No car. We will be traveling from Santiago de Compostela to Porto. I’m trying to decide it is worth trying to squeeze in a day and overnight at Pontevedra and a day/overnight at Braga? Is Guinmares worth taking a trip to see? Could we go to Pontevedra and look around a little then head to Braga? I’m not sure how much time we would need in places. We’re not religious people so we’re not looking to tour churches per se, although we do appreciate different architectural styles. TIA
Posted by
The States
91 posts
No car is the way to go!
I am also not a religious person, but I do like some church-peeping. In Braga, there is a lot to see. We started at the archeological museum, which gave us a good introduction. I highly suggest you have lunch here. It's cafeteria style and very reasonably price (wine included). When we were there, it was filled with locals. There are various Roman ruins in town. In 2023, we were able to buy combo tickets for these sites. Braga can easily take up a full day.
Guimarães is one of my favorite places. The old town is lovely. At Museu de Alberto Sampaio, you can see the actual armor Dom João I wore back in the 14th century battle to protect the town. The olive tree out in the square in connected to him. You can take the Teleférico de Guimarães up to Mt. Penha. There is a church up there, but we were more interested in the picnic areas and hiking.
I've never been to Pontevedra, so I can't comment.
Posted by
OP
Southern MD
31 posts
Thanks, LauriC! You have me exited to see both Braga and Guinmares now!