Portugal
Braga travel guide
Braga is a city in Portugal, home to about 193,000 people.
- Best months
- June to September
- Nearest airport
- OPO39 km · Francisco de Sá Carneiro Airport
- Currency
- EUReuro
- Time zone
- Europe/Lisbon
- Language
- Portuguese
About
About Braga
Braga (BRAH-guh, /ˈbɾa.gɐ/) is the seventh most populous Portuguese municipality, with over 192,000 residents.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Braga
See
There are lots of places to visit in Braga. The historic city centre, with the cathedral and other churches, museums and traditional shops. The cathedral is almost 1000 years old, and while in there you can have a guided tour to its treasure. You can also visit the beautiful Braga Municipal Stadium, used for the 2004 European Football Championships held in Portugal. The stadium is on the northern part of the city and it is advised to take a cab. While in Braga, looking east or south-east will probably make you sight two distinct sanctuaries on a mountain just outside the city.
- Arco da Porta Nova
- Braga Cathedral
- Arcada
- Árvore da Vida: Capela do Seminário Conciliar de Braga
- Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte
Do
- Teatro Circo
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Which part of Braga to stay in
You can find some cheap pensions in Rua dos Chãos (near Avenida Central and not far from the bus station).
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit Braga
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Braga are June to September. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 26 °C; December is the wettest, with about 214 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Braga: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Francisco de Sá Carneiro Airport (OPO), about 39 km from the city centre in a straight line; Vila Real Airport (VRL, 65 km) and Vigo Airport (VGO, 80 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
The easiest way to go to Braga by plane is to fly to Porto international airport (OPO).
Getting around
Public transportation within Braga is provided by Transportes Urbanos de Braga (website only in Portuguese as of 2016), which operates a few dozen bus lines throughout the municipality. As the municipality is quite expansive in size, it has been divided into three zones (coroas) for fare calculation purposes. Almost all tourist attractions are in Coroa 1, but outlying sanctuaries such as Bom Jesus are in Coroa 2. The current fares you see here. E-Scooters are offered by Bolt and Bird. E-hailing is provided by Uber and Bolt.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
OPO · Francisco de Sá Carneiro Airport
VRL · Vila Real Airport
VGO · Vigo Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Braga
Eat
The region offers a diverse natural landscape bearing the cultural influences of many centuries. This is reflected in the multiplicity of gastronomic specialities available from the regions kitchens; potato and cabbage broth, bread made from maize, roast pork, cod, octopus and trout, chicken rice "pica no chão" and duck rice, the kid (goat) and the baked heifer and local hams. Beware of ordering a full ration of roast chicken, although it tastes wonderful you will get a mountain of chicken and potatoes that may be enough for 3 to 4 persons. There are lots of cheap restaurants around the city. Particularly around the University Campus, on the eastern part of town.
Drink
Nightlife in Braga may be quite monotonous sometimes. Clubs in town are open only on weekends and Wednesdays, since it is "academic night" and most students go on having a drink and end the night in one of the local clubs. There are lots of small bars around the historic city centre. Most of them are well hidden on the tight streets, and you will only find them with the help of locals. It is not advised to walk around the city centre at night by yourself. It may look safe and very crowded during the day, but it's quite abandoned and very very dark during the night as most people prefer to go into the bars and coffee shops.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Braga: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Braga?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Braga are June to September. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 26 °C; December is the wettest, with about 214 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Braga?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Francisco de Sá Carneiro Airport (OPO), about 39 km from the city centre in a straight line; Vila Real Airport (VRL, 65 km) and Vigo Airport (VGO, 80 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Braga?
euro (EUR).
Nearby
Destinations near Braga
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.