What to do and see in Guimaraes, Northern Portugal: The Best Day Trips from

April 1, 2022 Velvet Mowry

Discover the best top things to do in Guimaraes, Portugal including Braga & Guimarães Tour - Historical Castle, Palace, Cathedral and Lunch included, Braga and Guimarães from Porto ( Entrance fees included ), Guimarães, Braga & Barcelos Tour, Braga and Guimarães with Lunch Included - Small Group - Full Day, BRAGA GUIMARÃES - Visits included, Tour to Braga and Guimarães, Guimarães and Braga day tour with Monuments Tickets...Castle, Palace, Cathedrals, Braga and Guimarães: Private & Premium Tour - All Included, Douro Valley - Let´s go for it., Private Tour: Guimares and Braga Day Trip from Porto.
Restaurants in Guimaraes

1. Braga & Guimarães Tour - Historical Castle, Palace, Cathedral and Lunch included

BL Heritage Tours
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5.0 based on 1 reviews

A journey through history from the foundation of Portugal to the establishment of Catholic Empire. Experience the North, two cities that were important in establishing the kingdom of Portugal. Braga is a profound religious city and this journey will get you in touch with the well-known Triangle of Faith: The Cathedral, The Sanctuaries of Sameiro and Bom Jesus. Close to 12:30 is time for a delicious Traditional Portuguese Lunch with "Vinho Verde" (green wine) that is the magnificent fizzy wine of the Region. Then we will drive you to Guimarães which is the birthplace of Portugal Nation. We start by visiting the Guimarãe's Castle located oven a hill. From one of its seven towers located over you will observe the wonderful city view. On our way to Guimarães historical center (UNESCO Site), I will describe some of the most important buildings, such as The Palace of the Dukes of Braganza.

Inclusions: Lunch { Traditional Portuguese Food }, All activities, Driver/Local guide, Hotel/port pickup and drop-off, Transport by air-conditioned minivan, Bottled water

Exclusions: Gratuities

Reviewed By Ana_Rita_Vilaca

Me and my boyfriend were staying in Porto in december and have decided to visit the Douro Valley with BL Heritage Tours. We couldnt make the best option!!! We have booked their Premium Wine Experience through Douro Valley and it was fantastic... Amazing views, delicious gourmet food and much more. We visited a boutique Winery and tasted Douro Valley wines guided by a proper wine educator. Very comfortable vehicle with a relax driving. I have no words to describe how fantastic it is. Top notch was the private tour with some snacks and Port wine onboard. The price looks high but is nothing comparing what is included. Highly recomended.

2. Braga and Guimarães from Porto ( Entrance fees included )

Touch Tours
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5.0 based on 4 reviews

Your guide will pick you up at your accommodation in Oporto. Prepare to discover Braga and Guimarães known as "The two most Portuguese cities". Embrace an amazing historical tour. Arriving in Guimarães, considered world heritage site by Unesco, and the cradle of the nation, you will find a rich and medieval city where you will first visit the castle that accomodated the Counts of Portugal during the 10th and 11th century and then the 15th century Palace of the Duques of Braganza. Have a beautiful walk around the Historical City center where you will also have an amazing Portuguese lunch. You will after be taken to Braga, a city with over 2000 years of history. Braga is the oldest city in Portugal and one of the world’s oldest catholic cities. Founded by the Romans in the year 16 b.C. and named “Bracara Augusta” in honor to the emperor Cesar Augusto. Starting with the Cathedral and followed by the Sanctuaries Bom Jesus & Sameiro. Depart towards Oporto around 5pm.

Inclusions: Fuel surcharge, Bottled water, Local guide, Hotel pickup and drop-off, Entry tickets: Guimarães Castle, Palace and Braga Cathedral, Wi-Fi

Exclusions: Lunch, Gratuities

Reviewed By amelietjedietje

We did a private tour to Coimbra and Aveiro with Touch Tours in the first days after the reopening post Corona on 24 June. A super positive experience. Spacious luxurious vehicle, super punctual and caring guide called Tiago, full respect for the new corona safety measures - I travelled alone with my 3 teenage children. The commutation with Touch Tours (André) from start to finish was impeccable. The company listens to what you want to do. We are very satisfied.

