Braga, the Portuguese Canterbury

Its turismo pamphlet calls it the Portuguese Rome, but calling it the Portuguese Canterbury might be more accurate. Starting with a bishopric in Visigothic times, Braga rose to in such importance as a center for Catholicism in Iberia that it was actively competing with Toledo and Tarragona for recognition from the Pope as the seat of the "Primate of All Spains."

Modern Braga is still the Catholic center of (a very Catholic) Portugal, making it a small city crammed with medieval- and Renaissance-era churches. Easily reached by train, Braga is located with a couple hours of Porto and within half a day's journey of Lisbon. This location makes it ideal for an ideal day-trip out of Porto, or for a weekend jaunt or short side-trip out of Lisbon. Either way, visitors to Braga will have skipped off the well-trodden tourist path and find themselves in a quiet, pleasant old city center that is free of crowds. The only time Braga is crowded is during a major religious festival, and even then the visitors are all Portuguese and devout, not foreign and garishly touristic.

The main cathedral is the Se, built on the site of a former mosque in 1070, during the earliest days of the Reconquest. The building is an example of progressive expansion, with a Romanesque core featuring Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque additions. The roof, for example, is the work of one Joao de Castilho, who went on to become the architect for the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos, Lisbon's most beautiful building. This is only the start of a city with an old center crammed with churches and chapels, as well as an imposing Archbishop's Palace that rivals any medieval fortress in the country.

Try to take refreshment at a cafe on Praca da Republica. Sitting on a pleasant fountain, it is lined with old-style cafes and is adjacent to the old city's main park and its main shopping promenade, the garden-studded Avenida da Liberdade. The view down Liberdade is especially charming, as it extends past the garden boxes into the green hills outside of town. For dinner, try A Ceia, a very locals-oriented restaurant near the corner of Rua do Raio and Avenida da Liberdade. The prices are reasonable and the steaks and roasted chicken are excellent. Finally, if you choose to spend the night in Braga, there are a handful of 3-star hotels in the old city center, some right on the central park. While a touch outdated in terms of furnishings, they are clean, well-maintained, and much cheaper than similar accommodations in Lisbon or Porto.

Sources: personal experience