Day Trips to Guimaraes and Braga from Porto

When you have completed the list of the best things to see and do in Porto it becomes important and highly recommended that you spend some time in the cities and regions closest to what is popularly known as the capital of northern Portugal. Braga and Guimarães are two cities that also stand out individually for their beauty and culture. It is therefore a good idea to visit them if you are interested in leaving Porto for a short time

To facilitate your research for alternatives that are favourable to your schedule and your budget, I have taken it upon myself to find the best excursions to Guimarães and Braga from Porto. This so that you can make a decision based on concrete and real data about what you would do and see on a trip like this. Don't think twice and find out all the details you need to make a quick, but fun, visit to this jewel of northern Portugal.

The first excursion I can mention if you are looking to get to know Braga and Guimarães, knowing that your departure point would be Porto, are those that extend over a whole day, with a pick-up point in the city centre. They are almost always in the early hours of the morning and return to the same place in the late afternoon.

They are a trip that takes place in transport that meets the highest standards of comfort, as they have internal air-conditioning that can keep out the summer heat and the bearable cold of the Portuguese winter. They also include a professional guide as part of the service who details all the historical information you need to know about these two northern Portuguese cities.

Please note that they are not a sightseeing tour that includes lunch as part of the fare. Although there are small stops along the way where you can buy snacks at gas stations or sit down to eat at some of the restaurants in the area selected by the tour guide.

Now, if I focus on what you would know in both cities I can highlight the fact that this type of tours include the entrance fees to the main attractions of each location. So you wouldn't have to pay any extra amount to enter the very famous medieval castle of Guimãres or you wouldn't pay another cent extra to enter the cathedral of Braga either.

Details of interest:

• Price: this type of tour is the cheapest of the ones I will tell you about in this post, as it does not include lunch and it is a shared vehicle. On average, it usually costs around 65 euros for adults and the price drops to 35 euros for children between 12 and 4 years of age. Babies usually join the tour free of charge.
• Duration: As I mentioned, the average tour lasts 9 to 10 hours. However, it should be taken into account that the route from Oporto to Braga and Guimarães usually has a high traffic flow, which doubles during the summer season. So it is not unusual to have traffic that can take up to 11 hours in total.
• Type of vehicles: Most commonly a single level bus for 30-40 people, but it is also possible to take a coach that would only carry a medium sized group of up to 20 people.
• Advantages: Although it is a long tour and one of the best day trips from Porto, it is also true that there is a guarantee that you will be back in the city by 7 or 8 pm. That means you're left with the night completely free to enjoy the cultural scene, just like the best Fado shows in Porto.

The next alternative that I offer you if you want to enjoy a day trip to Guimarães and Braga are those that include lunch in the price.

As I mentioned, the most common place for this lunch break is Braga, as it is almost always the second stop on the itinerary. However, it is also common for the roles to be reversed and for Guimarães to become the place where you can enjoy typical elements of the gastronomy of northern Portugal. Such as fried cod, Cabidela rice, Posta a Mirandés and Caldo Verde.

As for the itinerary you can have peace of mind knowing that it also includes a guide who will accompany you with all the relevant information of each of the sites visited on the trip. You also have an extremely comfortable vehicle and in this case it is more common for groups to be limited to around 25 participants. This is for the sake of convenience and comfort in choosing which restaurant to visit in either city.

Keep in mind that this alternative is very convincing in the sense that tours that do not include lunch still require you to eat in the same restaurant. The return trip usually takes place under the same conditions, i.e. you will arrive at the same pick-up point and, due to a timetable issue, you will also enjoy a completely free night in the night-time splendour of Porto. Plans such as a cruise on the Douro River on the Porto Riviera or an elegant dinner in one of the city's historic taverns are good ideas to fill the rest of your day.

Details of interest:

• Price: as these excursions include lunch it is logical and predictable that they will be a little more expensive. For example, they typically cost around 88-90 euros, while the children's rate is 70 euros per person. The conditions for free access for infants remain the same, but it is not usual to calculate the inclusion of a specialised lunch for the child under 4 years old.
• Duration: the duration is usually the same as in the previous alternative due to the fact that both include a lunch break, but in this case this privilege is included in the paid rate. So you can expect 9 to 10 hours of pure fun in these two beautiful and impressive cities in the north of Portugal.
• Type of vehicles: for smaller groups it is common to prefer a large coach rather than a much more significant bus. However, it is also valid to choose buses with empty seats.
• Advantages: if you have a pre-paid lunch you are guaranteed to have food for the exact time when the whole group will have the appetite for it. At the same time, there is also no guarantee that you will be able to get food quickly and cheaply at restaurants near the one you go to with your tour guide.

