Small-Group Braga Half-Day Tour with Bom Jesus Sanctuary
Description
Discover the timeless allure of Braga on our Half-Day Tour. Led by an expert guide, delve into the city's rich history, marvel at its cathedral, and stroll through charming squares. Experience a unique ascent to Bom Jesus using the world's oldest water-powered funicular (since 1882). From the hilltop sanctuary, relish breathtaking views of Braga and descend through 570 steps, unlocking panoramic vistas of this historic gem. Highlights: - Discover Braga's Hidden Streets. An affordable & non-touristy city experience. - Step into History: Portugal's First Cathedral Exploration. - Colorful Wonders: Saint Barbara Gardens and Avenida da Liberdade. - Ascend in Style: Hydraulic Funicular to Bom Jesus Sanctuary.
Tour Options
Itinerary
We will visit the Cathedal of Santa Maria de Braga
The Archiepiscopal Palace of Braga
Free entrance
Teatro Circo
Visit Arcada, Rua S. Marcos and Avenida Central
Beautiful square with two baroque churches. Free entrance
It was a private theatre. The first theatre was Teatro São Geraldo, where Banco de Portugal is now located. In 1911, the project began to shape the hand of the architect João de Moura Coutinho. On April 21, 1915, the Theatro Circo was inaugurated, coinciding with Braga's great economic and social development.
2020 - The rehabilitation of the Municipal Bracarense Market. The market received two honorable mentions in the National Urban Rehabilitation Award! The rehabilitation project was created by APTO - Arquitectura and BO Engenharia was responsible for the construction.
The church was built later (1784) by Carlos Amarante who gave it an Italian inspired neo-classical design, which integrates harmoniously the landscape of northern Portugal.
Transfer by car.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Our descent will be made on foot. There are 573 steps.
- For safety reasons, we cannot accept children under 8 years old. Travelers with children aged 8–12 must bring their own approved car seat or booster, as we do not provide child seats
- We do not store luggage or personal items. Please leave your belongings at the hotel.
Reviews(22)
Good and professional guide, well prepared on the subject. Punctual. The tour included a walking part in Braga old town, the SE and the Dom Hesus
Thank you so much for your kind review! We’re delighted to hear that you had a great experience on our Small-Group Braga Half-Day Tour. It’s wonderful to know that you appreciated the professionalism and knowledge of your guide, as well as the organization and punctuality of the tour. Braga is such a special city, and we’re glad you enjoyed exploring its historic center, the cathedral, and the beautiful Bom Jesus Sanctuary. We truly appreciate you choosing to tour with us and hope to welcome you again on another adventure in Portugal! Warm regards, Eco Trilha Portugal Tours
Great tour with Cristiane today- she did a great job and very thorough with explaining everything. Thx u it was a lot of fun
Thank you so much for your kind words! 😊 It was truly a pleasure having you on the Braga Walking Tour. I’m so happy you enjoyed the experience and had fun exploring Braga with me.
We had a wonderful tour of Braga with our guide Christiane including the cathedral and Bom Jesus. Christiane was informative, helpful and lovely to be with. A very good tour!
Thank you so much for your kind words! We’re really happy to hear you had a wonderful experience on our Braga walking tour, exploring the Cathedral and Bom Jesus with Cristiane. She will be delighted to know you found her informative, helpful, and lovely to be with. It means a lot to us that you enjoyed the tour, and we hope to welcome you again soon for more experiences across Portugal!
Our guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. She lived locally and knew Braga really well.
Thank you so much for your kind words! 😊 We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed discovering Braga with us and that your experience on the Small-Group Tour to Bom Jesus do Monte was so positive. It means a lot to know our guide’s local knowledge and friendly approach helped make your visit special. We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your experience and hope to welcome you back to Portugal again soon!
Our guide Cristiane was exceptional! Excellent tour and very enriching as the city of Braga! We highly recommend! Wonderful cost-benefit!
Muito obrigada pela sua avaliação tão simpática! 😊 Ficamos muito felizes em saber que gostaram do tour em Braga e que a experiência foi enriquecedora. A Cristiane agradece especialmente as suas palavras — é sempre um prazer partilhar a história e os encantos desta cidade tão especial. Obrigada também pela recomendação! Esperamos ter o gosto de vos receber novamente em Portugal numa próxima oportunidade
Our tour guide, Christiana, was very knowledgable, helpful and professional. We enjoyed our tour very much. We strongly recommend this tour to anyone who comes to Braga for the first time.
