you have to do long rides at it leaves people uncomfortable during the ride and also loose interest. Overall, this tour could have been much more interesting. I didn’t feel I had the value I paid for!
About Activity
What's Included
Includes
- Transportation on a comfortable air-conditioned minibus
- Porto City Walking Tour (available from the day after your experience)
- Entrance to Bom Jesus Sanctuary
- Walking Tour in Guimarães: UNESCO World Heritage since 2001
- Professional tour guide specialized on the destination
- Admission Ticket at Guimarães Castle - if selected
- Admission ticket at Braga's Cathedral - if selected
Excludes
- Gratuities
- Personal expenses
- Hotel Pick Up and Drop Off
- Lunch
Departure & Return
Departure Point
- Meeting Point: Calçada da Vandoma, Porto – just next to Porto Cathedral (Sé do Porto). Look out for our friendly staff dressed in red and clearly identified with Living Tours. They’ll be ready to check you in and introduce you to your guide for the tour.
Return
- Rua de Alexandre Herculano (next to Praça da Batalha)
Itinerary
You will meet you guide at our Meeting Point near S. Bento Train Station and he will drive you to Braga, our first stop. On your way to the Minho Region, your guide will give you insights regarding the Portuguese history, development and cultural facts of portuguese heritage.
Famous for religious reasons but also for its architecture, the famous staircase and being the cause of the vertical tram, an amazing piece of 19th century engineering. This was the first of its kind to be installed in Portugal in 1882 and still uses its water powered system to power the 300 meter ramp in just 3min. The church was built by Carlos Amarante, who gave it an Italian-inspired neo-classical design that harmoniously blends into the landscape of northern Portugal. The staircase leading to the top contains 17 landings adorned with symbolic fountains, allegorical statues, and Baroque-style decorations along themes: Stations of the Cross, Five Senses, the Virtues, Moses receiving the Commandments and at the top, the eight biblical figures that contributed to Jesus' condemnation. Any visitor must take in the view from the bottom of the staircase. Facing up are the ornate granite fountains on the various landings and the white chalice-like outline on which the church itself "sits".
The first cathedral, older than Portugal. The Cathedral of Braga was the first Portuguese cathedral, erected several decades before the founding of the country. It began to be built at the end of the 11th century, and was concecrated and dedicated to the Virgin Mary by Bishop Pedro in a solemn session on August 28, 1089. Competing in power with the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela and is the jewel of the city. D. Henrique and D. Teresa, parents of the first king of Portugal, are buried in the Chapel of Kings.
It's now time for a break. Enjoy some free time to explore Braga at your own pace or grab a bite to eat. Discover the city's charming streets, shops, and local attractions.
Afterwards, we will go on a short drive to Guimarães: Is considered the birthplace of Portugal because Afonso Henriques, who went on to be the first king of Portugal, was born here.
The castle´s presence evokes the exciting mixture of legend, poetry and heroism that surrounds the beginning of Portuguese history. On this Monte Largo (Broad Hill), the nucleus of the future nation of Portugal was first developed. In circa 968, Mumadona, the countess of Galicia, ordered a castle to be built on this site, where the population could seek refuge from the constant attacks unleashed upon them by the hordes of Vikings, who arrived by sea from the north of Europe, and the Muslims, who made raids from the territories that they occupied to the south. On taking over the governorship of the province known as Portucalense from his father-in-law, Alfonso VI of León, Count Henry ordered another larger and more solid construction to be built. This represented the beginning of the important defensive structure that we can now see today, dominated by the square keep that stands between the four towers guarding each of the four corners of the walls. Although this is not strictly documented, it is very likely that the building that stands against the inner part of the northern wall was the residence of Count Henry and the birthplace of his son Afonso Henriques, the first king of Portugal.
The small church of S. Miguel do Castelo was built in the 13th century. However, according to tradition, this church would have been built in the 12th century by Count Dom Henrique (Henry of Burgundy), where he would have baptised his son, the 1st King of Portugal Dom Afonso Henriques. Of Romanic style and reduced dimensions, this church reveals great simplicity in terms of decoration. Inside, under the floor of this church lie buried the great warriors of the nation’s founding period.
The historical centre in the area that was within the Guimarães city walls, is associated with the formation and identity of Portugal, and was classified a World Heritage site based on the originality and authenticity applied in its restoration. The city still has a harmonious, well-preserved heritage that is evident in the graceful iron verandas, granite balconies and porticos, mansions, arches connecting the narrow streets, paving slabs smoothed by time, towers and cloisters. For a moment you might imagine yourself to be in a mediaeval setting, where the nobility built their houses over time, such as the Mota Prego house, the Vila Flor and Toural palaces, and the many others that give Guimarães its unique atmosphere.
Language Offered
Additional Info
Cancellation Policy
Reviews
Mario was wonderful. Talked a lot.... very knowledgeable. We had a private tour and he shared many stories, history, lore and information. Adaptable and helpful.
