With COVID-19 still spreading around the world, we know that now is not the best time to provide travel inspiration. Many of us are stuck at home and unable to travel to neighboring countries. But I’m sure many of us will be craving travel destinations once things return to normal. Here’s my itinerary for when I went to northern Portugal last year:
First we flew from Germany to Porto. My husband had already been to Porto many years ago, so we decided to make this trip worth the money by heading inland. After arriving late at night, we stayed near the airport, rented a car and set off for our first destination the next morning.
Braga is one of the oldest cities in Portugal, and because we arrived early in the morning, we were able to see the Braga Cathedral. The guide, who could barely speak English, was very excited about the foreign tourists. I was really fascinated by the decoration and elements of the church. What I really love about Portugal is seeing so many unique and fascinating tiles. We walked around the city and also checked out the Santa Barbara Gardens. The garden wasn’t in great shape at this time, but definitely check it out if you’re visiting in the summer. We also drove through Arco da Porta Nova and stopped by St Vincent’s Church, which we found to be truly amazing. After spending a few hours in Braga, we decided to drive to Bom Jesus do Monte.
Bom Jesus do Monte is an amazing hidden gem. This Portuguese sanctuary is quite spectacular and not only can you enjoy beautiful views from the top, but you can also walk up the Baroque staircase which rises up to 116 meters. If you’re not feeling very motivated, you can also take the cable car to enjoy the scenery. We spent a few hours here before driving to Guimaraes.
Guimaraes is another small town not to be missed. Located near Braga, many tourists visit the 10th-century medieval castle of Guimaraes. But before going to the castle we were very hungry so we stopped at a local restaurant where we had the best and cheapest lunch. For 10 euros per person we got a bottle of water, vegetable soup and bread, and a large fish that we couldn’t finish. Locals packed this place. Despite the rainy weather, we decided to stop by the Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Oliveira church, located in the old part of the city. As soon as we finished exploring the city, we walked to the castle. To be honest, I really like it. If the weather had been better, I would have been able to take a walk around the castle.
We chose the Bussaco Palace Hotel, a pretty charming and (slightly) spooky place. Who knew what a wonderful place this would become? I wish I could have stayed longer to truly enjoy my stay. We were lucky that this stately hotel was almost empty. We had a quiet, romantic dinner at the restaurant. I would definitely recommend anyone staying there to go see it. However, the unfortunate thing is that I couldn’t bring a pretty dress because this was the perfect location for a photo shoot. Be sure to order the 5 course dinner because it was one of the best dinners we’ve ever had.
After having fun we drove to Aveiro. It was a cute town, but the weather wasn’t so great so we ended up spending some time eating octopus at a local restaurant (unfortunately it wasn’t as good as our previous trip to Lisbon). Then we drove to Costa Nova Beach, famous for its colorful beach houses. As soon as it started to get dark we drove to our hotel in Porto.
I actually loved my stay at the Intercontinental Porto Hotel (disclosure: our stay was not paid for by the hotel). Since my husband has a membership, they upgraded our room to a duplex suite with a second floor and two bathrooms. We couldn’t be happier that our hotel is located in the heart of Porto, on Plaza de Liberdade. We walked to Igreja dos Clerigos, I would say it is a must visit. After that, we went to Igreja do Carmo which was also pretty amazing. As for Livraria Lello, I thought it was overrated. As I later found out, it is a bookstore with a beautiful staircase that is not made of wood. Plus, there were too many people. You even had to pay to get inside. If you’re looking for some fun souvenirs, I recommend stopping by Fernandesm Mattos & Ca. store.
The next morning, we started our trip by visiting Santo Ildefonso, the most beautiful church I have ever seen. There is so much to see in Porto, including the Chapel of the Souls, Palazzo Bolsa, Anglican Palace, Church of St. Francis, and Porto Cathedral. Don’t forget to enjoy the riverfront at Ribeira Square and cross the bridge for beautiful views of the city.
Braga
spring jesus do monte
Guimaraes
Busaco Palace Hotel
Aveiro
porto
