Guimarães is one of the most beautiful, historical, and authentic cities you can find in Portugal, so naturally there are plenty of things to do and see here!
Not only has Guimarães’ city center been inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage since 2001, the city is also considered the birthplace of the Kingdom of Portugal.
So exploring Guimarães is a MUST for anyone who is interested in the origin of Portugal – and aren’t most of us travelers always a bit curious?
The city has so many great attractions – and you could easily spend several days exploring it. Unfortunately, we only went to Guimarães on a day trip from Braga, but we did try to see as much as possible!
So in this blog post, we’ll go through all the best things to do in Guimarães, and we’ll of course add some practical information like how to get there, where to stay, and a few historical facts about the city. Hopefully, it’ll help you to plan your own trip to Guimarães. Now let’s begin!
Things to know before visiting Guimarães
The Birthplace of Portugal
Some of the absolute best things to do in Guimarães are to discover the historical places in the city. However, to really appreciate Guimarães’ historical gems, it helps to know a thing or two about the history of the city.
Guimarães is considered the birthplace of the Kingdom of Portugal for two reasons. Firstly, it’s believed that Portugal’s first king, Afonso Henriques, was born in the city. Secondly, the battle that ensured Portugal’s independence, the Battle of São Mamede, was fought in the area of Guimarães.
Because of the city’s historical value and its well-preserved medieval city center, Guimarães has been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001. And we must admit, walking around the city center of Guimarães does feel like you’re taken back to another period in time.
How to get to Guimarães
Guimarães is located in Northern Portugal, and it’s only a 25-kilometer drive away from Braga and a 55-kilometer drive away from Porto. So it’s super easy to go on a day trip to Guimarães if you find yourself in the Northern part of Portugal.
In this section, I’ll share how you can get to Guimarães from Porto and Braga without a car.
From Porto to Guimarães
There are 3 ways to get from Porto to Guimarães: 1) Take the direct train from Porto São Bento to Guimarães for €3,25, which takes around 1 hour and 15 minutes, 2) Plan ahead and book a direct bus from Porto to Guimarães for around €6, which takes 50 minutes, 3) Join a tour to Guimarães and Braga from Porto.
From Braga to Guimarães
There are 2 ways to get from Braga to Guimarães: 1) Hop on the train from Braga to Lousado and change here to another train towards Guimarães with a total price of €3,55 and a travel time of 1,5-2 hours, 2) Book a direct bus to Guimarães for about €6, which takes around 40 minutes.
W here to stay in Guimarães
As mentioned in the beginning, we only went to Guimarães on a day trip. However, we quickly fell in love with the city, so we actually agreed to stay here for a couple of nights during our next visit to Northern Portugal.
So, I’ve done some research on Booking.com, which is the platform we always use when we travel. Here I’ve looked at several places that we would like to stay at next time. I decided on 3 different accommodation options depending on budget – going from cheap to expensive.
Where to stay in Guimarães
- Santiago 31 Hostel: Want to stay somewhere cheap? This hostel is located in the heart of the city center, it has really good reviews, and breakfast is included in the price.
- Trovador City Guest House: Want something private but affordable? Stay in this beautiful guest house in the city center. Here you can get your own little apartment with a seating area and kitchenette for an affordable price.
- Pousada Mosteiro de Guimaraes: Want something extraordinary? Stay in a historical convent just outside of the city center of Guimarães. This 5-star luxury hotel has a view of the city, a swimming pool, and a delicious breakfast included.
10 best things to do in Guimarães
All right, now that we have shared historical facts, how to get there, and where to stay in Guimarães, it’s time to look into the main point of this blog post – the best things to do!
So here are all the best attractions that you should see in Guimarães – most of which we’ve personally visited ourselves.
1. Visit the Castle of Guimarães
One of the places that we were most excited to visit in Guimarães was the medieval castle, also known as Castelo de Guimarães. The castle is deemed a Portuguese National Monument, and it’s full of history!
Guimarães Castle was ordered built in the 10th century by Mumadona Dias, the Countess of Portugal. It was built as a military fortification with the purpose of defending the city’s villagers and monastery against the Moors and the Norsemen. Since then, many great battles has been fought at the Castle of Guimarães.
Today, you can easily visit the castle. There is not much to see inside of it, but you can walk along the old, medieval, castle walls and get some beautiful views of Guimarães – definitely a must do when you’re in town!
Guimarães Castle opening hours & ticket price in 2023: The castle is open every day from 10 AM – 6 PM with last admission at 5:30 PM. The entry fee is only €2 per adult, and it’s free to bring children up to 12 years old.
2. See where Portugal’s first king was baptised
Right in between the Guimarães Castle and the Ducal Palace (which we’ll come to in a moment), you’ll find the São Miguel do Castelo Church.
It’s a small medieval church that honestly doesn’t look like much. However, it’s believed that this is where the first king of Portugal, Afonso Henriques, was baptised.
While it’s definitely not the best thing to see in Guimarães, the church has historical significance, and it would be sad to skip it. So make sure to stop by the São Miguel church and have a look inside before you continue your exploration.
São Miguel Church opening hours & ticket price in 2023: UPDATE: The church is temporarily closed due to renovations. But normally it’s free to go inside.
3. Visit the extravagant Ducal Palace
One of the best things to do in Guimarães is to visit the Ducal Palace. It’s a medieval palace that was built in the 15th century for the Duke of Bragança. The Dukedom of Bragança used to be one of the most important titles in Portugal, so this was an important residence.
The Ducal Palace went through a period of abandonment before it was turned into military barracks in the 19th century. Luckily, it was restored in the 20th century, and it apparently became an official residence of Portugal’s President in the North of the country.