Didn't start well because I came from the cathedral area and had to go back because the meeting point was changed. It should have been included in the instructions because going back to the cathedral was an uphill walk. The tour itself was very good. It gave an overview of both Braga and Guomaraes. Efficient guide (Pedro Costa and driver Bruno), and everything in the schedule was followed.
Our guide was Pedro Costa and Bruno - they were amazing and lovely to have. The tour was explained brilliantly as first time visitor in Portugal. Amazing Experience and duration of the tour.
Excellent Tour! Professional & Friendly Guide Cubet & Driver Jacl
Fantastic trip in Braga and Guimaraes with a great guide Cuber and the driver Joel thanks for all
We had a fantastic experience on today’s tour! Our guide was incredibly friendly, knowledgeable, and professional. Everything was well-organized, and the guide made the entire trip enjoyable with interesting explanations and a great sense of humor. We really appreciated the effort and enthusiasm throughout the day. It was definitely one of the highlights of our trip to Portugal. Highly recommended!
Excellent multilingual guide who is very knowledgeable and patient. He made everyone feel comfortable.
The tour was excellent!! Tania, our guide, was very knowledgeable about the history of the places we visited, and Ana, our driver, was very responsible behind the wheel; she kept the bus at a comfortable temperature and played pleasant music. I recommend this tour 100%.
Thank you, Cuber and Joel, for such a wonderful tour! You were both incredibly friendly, welcoming and knowledgeable. I really appreciated your positive energy, kindness and passion throughout the experience. You made the tour even more enjoyable. Highly recommended!
Excellent guide, very good information. Well worth getting out of Porto. Braga etc so different and an insight into Portuguese culture, history and life.
Cuber , good guide , he is friendly and knowledgeable
The tour organizers were not organized at all from the morning, the tour guide was not in the mood to go for the tour and it was a total mess. The places that we have visit were amazing but without proper and talented person you will not gonna to enjoy it. My top advice for anyone who is booking such trips, to make sure it’s in his language because if it’s in more than one language, there will lots of time wasting and kind of annoying since you don’t understand other languages.
Bruno O explains everything well. I really enjoy the tour.
Diego and Andre Silvio were amazing. This tour was exceptional, I’d book again and recommend to anyone. The tour guides were very informative and knowledgeable. Very patient and fun. Every place we went, we had plenty of time to sight see, and wonder off on our own. Thanks guys!
Diego and Andre S. were great. Got everyone on time and quickly. Diego knew a lot and everything asked. All the stops were good. Able to see them all with enough time. Would’ve preferred to go into the main castle, but they said it takes many hours to see everything. More bathroom stops would also be appreciated. Overall great price for experience.
Very good experience, it's a pleasant day trip from Porto to Braga and Guimaraes, lasting around 9 hours. Our tour guide Cuber and the driver Ruy were very nice. I recommend it, you get to see quite a few nice places and get to know the Portoguese culture a little bit more.
Our guide was great, she gave very detailed history for each site. I have learned a lot today.
The guide was very knowledgable and helpful. Gave enough time for lunch and exploring. Highly recommend this trip.
The tour guides Cuber and Rui were very knowledgeable and friendly.
Anabela and Marcia were very accommodating guides. Anabela delivered the tour brilliantly in both English and French and gave us enough time to wander about the town centres to get a proper feel for ourselves after the structured parts of the tour.
Very interesting tour, we learned a lot about Portugal and the history of the country. Our guide Anabela was informative and made our trip more than just a set seeing tour, with her stories and facts. Plenty of stops for refreshments etc between points of interest.
It was an amazing tour through Braga & Guimaraes, Tania has an amazing knowledge and tell the stories very clear and interesting. She transmited the knowledge in a funny way to all of us, congratulations as well to the driver George. Many good moments I assure you with this tour. Congratulations!
Our guide Anabela was very knowledgeable and did full justice for her job.enjoyed the tour though rain played a spoilsport.our driver Marcia was very smooth in her driving.good tour .they even provided umbrellas for those who didnt have.highly recommend it.
A nice tour to get an overview of the Minho Region of Portugal. Anabela was a great and funny guide, and Márcia drove us expectedly. Thanks!
An excellent trip! The journey was fast and comfortable thanks to Marlon's driving. Simone was an amazing guide—highly professional, engaging, and funny. It was an unforgettable adventure, and I can't wait to return to Braga. Thank you, Simone and Marlon!
Very enjoyable trip! The guide was very knowledgeable and easy to understand. Simone was very personable. I would recommend this trip!
This is the best day trip with a guide in Portugal. Simone Is our guide who is very knowledgeable and patient. She speaks excellent English. Our driver Marlon who is a smooth driver. We enjoy our trip to Braga and Guimaraes.
