Private tours by limousine in Oporto & surroundings
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Guimarães, Braga - full day
Personalized booking
Program
Guimarães - As the first capital of Portugal, Guimarães is known as the place where the country was born -
"The Cradle City". This is were the first king of Portugal, Afonso Henriques, was born. It has been
designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its significance in Portugal's history and the architecture
ranging from 15-19th centuries. Most of the tourist attractions are found in the pedestrianised old town.
The big draw of the city tends to be up on the hill where Guimaraes Castle and the Palace of the Dukes of
Braganca are located. The seven towered castle has a fantastic strategic viewpoint overlooking Guimaraes
and the hilly, terraced countryside around. Built in around 1100 it is still amazingly intact. This is one of the
most fun places where you scramble all over the ramparts.
In complete contrast just down the hill is the 15th century Palace of the Dukes of Braganca. This is a
massive and imposing building with distinctive turrets and brick chimneys. It was built in 1401 by the first
Duke of Braganca. It was sumptuously restored during the Salazar dictatorship.
The rest of the attractions are clustered together around the old town which you can reach by heading
downhill. Strolling around the medieval quarter you get an idea for the medieval street layout which is lined
with historic buildings everywhere you look. Don't miss Rua Santa Maria, Guimaraes' first street and the
ancient route from Mumadona's monastery to the castle. Largo da Oliveira and Praca de Santiago are the
central points within the old town. Rua Dom Joao I was the old road to Porto and is very picturesque being
lined with balconied houses.
Braga - The region of Braga has been inhabited since pre-historic times. The Romans began their
conquest of the region around 136 BC, and during the times of Emperor Augustus (around the year 20 BC)
the city of Bracara Augusta was founded in the context of the administrative needs of the new Roman
territory. The Sueves chose Bracara as capital. But about 485 it passed into the hands of the Visigothic
conquerors and marks the origin of its ecclesiastical greatness. Braga had an important role in the
Christianisation of the Iberian Peninsula. From the Moors, who captured Braga early in the 8th century, the
city was retaken in 1040 by king Ferdinand I of Castile and Leon. From 1093 to 1147 it was the residence
of the Portuguese court.
The mediaeval city develops around the cathedral and covers only a fraction of the ancient Roman city.
Another golden age for the city was the 18th century, in which archibishops and architects like André
Soares and Carlos Amarante dotted the city and surrounding region with beautiful baroque churches and
civil buildings.
The Cathedral of Braga is one of the most important monuments in the city of Braga, in Northern Portugal.
Due to its long history and artistic significance it is also one of the most important buildings in the country.
Bom Jesus shrine - Bom Jesus do Monte is a Portuguese sanctuary in the surroundings of the city of
Braga. Its name means Good Jesus of the mountain. The Sanctuary is a notable example of pilgrimage site
with a monumental, Baroque stairway that climbs 116 metres (381 feet). It is an important tourist attraction
of Braga. Many hilltops in Portugal and other parts of Europe have been sites of religious devotion since
antiquity, and Bom Jesus hill is one of these. However, the first indication of a chapel over the hill dates from
1373. This chapel - dedicated to the Holy Cross - was rebuilt in the 15th and 16th centuries. In 1629 a
pilgrimage church was built dedicated to the Bom Jesus (Good Jesus), with six chapels dedicated to the
Passion of Christ. The present Sanctuary started being built in 1722. The design of the Sanctuary of Bom
Jesus, with its Baroque nature, is emphasised by the zigzag form of its stairways. As the pilgrims climbed
the stairs, they encountered a theological programme that contrasted the senses of the material world with
the virtues of the spirit, at the same time as they experienced the scenes of the Passion of Christ. The
culmination of the effort was the temple of God, the church on the top of the hill. The presence of several
fountains along the stairways give the idea of purification of the faithful.
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These tours have a pick up at the main hotels of Oporto and have a guide driver in English, Spanish, German, French and Portuguese.
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