We will be in Braga at the end of April and I have the following questions:
*April 25 is a holiday. Will stores/restaurants/churches/Bom Jesus be open?
* Recommendations for restaurants in Braga or Guimaraes
*We will have a car and are staying in Braga. Should we drive to Bom Jesus? I see a parking lot close. Or, I also see a bunch of bus stops, is it better to take the bus?
* Any special tips? Viewpoints?
Thanks
To get to Bom Jesus with a car it's actually easier to park at the bottom of the funicular and take that up to the top. There is a little parking lot right at the funicular and another larger one near O Portico. For another viewpoint you can drive over to the Santuario do Sameiro. A very easy parking lot is there. If you're interested in ancient ruins from the Iron Age, Citania de Briteiros is nearby as well.
In Braga I would highly recommend taking the cathedral tour. It gets you into several places you can't see on your own. Be aware that parking in the old city center can be challenging to find. I ended up parking near the big avenues that encircle the city center and walking to my AirBnB.
Guimaraes makes a great day trip from Braga, and it seems like you already have that planned. You're going to love Braga, it's so beautiful!!
Nothing closes on 25 Abril. It’s a bank holiday and those are pretty much all that’s closed. However, it’s a very important holiday so you might be able to see a parade or celebration of some sort. If you don’t know what the holiday signifies, spend a bit of time researching it to fully appreciate that day in Portugal.
Thanks for the detail Bill.
Thanks, Kathryn. I didn't realize it was a holiday until I was notified I'd have to change the day of my car return. I did read up on the "Carnation Revolution". It'd be fun/interesting to see a parade.
