Introduction to Braga, Portugal

BRAGA is Portugal's religious capital – the scene of spectacular Easter celebrations with torchlight processions. You won't be able to miss the Archbishop's Palace, a great fortress-like building, right at the centre of the old town. Nearby is the Sé, which, like the palace, encompasses Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles. Founded in 1070, its south doorway is a survival from this earliest building; its most striking element, however, is the intricate ornamentation of the roofline. A guided tour of the interior (daily 9am–1pm & 2–6.30pm; cathedral free, museum and Capela dos Reis €2) takes you through three Gothic chapels, of which the outstanding specimen is the Capela dos Reis (King's Chapel), built to house the tombs of Henry of Burgundy and his wife Teresa, the cathedral's founders. The Art Deco tourist office (Mon–Fri 9am–12.30pm & 2–6.30pm, Sat & Sun closes at 5.30pm; tel 253 262 550) is at the corner of Praça da República. A hotel offering excellent value is the Pensão Francfort, Avda. Central 1–7 (tel 253 262 648; £10–20/$16–32 [€15–29]). Braga's well-equipped hostel is at Rua Santa Margarida 6 (tel 253 616 163; £10–20/$16–32 [€15–29]), off Avenida Central; the campsite (tel 253 273 355) is a two-kilometre walk along the Guimarães road, but is very cheap and right next to the municipal swimming pool. Churrasqueira Lareira do Conde, Praça Conde de Agrolongo, serves reasonably priced, quality food in generous quantities, as does the Restaurante Moçambicana at Rua Andrade Corvo 8, one of several excellent cheap restaurants grouped around the Arco da Porta Nova. By far the best of the old coffee houses is the mahogany-panelled Café Astória, Praça da Republica.

The glorious ornamental stairway of Bom Jesus, 3km outside Braga, is one of Portugal's best-known images. Set on a wooded hillside, high above the city, it's a monumental place of pilgrimage created by Braga's archbishop in the early eighteenth century. Buses run from in front of the Cristal Farmácia on Avda. da Liberdade in Braga to the foot of the stairway about every thirty minutes at weekends, when half the city piles up there to picnic. If you resist the temptation of the funicular (€1) and climb up the stairway, Bom Jesus's simple allegory unfolds. Each landing has a fountain: the first symbolizes the wounds of Christ, the next five the Senses, and the final three represent the Virtues. At each corner are chapels with mouldering wooden tableaux of the life of Christ, leading to the Crucifixion at the altar of the church. Beyond are wooded gardens, grottoes and miniature boating pools, and several cheap, lively restaurants.

Information by Rough Guides

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