Walking Holiday Braga – Highlights of the oldest city of Portugal in one package

All highlights of Braga, Portugal’s oldest city, in a 3-days holiday package!

Guided trip by a local

Culture, nature and local gastronomy in one walking trip

3 walking days and 3 nights in a hotel in Braga

Possibility to extend

Difficulty of the walks: easy to moderate

Can be booked from March 1 to July 15 and from September 1 to October 31

Yes, I want to book this package!

Braga, one of the oldest cities in Portugal, is today a large, versatile and vibrant city. With an area of 183 km² and around 200,000 inhabitants, it is also the third largest city in Portugal (after Lisbon and Porto).

The center of Braga is, as you can say, shaped in a ‘bowl’ and is surrounded by hills. Hence the microclimate.
The geographical features of the city offer walkers the unique opportunity to discover the city by foot and to have a phenomenal view of the center and ‘the other side’ from a different location. In addition, Braga has more than 280 km of documented hiking trails, most of which are in nature.

So you can discover Braga by walking and enjoy all the beauty and delicacies that the city has to offer.

Each walk combines sightseeing with nature and the green environment.

All of the walks are guided. Each walking day lasts approximately 6 hours. Distance per day min. 10 km.

A 3-day package for 2 persons includes:

3 walking days (+/- 6 hours per day, min. 10 km): a city walk + a visit (walking) to Bom Jesus and Sameiro + a walk in Tibães with a visit to the Mosteiro de Tibães.
3 nights with breakfast in a hotel in Braga
You can optionally extend this package with more days and other walks from the offer
Transfers between the accommodation (in Braga) and the place where we will walk are included

Not included:

Flights
Other meals than breakfast

Price: from 1.075 euros (for 2 persons in a double room)

Prices for extra days or other formulas upon request

Can be combined with a longer stay in Braga without walking!

Yes, I want to book this package!

Choose your walks

Proef Braga

Taste Braga

During this walk I will give you a taste of the atmosphere in the historic center of Braga. We walk through the smallest streets and alleys and of course pass the most important buildings and the nicest squares. We walk into the cathedral, Sé.
In addition, I will also take you to some of my favourite places, for a light lunch, and to finish with a drink and typical Portuguese sweets.

This is not the classic ‘tourist tour with guide’, which tells all about the rich history of Braga!
During this walk I will give you a taste (literally and figuratively) of the developing city that Braga is today.
Bet you will be pleasantly surprised?

Included:

Walk in the historic center of Braga
Entrance to the Cathedral ‘Sé’
Light lunch
Coffee + Portuguese pastry to finish
Insurance

Duration: +/- 6 hours

Bom Jesus & Sameiro

The Sanctuaries of Bom Jesus & Sameiro

Who says Braga, says Bom Jesus Do Monte. A visit to this iconic place, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, should not be missed when you are in Braga. We make the trip up via the 573 stairs. But don’t worry, there is so much to see along the way that you will reach the top before you know it.

We walk through the beautifully maintained domain and then towards the highest point of Braga, to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sameiro.
A beautiful hiking trail through the woods leads us from one sanctuary to another.

The views along the way are breathtaking. And with a bit of luck (and clear weather) we can see the reflection of the sun in the ocean on the horizon!
Along the way we take time to have a drink, to relax and enjoy some local delicacies.

Back at Bom Jesus we go down with the more than 140 year old hydraulic funicular train.

*This walk is expandable

Included:

Visit to the domain of Bom Jesus do Monte
Walk through wooded area, from Bom Jesus to Sameiro
Visit to Sameiro
Lunch on the way
Elevador (Bom Jesus funicular)
Insurance

Duration: +/- 6 hours

Mosteiro de Tibães

The monastery and the forests of Tibães

A few kilometers outside the center of Braga is one of the most beautiful monasteries in Portugal: the Benedictine Monastery of Tibães. It has its origins in the 6th century but was built in its current form in the 17th century. The monastery is known for its decorative wealth.

The monastery grounds also include a garden of more than 40 hectares. Moreover, the domain is surrounded by the beautiful forests of Tibães, where at the highest point you have a phenomenal view over the city of Braga, to Bom Jesus and Sameiro. More than enough opportunity to discover this place and the surrounding area by walking!

