2010-07-05

Braga, the city

Braga is considered the third most important city in the country after Lisbon (capital) and Oporto.
The Portuguese Rome (an allusion to Braga's religious relevance in Iberia) is the main city of the Minho region which borders Galicia to the North and the Douro river (the world's oldest wine region - home to the production of Port Wine) to the South.
The closest international airport is Oporto, some 45Km from Braga city centre (40 minutes drive via highway). The closest Spanish international airport is Vigo at 100km also connected by highway. Lisbon airport is 350 km from Braga.

Lonely Planet Guide:
«Braga’s compact centre is packed with splendid baroque churches. Baroque churches, and the clamouring of their bells, are a constant reminder of who’s in charge here. Indeed, Braga has been a religious power centre since the conversion of the Visigoths in the 6th century. Its cathedral –built in the 12th century – is the oldest in Portugal.
But don’t come expecting piety alone: the pedestrian streets of the compact centre are lively with cafés and worldly concerns, and students from the Universidade do Minho add much youthful leavening
».

Some pictures of the city centre:

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