3. Guimarães, Braga & Barcelos Tour

ImagineTours
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5.0 based on 2 reviews

You will start you northern Portugal adventure discovering the medieval centre of Guimarães. You will see why the historical center city -the birthplace of the nation- was warranted as UNESCO World Heritage. Besides the ancient center city you will also visit the castle that accommodated the Counts of Portugal during the 10th and 11th century and the 15th century Palace of the ´Duques de Braganza`. In Braga, you will find a religious city with more than 2000 years of history. You will visit Portugal’s oldest cathedral, the famous sanctuary and ancient attractions such as the 14th-century Castle of Braga and the ´Arco da Porto Nova´. After lunch we will drive to Barcelos, where we will walk around in the historic center, famous for its colorful ceramics, medieval monuments and for creating Portugal’s national symbol - the rooster. On Thursdays you can get involved in one of the oldest and biggest markets in Portugal.

Inclusions: Bottled water and softdrinks, Snacks (Candybars), Driver/guide, Hotel pickup and drop-off, Transport by private vehicle

Exclusions: Food and drinks, unless specified, Entrance fees, unless specified, Lunch

Reviewed By ranrhotan

My husband and I were fortunate enough be staying where Imagine Tours operated. We had a rental car but after hearing how knowledgeable José was about the history, understanding of key local architecture and notable ‘must see’ areas, we opted to take advantage of an offered, fairly priced, all-day tour. We travelled in a well-equipped, comfortable touring van and important to us, as our Portuguese was almost nonexistent, our lovely hosts both possessed excellent English language skills. We learned so much and are grateful we chose to do this tour because we would have missed some essential information about Northern Portugal, had we travelled on our own. Great outfit, could not have asked for more accommodating and delightful hosts. Would definitely have taken another trip had we more time. We highly recommend hooking up with Imagine Tours

4. Braga and Guimarães with Lunch Included - Small Group - Full Day

Portugal Excellence Tours
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5.0 based on 22 reviews

Arriving in Guimarães we will have time for a calm walk on foot through the medieval city where we will enter in his Catelo that was known for the birth of a new kingdom: Portugal. Then we will visit the Palace of the Dukes where we are dazzled by the luxuries of royalty from other times. A whole history of Portugal will be told by our local guides who have always followed the group. A delicious traditional Portuguese lunch will be served in a restaurant where you can taste the so famous "Vinho Verde", produced in the region. We will leave for the city of Braga, known for the city of the Archbishops where we will visit its historical center, visit the interior of the Cathedral before we go to the top of the mountain and visit the most magnificent Sanctuary in Portugal: Bom Jesus do Monte. A day filled with culture and conviviality with local people, realize the importance of these two cities for the unification of a country and, of course, an excellent lunch and good wine.

Inclusions: Lunch, Local guide, Hotel pickup and drop-off, Admission Ticket Braga Cathedral, Admission Ticket Guimarães Castle, Admission Ticket Duke's Palace, Bottled water

Exclusions: Gratuities

Reviewed By Trek604418

This was a brilliant day out visiting different wineries and port houses in the Douro Valley. We liked all the places we visited and learned a lot about the history and methods of port and wine making. We loved the river trip and lunch in a small town restaurant. It was great to get out into the countryside and be chauffeured around without worrying about anything. Our guide was really charming and knowledgeable – we asked a lot of questions about all sorts of topics and he was very willing to have a good conversation and seemed to know everything. The other people on our tour were lovely and we actually met some of them in town and had a drink a couple of days later.

5. BRAGA GUIMARÃES - Visits included

OwnWay - Tours
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5.0 based on 2 reviews

- Pick up: 9 am. Your guide and driver will pick you at your accomodation. - Transport to Guimarães (around 50 minutes). - Guimarães. Paço dos Duques de Bragança e Castelo de Guimarães. The guide will present to you the castle where the constitution of the Portuguese nationality begun. The master guard of the territory between the Minho and Douro rivers. Beside him, but built four hundred years later, the Palace of the Dukes of Bragança. Ordered by Alfonso V, king of Portugal, to be the home of the royal family. - Guimarães. Historic centre. Walk through the historic center of the city and get to know the curiosities of the people and how the city was formed. - Transport to Braga. Lunch time. We saved same suggestions, but the choice is on you. - Braga. Bom Jesus do Monte. Get to meet a rare sanctuary. - Braga. Cathedral and historic centre. You can enjoy the Braga Se Cathedral and stroll through the historic center. - Transport to Porto and drop off. (around 1 hour).