Thank you so much for your kind words! We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed the Braga Half-Day Tour with Bom Jesus Sanctuary and that Christiane made your experience memorable with her knowledge and professionalism. Your recommendation means a lot to us, and we hope to welcome you back for another adventure in Portugal soon!
Chris the tour guide was great! She was very informative on every detail of the tour! the religion history was so interesting to hear about! The Bom Jesus a must! All the churches and cathedrals beautiful! The only thing i wish was we had more time in the market and square area to walk around and shop! I would definitely recommend this tour!
Thank you so much for your kind words and for recommending our Braga Walking Tour! We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed exploring the rich religious history and the beauty of Braga’s churches and cathedrals with Chris as your guide. Bom Jesus truly is a highlight, and we’re glad you loved it! We also appreciate your feedback about wanting more time in the market and square area. That’s a wonderful suggestion, and we’ll keep it in mind to make the experience even better for future guests. We hope to welcome you back to Braga soon so you can discover even more of its charm at your own pace. Obrigada!
Our walking tour with Cristiane was definitely the highlight of our time in Braga! If you are visiting the city you should definitely take a tour with her company, either the walking tour or food tour! We don’t think we would have appreciated the city as much as we did if it wasn’t for this tour. Cristiane did an amazing job of bringing the long history of Braga to life through the stops in the old city while also sharing the culture of current Braga so we got a complete understanding of the city. We really loved the tour and appreciated getting a local historical perspective. The tour was the perfect length of 3 hours to get acquainted to the city and you still have most of the day free to explore more on your own.
Thank you for your wonderful review of our Small-Group Braga Half-Day Tour with Bom Jesus! We're thrilled to hear that your walking tour with Cristiane was the highlight of your time in Braga. It's our goal to bring the city's rich history and vibrant culture to life, and we're so glad you felt immersed in both Braga's past and present. The 3-hour tour is designed to give you the perfect introduction to the city while leaving time for your explorations.
The first half is a walking tour of Braga (including the old city gate, Braga cathedral, Largo Do Paco square, Jardim Santa Barbara, and an indoor market). Although you could easily walk around and see these things on your own, It is helpful and more enriching to have a guide explaining the history and significance of the various sites. Christina gave some good restaurant recommendations along the way. The second half of the tour provides car transportation and the funicular ride up to Bom Jesus, and a guided tour there. The second half of the tour felt somewhat rushed (we only had a few seconds inside the Bom Jesus cathedral). The funicular did get stuck for around 15 minutes so I'm not sure if that's why. Most of the time at Bom Jesus was spent walking down the steps and included an explanation of the several fountains and a look-see into the temples depicting the passion of Christ. The guide, Christina, fairly strictly followed her script was wasn't really open to answering questions (even though it ended up being a private tour). There may have been a bit of a language barrier although she provided the tour in English. At times she seemed distracted. At the beginning of the tour she told us it was important to use the bathrooms at the market (our last stop in Braga) because the bathrooms are Bom Jesus were paid, however she forgot that. I mention it because I highly recommend getting in a bathroom stop before Bom Jesus (where bathrooms are more difficult). After almost 4 hours of touring it became pretty urgent for my friend who ended up having to use a disgruntled shop keeper's facility.
Thank you for sharing your experience, and I appreciate the detailed feedback! I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the walking tour of Braga and found the historical insights and restaurant recommendations enriching. It's wonderful that you valued the guide's efforts in explaining the various sites. However, I'm sorry to hear that the second half of the tour felt rushed, particularly your experience at Bom Jesus. Delays, like the funicular getting stuck, may have contributed to the pace, and we will review this to ensure smoother transitions and more time to fully enjoy each location in future tours. We also regret the inconvenience with the bathroom stops and will make sure our guides provide clear and timely reminders to avoid such discomfort during long tours. Your feedback will help us improve, and we hope to welcome you back for a more seamless experience next time.
Fabulous guide, fabulous tour, real dive into the heart of Portuguese values and history. Recommend highly!!! Well designed and organized tour
Thank you for your wonderful feedback on the Small-Group Braga Half-Day Tour with Bom Jesus! We're delighted to hear that your guide provided an exceptional experience. Your high recommendation is greatly appreciated, and we’re thrilled you had a fabulous time!