The third and last alternative that I put at your disposal if you are interested in getting a day trip to Guimarães and Braga are those that work under the modality of an exclusive and private transfer. That is, they are a tour designed for a very small group of people that cannot exceed 3 or 4 people depending on the number of seats in the private car.

It differs from the other option in the fact that in this case the guide does not accompany you to the tourist attractions that you will visit in the historical centres of Guimarães and Braga. In fact, there would be no guide accompanying you and the driver of the vehicle, who is almost always a specialist in the most important aspects of the history of both cities, would be in charge of explaining the historical details of your interest.

This is an ideal option for those who have no financial constraints and for those who have no interest in sharing their sightseeing tour with people who are not part of their group of companions. Keep in mind that a tour like this usually has the same duration of 9 to 10 hours, but it also does not include the payment of lunch, although the driver will point out the best places to enjoy a typical Portuguese meal.

However, this is a good alternative for those who are looking for privacy on their tour and have the time and money to enjoy a trip like this on their 4-day visit to Porto. Or even for those who have a full week, but still prefer a trip planned by specialists in the field.

Details of Interest:

• Price: a trip like this usually costs around 280 euros per passenger. That means that if there are 3 people travelling in the vehicle, the price can go up to almost 900 euros per transfer. Keep in mind that the chosen season also has an influence on prices, as in the winter there are usually discounts for almost all tourist services that are extremely popular in the summer.
• Duration: they almost always have the same duration as the other two alternatives mentioned above. That is, about 9 hours, which can be extended to about 10 hours depending on the traffic on the motorways connecting the two cities with Porto.
• Type of vehicle: it is usually a modern and elegant vehicle, but it does not necessarily have to be a luxury car. It can be a four-door sports car of medium exclusivity or a sports van.
• Advantages: despite the cost, an experience like this can be one of the highlights of your trip if you know how to make the most of it. It is not for nothing that private car tours in the north of Portugal are one of those things to see or do if you are in Porto during February or any other low tourist month.

Some alternatives offer a direct pick-up from your hotel if it is in certain designated areas of central Porto or central Vila Nova de Gaia. However, it is more usual to designate a centrally located and accessible departure point on the outskirts of the historic centre and from there begin a journey that on average lasts 9, 10 or even 11 hours.

Bear in mind that Guimarães will almost always be the first stop on such a tour and here you will marvel at the medieval architecture of a territory credited with the formation of Portugal as a kingdom that eventually became an empire and today is a democratic Republic. In fact, the historic centre of Guimarães is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The second stop in Braga is just as interesting, as it is seen in Portugal as the birthplace of religion for this country and is a vibrant and significantly large city. In fact, it is the third largest in size and population after Lisbon and Porto. Keep in mind that this city is often the place to have lunch and this is convenient due to the fact that it is known for its wide range of Codfish recipes.

The best option for you to book any of the Guimarães and Braga tours from Porto that I have mentioned is online. Firstly for the fact that they are fixed rates where you see a detailed breakdown of why you are paying what you are paying.

Secondly for the fact that they are an instant confirmation purchase which in most cases also offers you a free cancellation if you do so well in advance.

This applies to all kinds of tours from the city. As well as those excursions to Aveiro from Porto which are also a good option if you are looking to get to know the most beautiful communities around the most populated city in the north of Portugal.

There are several recommendations I can give you if you are planning to participate in these excursions I have mentioned and each and every one of these tips have to do with decisions that favour your comfort.

For example, something that can make this trip more bearable is to take snacks with you to calm your anxiety on the road. It's not nice to have to hold your appetite until it's time to sit down for lunch in the middle of the sightseeing itinerary.

Having children's entertainment with you is another good idea if you're taking part in these excursions with young children. The parts where you tour the cities keep them busy, but the car, bus or coach journeys can get boring for the little ones. At least if they are not used to them.

It is also very important that you choose the right clothes for the season. You will have a favourable climate on the bus, but as soon as you get off the bus you will have to deal with the extreme heat of summer or the cloudy and rainy winter in the north of Portugal.

Both cities have an equally significant historical and cultural appeal as Porto. So if you have the time and money to visit them, it is an excellent idea to do so, as you can get a more complete overview of the north of Portugal. In addition, you can also take a break from the environment of Porto, while you get to know the most important places outside the Minho region.

Moreover, the fact that they are such favourable excursions from an economic perspective makes them a good investment, especially if you value the fact that at the end of the day you will be returning to the hotel with two more cities on your list of known places around the world.