Inclusions: Local taxes, All taxes, fees and handling charges, Driver/guide, Professional guide, Local guide, Round-trip shared transfer, Bottled water

Exclusions: Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)

Reviewed By romit a

João and Rita are superb. We travelled to Porto few days back and they made our trip. Starting from Lisbon to Porto, our train was delayed due to some track issue. Announcements were in Portugese ( which unfortunately I don't know) and we were stuck for few hours. Just to seek some help, we texted Rita and she was on to it and provided much needed information to us about the service. She could have choosen not to respond ( considering it was late in the day, but she still did ). Thanks Rita !! Next day we had João, to take us to Porto Valley. His passion about Porto is very much to be seen. He was very helpfull in answering any query that we threw at him, his guided tour in one of the vineyard and a local place - to good :) Once the tour ended, we asked him few questions as how should we plan our last day with limited time and so much to see - something he could have easily avoided or endrosed himself for it - instead he choose to explain all the places that we should cover.. In a nutshell - the best experience we had.. Thanks you two... ahh yes, i forgot to mention that we found every single Portugese extremely helpful towards us - that was icing on the cake

6. Tour to Braga and Guimarães

Vita Tours
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5.0 based on 1 reviews

Braga and Guimarães are considered the birthplace of Portuguese nationality. Braga by its religious power, the city of the Archbishops, is one of the oldest Christian cities in the world and has more than 2000 years of history. Guimarães (city classified World Heritage by UNESCO) capital of the then Condado Portucalense, by the military power. The streets and monuments of Guimarães breathe history and enchant ....

Inclusions: Air-conditioned vehicle, Bottled water

Exclusions: Does not include - Lunch, entrance costs in places to visit.

Reviewed By Vds_go

Super! Great walk also in bad weather! If you take the path that goes along the riverflow, you have a hard start, but then it goes smooth!

7. Guimarães and Braga day tour with Monuments Tickets...Castle, Palace, Cathedrals

Brand Tours
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5.0 based on 1 reviews

Guimarães, a city of medieval origin known as "Cradle of the Nation", was classified in 2001 as World Heritage by UNESCO. Guimarães has a prominent role in the history of Portugal, and where the battle of São Mamede paved the way for the foundation of the Portuguese nation. It was from here that the conquest of Portugal from the Moors began, by D. Afonso Henriques (1st king of Portugal). Braga, founded by Romans under the name of Bracara Augusta in honor of Emperor César Augusto, it is currently a charming city and the oldest in Portugal with more than 2000 years of history. It is one of the main religious centers in the country, and where the oldest cathedral in Portugal is located. In the long journey through the history of the city, we can find several styles, from Roman to Baroque, with the beautiful houses of the 18th century.

Inclusions: Guimarães Castle, Braga Cathedral and Treasury-Museum, Palace of the Dukes of Bragança, Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte and Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sameiro, Guimarães and Braga Historic Center, Private transportation, Guied in your language, Personal accident insurance required by law, All Fees and Taxes

Exclusions: Lunch, Personal expenses

Reviewed By Sadegh K

My wife and I booked an all-day private tour of the Alto Minho region of Portugal with Brand Tours and couldn't have imagined a better experience. Not only did Xavier and Rui bring us to magical places, but they were so well-versed in the history of the region, and that knowledge made our day so much more interesting and meaningful. We visited ancient villages and saw old corn storage units from the 1700s that are still in use today; we explored old forts and climbed towers with spectacular views; we ate lunch in a small place where the locals eat and sampled the local fare including delicious sausages and a special wine. The proprietor even gave me the drinking glass I admired! Rui and Xavier literally went the extra mile to bring us to the top of a mountain in a national park where we looked into the valley and marveled at the beautiful views. During the course of the day, we discovered all we had in common and ended up as friends by the time we were dropped off in the evening. It was a perfect day with perfectly professional and friendly guides. I highly recommend Brand Tours for the tour of a lifetime!

8. Braga and Guimarães: Private & Premium Tour - All Included

Your Tours
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5.0 based on 6 reviews

Accompanied by our guides you will have a remarkable journey in the history of Portugal. Visit Braga, a 2000 year old city and climb the iconic Bom Jesus do Monte Sanctuary. Walk through the medieval city center of Guimarães, where Portugal was born. An unforgettable family friendly tour.