It opened up to the public in 1959, and today it’s a museum. When you’re inside of the palace, you can walk through the many chambers and see several collections of tapestries, paintings, weapons and much more – my favorite thing was to see the incredible wooden ceiling in one of the big halls.
Ducal Palace opening hours & ticket price in 2023: The palace is open every day from 10 AM – 6 PM with last admission at 5:30 PM. The entry fee is only €5 per adult and it’s free to bring children up to 12 years old. (Ducal Palace + Guimarães Castle combined ticket cost €6).
4. Go on the free Medieval Wall Walk
One of the best free things to do in Guimarães is the medieval wall walk. We hadn’t seen anything about this online, so it was sheer luck that we stumbled upon this little activity.
In the 13th century, Guimarães used to be surrounded by walls to protect the city. the walls had 8 gates in total, some of which had a tower, so there were several entrances along the structure.
Today it’s possible to go for a walk by these defense walls. It’s a nice little walk where you get some small views along the way of both the Ducal Palace and the São Gualter Church in Guimarães. We 100% recommend you to do this as it only takes 5 minutes and it’s free!
Wall walk opening hours & ticket price in 2023: Winter (23/09-19/03) opening hours are 10 AM – 5:30 PM. Summer (20/03-22/09) opening hours are 10 AM – 9:30 PM. Last admission to the walk is half an hour before closing. There is no entrance fee, you just walk in.
5. See the iconic São Gualter Church
One of the most iconic pictures you see from Guimarães is the picture with colorful flowers leading down to a beautiful church. This is the São Gualter Church, which is one of the most impressive buildings in the city.
The combination of the two church spires, the azulejos (tile work) in the front of the church, and the gardens leading up to the building is just incredible.
Unfortunately, we don’t know the opening hours of the church, so you just have to go and try your luck. One thing is for sure, seeing this iconic church is one of the things you must do while in Guimarães.
6. Visit Monte da Penha for great views
One of the things we never got to do in Guimarães was to visit Monte da Penha (Penha Mountain). With its peak reaching 617 meters above sea level, Monte da Penha is one of the best places to go for some great views over Guimarães and the nearby area.
On top of the mountain, you’ll find a religious sanctuary, several restaurants, and a campsite. It’s also where you can watch a beautiful sunset! So it’s safe to say that there are several activities on top of this mountain.
You can either take the 1,5 kilometer long cable car directly from the city center of Guimarães, or you can take your car, or you can go on a hike to the top. It looks like the cable car is only open on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday during the winter compared to the summer where it’s open on a daily basis. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find any official opening hours or an updated price for the cable car.
7. Get lost in the UNESCO streets of Guimarães
Undoubtedly, one of the best things to do in Guimarães is to go get lost in the historical UNESCO streets of the city.
Walking around in Guimarães city center truly does feel like walking into another time period. The medieval buildings and architecture combined with its modern influence is such a nice sight.
So we advice you to just go around the city center without a destination for a little while, and just take it all in!
8. Visit the historical Largo da Oliveira
During your trip to Guimarães, you have to visit the main square named Largo da Oliveira. Because this is where you’ll truly feel the medieval times.
The cobblestoned square is home to the beautiful Nossa Senhora da Oliveira Church, and right next to it is a gothic shrine that commemorates the Battle of Salado from 1340. You’ll also find many colourful buildings and a lot of restaurants, which create a great atmosphere at the square.
We loved visiting Largo da Oliveira and wished that we knew more about it.
9. See the excavation site of Citânia de Briteiros
One of the things we never got to do, since it’s technically not located in Guimarães, was visiting the Citânia de Briteiros.
Citânia de Briteiros is an archaeological excavation site full of ruins dating back more than 2000 years. That means the first settlement on this site is from the Iron Age.
Since we didn’t personally visit the place ourselves, we don’t know much about these ruins. Yet, the place has excellent reviews on Google and it really looks like it’s worth a visit. So if you have a car, then make sure to make a stop at Citânia de Briteiros – it’s located in between Braga and Guimarães. You can also take a bus from Guimarães to Briteiros, and walk the remaining kilometers to the excavation site.
10. Get wiser in a museum or on a tour
Can’t get enough of Guimarães? Or do you just wish you knew more about the city? Then go to a museum or go on a guided tour.
One of the most popular museums you can visit in Guimarães is the Alberto Sampaio Museum. The museum houses the artefacts of the Nossa Senhora da Oliveira Church from the city square. You can get a combined ticket to Ducal Palace, Guimarães Castle, and Alberto Sampaio Museum for just €8 in the ticket office at Ducal Palace.
You can also easily join a tour from Porto to Guimarães and get a guide to take you around the historical city. Guided tours are good if you want to get to know the city better and get some of that golden insider knowledge from the guide.
Our 3 favorite things to do in Guimarães
Before rounding up this blog post, it’s time for us to share our favorite things to do in Guimarães. We honestly had such a lovely day in Guimarães, and we hope to be back some day to explore the rest of this list. Hopefully next time, we can stay for a couple of days and get to know the city even better!
That being said, we did explore a lot of the city, so we’re ready to give you our top 3 attractions in Guimarães:
- Guimarães Castle: Our favorite thing to do was exploring the medieval castle. While there wasn’t actually much to see inside of the castle, the overall feel of the place was magical. It was so unique to feel like being taken back to the Middle Ages while watching the modern city from the castle walls. We absolutely loved it!
- Largo da Oliveira: The historical city square was really something. We understand why this place was deemed UNESCO World Heritage. The colourful houses contrasting the old Nossa Senhora da Oliveira Church was just beautiful. So visiting the city square is without a doubt a must on your trip to Guimarães.
- Ducal Palace: Walking in the halls of the great Duke of Bragança was such a good experience. It was like visiting a living museum – almost everything in this building had a story.
Source: https://wowiwalkers.com/