O Norte - Northern Portugal
- Will Gerson
- Aug 31, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 18
Braga
Founded by the Roman emperor Augustus in 16 BC, Braga is one of Portugal’s oldest cities, and its historic center offers a magnificent array of perfectly preserved buildings, some among the oldest in the country. Highlights include:
Sé de Braga
Braga’s cathedral, constructed in the 12th century, is the oldest in Portugal. With much of the peninsula under Muslim control at that time, the cathedral was arguably the most important religious site in Iberia, and its archdiocese was very influential in the papal court. Originally built in the Romanesque style, subsequent modifications have left it with an eclectic mix of Gothic, Moorish, manueline, and baroque elements as well.
Other buildings of interest in the historic center are the Capela e Casa dos Coimbras, Palácio do Raio, and the Igreja de São Marcos.
Santuário do Bom Jesus do Monte
Perched high above the city on top of Mount Espinho is the sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte, a simply stunning creation that has for centuries been an important Christian pilgrimage site. The sanctuary consists of a monumental stairway leading up 381 feet (116 m) to a grand Baroque church. As you make your way up the stairs, be sure to look back and enjoy the spectacular view of Braga and the Minho valley beyond.
Santuário de Nossa Senhora do Sameiro
Continue down the road beyond Bom Jesus do Monte and you will find another grand hilltop church, this one dating to the latter half of the 19th century. It offers an even more expansive panorama over the valley.
Guimarães
As the home of the country’s first king, Afonso I, Guimarães stakes its claim as the birthplace of Portugal. After all, it was here where the aforementioned prince claimed victory in the decisive Battle of São Mamede in 1128, securing independence for the County of Portugal from the Kingdom of Galicia, which at that time occupied the whole of the northwest of the Iberian peninsula. Today, Guimarães has a beautifully preserved medieval historic center, complete with a 10th-century castle built to defend against attacks from the Moors and the Norsemen.
Viana do Castelo
The main attraction here is certainly the spectacular Basílica de Santa Luzia, a mountaintop domed sanctuary built at the beginning of the 20th century in the style of Romanesque-Byzantine revival. Its rose windows are among the largest in Europe, and its stunning location provides a sweeping view far down the Atlantic coast.
Douro Valley
Enjoy awe-inspiring views across this rugged, mountainous landscape as you follow the twists and turns of the Douro river at the bottom of the deep valley below you. Home to the grapes that produce world-famous port wine, the Alto Douro region has been a center of wine-making for over 2,000 years. In towns like Pinhão, you can see the vineyards built along the steep hillsides leading down to the river, where the grapes are grown before traveling downstream to Porto, where they are aged and bottled as port. This is without a doubt one of the most visually-stunning regions in Portugal; stop for a particularly breathtaking view at the Miradouro do Carrascalinho.
Take a slight detour from following the path of the river to visit the town of Lamego and its stunning Santuário de Nossa Senhora dos Remédios, a hilltop shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Make your way up the 686-step Baroque staircase, or simply drive to the top to enjoy the ornate beauty of the Rococo sanctuary and its gardens.