Inclusions: Private transportation, Air-conditioned vehicle, WiFi on board, Entrance in Braga Cathedral, Drinks included, Entrance in Guimarães Castle, Traditional sweets in Guimarães, All Fees and Taxes

Exclusions: Personal expenses

Reviewed By peter2020l

Our tour is arranged adhoc with very short notice but the company is so accomodating. Pascal is our tour guide, he is sooooo humorous (never had a boring moment) yet so knowledgeable on everything about Porto (and Portugal) from history to architecture, telling us special details around those heritages and observations. It is like a happy discovery journey. Various activities like wine tasting and boat cruise were great that adds to the tour. We also had our 2 80+ years old moms joining us in this trip. Pascal has been very attentive taking extra care to ensure the arrangement works well for them and in the most comfy and safe way. He was so sweet to get our moms a bag of hot chestnuts when it was windy and chill out there visiting the coast of Atlantic ocean, which made it especially yummy and warm. 5 stars, absolutely recommended for the great personal experience.

9. Douro Valley - Let´s go for it.

Cheese Shop Rota do Queijo, 225, Alameda de São Dâmaso 63, 4810-225 Guimarães, Portugal LT Tours
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5.0 based on 2 reviews

Douro it´s not only the third largest river in the Iberian Peninsula, it´s also an entire region with one of a kind landscapes, traditional villages and of course in Portugal, the region where is produced the world famous Porto Wine. Since 2001 World UNESCO Heritage, Douro Valley is considered one of the most beautiful wine regions in the world, spreading along the river banks the wine estates create an unique man made landscape with nice slopes covered with vineyards in terraces that goes from the river until the top of the hill´s. Come with us trough some world nicest roads in a really private and customizable tour where the most important thing is your happiness. Don´t worry about schedules, as long as you´re enjoying we will be there.

Inclusions: A tour to Douro Valley is only complete when you visit to a winery for you to have the opportunity to taste the Porto and others wines from Douro Valley, we will take you to a wonderful one., Lunch at a local restaurant, a moment to enjoy the delicacies of the region and relax., Travel insurance

Exclusions: All kinds of worries, Souvenirs

Reviewed By Serthekk

This was an amazing experience! Due to bad weather the trek was much more difficult than we expected but Sergio kept his calm and navigated us perfectly through the terrain. Would love to visit again on a clear day under Sergio's guidance.

10. Private Tour: Guimares and Braga Day Trip from Porto

The Cooltours - Oporto
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4.8 based on 12 reviews

Leave Porto for a day trip to two of Portugal’s most cultured cities. Accompanied by a private guide, travel to Guimarães, which lays claim to being the nation’s birthplace and boasts a UNESCO-listed center. View monuments that spell out its rich past, including the storybook turreted Guimarães Castle and the Palace of the Dukes of Braganza. Then, spend the afternoon in Braga, discovering its strong Christian roots at the Cathedral of Braga and Bom Jesus do Monte sanctuary. Enjoy personalized attention from your private guide and a flexible itinerary.

Inclusions: Professional guide, Hotel pickup and drop-off, Transport by air-conditioned minivan

Exclusions: Gratuities, Food and drinks, unless specified, Entrance fees on monuments

Reviewed By stevehV3718RK

An AMAZING experience with Isa who, from pick up outside our Airbnb, was so friendly, welcoming, warm and full of pertinent and interesting information which made the whole trip so worthwhile! The drive was comfortable with a mix of friendly and informative conversation up into the mountains and the valley with wonderful views the whole way. Once to the valley, WOW, the views were spectacular! The first winery had the views as well and a friendly guide, Marta, with DELICIOUS wines, olive oil and honey all grown/made on site. Hesitant to leave it was onto the river boat tour which was sooo relaxing and scenic. Then it was onto a local traditional restaurant that can also accommodate vegetarian/vegan (made up a wonderful pasta dish for the hubby off menu) that came with wine, fresh bread and local olive oil, main dish and dessert for an incredible price (because we were with the tour company) and it also had the views over the town, river and vineyards on the hillsides as well. The last winery was more focused on Ports with lots of info, more views, the fun Maria with Isa to give tons more info and great tastings with tasty snacks and lots of conversation and laughing. The way back to Porto was comfortable conversation as we’d definitely made a friend in Isa along with all the beauty, info and of course wine shared throughout the day. Have already been telling all our friends and family about this tour (and others from Cool Tours and especially Isa!!)! Unforgettable!!

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