Braga Portugal

Better known as the Portuguese Rome Braga inthe city walls. You will also find the Idols Fountain,
Portugal is probably one of the most charming,a Roman fountain from the 1st century, with
picturesque cities you will come across anywhereinscriptions and Bear reliefs depicted on it; the
in the world. It is found in the northwest ofNew City Gate, which is an 18th century baroque
Portugal, and is admittedly one of the oldeststyle gate, built to substitute an Gothic gate from
Christian cities to be found in the world. It is alsoearlier times; and the 14th century Tower of
the oldest archdiocese of Portugal, and has a largeBraga Castle, the only remaining tower left from
concentration of religious buildings within itsan Gothic castle; not to mention the Raio Palace,
boundaries.an 18th century palace decorated in a
The history of Braga stretches as far back asBaroque-Rococo style.
prehistoric times, although its main role ofOutside the city walls you will come across such
importance only came with the advent ofplaces as the Bom Jesus do Monte Sanctuary, a
Christianity. As such, (and to deserve the nameNeo-classic church; the Monastery of Tibes, a
of the Portugese Rome) you will find that Braga isBenedictine church with inner gilt work; the
a haven for cultural fiends intent on exploringSameiro Sanctuary, a point of pilgrimage of the
every nook and cranny a city has to offer in19th and 20th centuries dedicated to the Virgin
search of great historical finds.Mary; Chamor Hill, which holds a 20 meter high
In no particular order, you will find the Bragamonument to the Sacred Heart; and the romantic
Cathedral, one of the most important monumentsDona Chica Castle in Palmeira.
in Braga; the Populo Church, which is a 16thSo, where do you start? In a city teeming with
century church of neo-classical design; and theso many sights to see, you will be hard pressed
Renaissance based Misericordia Church. Not toto see them all, and more to the point, to do
mention Bragas number of museums, startingjustice to them. A good suggestion would be to
with the Biscainhos Museum, a museum withtake in maybe one or two sights for a day, giving
collections of the decorative arts such as glass,yourself plenty of time to take in and appreciate
ceramics, and porcelain; the Pius XII Museumthe finer points of each place, then move on to
which houses bronze-age, Paleolithic and Neolithicthe next one. In this way, you will be able to
implements; the Cathedral Treasure, which aptlycover the city of Braga bit by bit. Just keep in
houses treasure, statuary, and carvings to namemind that you might want to book another
a few; and the Museum Medina which houses oilholiday to come here, as a week, or even two
paintings and drawings by the artist Henriqueweeks, might not be enough time for you to fully
Medina.appreciate all that Braga has to offer you.
Of course, this is not all that you will find within