We will be in Porto in October for 4 nights and planned to take a day trip to Braga. I was just at a conference and in a brief conversation two colleagues from Portugal recommended Guimaraes over Braga. My Lonely Planet guide has Braga as a must see in Minho and Guimaraes as good but not a must see.
I was wondering what those of you who have visited both think.
We spent three or four nights in Guimares and can’t believe how Lonely Planet ranked it! I consider it a “must see”. We loved our stay in Guimares, the history, the food and historic sites. It was Portugal’s first capital city and has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Center.
I liked them both. I might give a slight edge to Guimaraes. Guimaraes has a wonderful medieval old town. Braga has the The Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte and also has an enjoyable city center. We stayed in Braga and did Guimaraes as a day trip. If possible, I'd recommend both, so I'm probably no help.
This is helpful. I appreciate your feedback.
And yes, doing both would be the best solution but then that would leave only one full day and the evening following our arrival for Porto. I was thinking we would want two full days in Porto but must admit I haven't tried figuring out where we would want to spend our time.
Maybe can just play it by ear but make Guimaraes our priority for a day trip.