Simone was a great guide and shared a lot of knowledge. Well presented even when part of a dual lingo tour. Full of historic information and a bit of humor. Marlon was a patient driver with several delays due to lost or delayed passengers.
Simone and Marlin were wonderful. The pace was perfect. Her explanations for all the sites were very thorough. Simone certainly knows her history. Even walking with a cane, the tour was manageable. Simone brought the history to life.
The group was too big and the guide didn’t use a microphone and we couldn’t hear half of what was being said.
Simone and Bruno were excellent. Simone was very knowledgeable and explained the history of Braga and Guimaraes. There was plenty of free time. We enjoyed the tour and recommend it to others.
Carlos made the entire trip enjoyable, he was knowledgable, amusing, organised and spoke excellent English. What a lovely guy. There were a few issues however with pick up and departure 25 mins late. The bus wasn’t available at the pick up like the other busses, we had to walk to meet our bus, not ideal, caused our delayed departure 🥴 When I booked the tour I was told it would English speaking, which it was but, also in Spanish for half of the guests. This meant much time stood waiting while explaining in both languages. Unfortunately, when Carlos was explaining in English, a Spanish group talked through his explanation, which was both annoying and bad mannered. It meant i couldn’t clearly hear what Carlos was saying so missed some information, not great😵 We had to wait for the same Spanish people who were late arriving after our lunch stop, also annoying but not Carlos fault. But overs it meant the trip due to delays was 45 mins shorter than planned. I would book again but only for an English only speaking tour. Many, many thanks to Carlos and George our safe driver 🙏
It was a very nice experince to see the beautiful places in Braga and guimares.😍😍 giod job and keep it up👍👍👍
Amazing tour! Josè is a great guide - I highly recommend the tour. Braga and Guimaraes are both lovely. I really want to go back to Braga some day. The only thing I suggest is maybe giving the guide a microphone. There were times it was hard to hear with all the hustle and bustle of the city happening.
Carlos was wonderful knowledgeable on all the sites seen. Good free time at both sites and got a lot out of this tour that I wouldn’t have in outlets own!
Carlos & George, enjoyed the trip
Our guide was Anabela and she is very knowledgeable about the places we visited. She explained us the history about Braga and Guimaraes and we had a great day.
The trip was great and seeing a UNESCO site was beautiful. The guide needed to give us ear phones because it was difficult with his low voice hearing since there was about 25 people.
The places were fascinating but the tours were very quick and there wasn't much life to the facts. Lots of dates and names but that didn't bring the places to life.
I went on a tour to Braga and Guimara with my two daughters and we had an amazing time. The tour was with Simone (guide) and Bruno (driver). Simone was very knowledgable and always able to answer our questions. We enjoyed how Simone pointed out the best places to have local cuisine. Our favourite spots were the castle and the oldest church in Portugal!
Great day with Simone & Bruno. Lots of interesting historical stories, not just of the places we visited, but of Portugal as a whole. Great way to wrap up our trip to Portugal!
Perfect guide Simone explained everything perfectly ! Braga and Guimaraes are really worth visiting and Simone did it really great in english AND in french !
Very interesting, very beautiful, the tour guider Simone was very pleasant and sweet. She also had very good English so we were able to understand everything she said ,unlike other guides.
Very nice excursion - clear instructions for pick up and drop off. Enjoyed seeing everything we saw and listening to the guide. Very knowledgeable guide.
A really interesting day out learning about Portuguese history and visiting some beautiful places. Our guide Anabela and driver Joel were very friendly and knowledgeable.
Excellent tour—Anabela and Joel were friendly, knowledgeable, and made the day unforgettable!
We absolutely loved our tour of Braga and Guimarães! Bom Jesus was a highlight, and the magnificent staircase was truly amazing. We also enjoyed strolling through the charming medieval towns and visiting the beautiful, magnificent churches. Our guide, Simone, was friendly, knowledgeable, and incredibly informative. She did a wonderful job explaining what to expect throughout the day and sharing great recommendations for exploring the towns. Her love for Portugal really shone through and made the entire experience that much more enjoyable. Marlon, our bus driver, made the journey smooth and comfortable, and the bus was clean and well-maintained. We highly recommend this tour to anyone wanting to experience the history, beauty, and charm of Braga and Guimarães!
We spent a bit of time at each place we visited, but got a nice taste of the places. The guide, Symone, was knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful. I particularly appreciated the local food specialties recommended. The driver, Merlon, got us there and back safely! It was an enjoyable day and the weather was perfect. My only suggestion is to spend less free time in old town Braga and more free time in old town Guimaraes (more interesting). I would have liked to sit at a table and enjoy a drink and pastel but only had a half hour to walk around.
The experience is interesting. The sriver Marlow and the guide Simone were very, very informative, pleasant and helpful people. The atmosphere was historically. We visit Braga and Gimaraes.
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