Included

Visit to the Benedictine monastery in Tibães
Walk in the large forest garden of the monastery supplemented with a walk in the wooded area around the monastery
(Picnic) lunch
Coffee or a drink
Insurance

Duration: +/- 6 hours

Walking & Wine

Relax during this walk in the wooded area of Gualtar. You literally feel the contrast with the city, which you can view from various points with a phenomenal view. We walk along heritage sites and on authentic cobblestone roads.
When we arrive back at the Quinta, fresh Vinho Verde Bio wine awaits us, served with local artisanal products such as cheeses, jams and compotes of fruit and vegetables from the own garden.
You can also enjoy the panoramic view over Braga, Bom Jesus do Monte, Sameiro and Gerês from the garden of the Quinta!

Included:

Walk of at least 6 km through wooded surroundings, on the outskirts of Braga
Visit to Organic wine quinta
Tasting of Organic Vinho Verde wine + local artisan products
Insurance

Duration: +/- 6 hours

To the source of the river Este

To the source of the river Este

A river, the Este, flows through the city of Braga. We walk to the source of this river, all the way in the east of Braga.

We walk along authentic Romanesque roads (Calçada Romana) and over the hills from which you have a phenomenal view of the city of Braga. With a bit of luck we will see a fox, a wild boar or a herd of goats or sheep along the way.

About halfway through the walk we pass the source of the Este river, where there is also a beautiful picnic area.

After the walk you will be treated to homemade cakes or other treats in an inspiring place.

Included:

Walk of at least 6 km in the eastern part of Braga
(Picnic) lunch
Drink + snack/pastry after the walk
Insurance

Duration: +/- 4 hours

Walking on the Atlantic coast

Walking on the Atlantic coast

You can reach the Atlantic coast in barely half an hour’s drive from Braga.

There we walk along the most beautiful promenade on the coast in Northern Portugal.
And what could be more relaxing than walking barefoot along the coastline?
We will undoubtedly encounter some pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela, via the Portuguese coastal route.

Along the way we make time for a drink and we end the day in one of the typical fish restaurants where freshly caught fish comes straight from the grill to our plates.

Is your mouth watering yet?

Included

Transfer from Braga to the coast
Walk of at least 6 km along the coastline
Drink on the way
Insurance

Not included

Food + drinks in the restaurant

Duration: +/- 6 hours

Walking in Gerês

Walking in Gerês

The entrance to the Peneda-Gerês National Park is an hour’s drive from Braga.

Here we take a tough but at the same time beautiful walk through nature, with the high rocks of Sarilhão on one side and the Vilarinho das Furnas reservoir on the other.

The highlight of this walk is undoubtedly the passage along the “Via XVIII / Geira – National Monument”, also called Via Nova or Via XVIII, after the Antonino road, which connected Bracara Augusta and Asturica Augusta over a distance of 240 Roman miles (318 km). This is one of the best preserved Roman roads in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, also classified as a National Monument.

Along the way we make time for a picnic, while we enjoy the beautiful views.

Included:

Transfer to Campo do Gerês
Walk of +/- 9 km
Picnic
Insurance

Duration: +/- 6 hours

Braga, city of 6 Caminoroutes to Santiago

Braga, city of 6 Camino routes to Santiago

Braga is linked to no less than 6 routes of the Camino to Santiago de Compostela.

2 routes leave from Braga: Caminho de Geira and Caminho Minhoto Ribeiro.
4 routes pass in Braga: Caminho Português Central (por Braga), Caminho de Torres, Caminho de São Rosendo and Caminho Português de Santiago de Leon de Rosmithal. The 3 last connect in Braga with the Caminho Português Central (por Braga).

There are several historical remainings in the city that indicate that pilgrims passed through on their way to Santiago de Compostela at least in the 16th century.

During this walk we follow part of one of the Camino routes through Braga.
We walk past the historical sites and sights that confirm the city’s link with the Camino to Santiago.

Included

Transfer to the departure point and from the arrival point in Vila de Prado to the center of Braga
Walk of +/- 12 km
Light lunch on the way
Insurance

Duration: +/- 6 hours