Weekend in Guimaraes

Guimarães is a historical city. Before Portugal being a country, it was actually a small county which had its core in this same city. The first King of Portugal, the one that got their independence and conquered half of the nation – D. Afonso Henriques – was born in Guimarães, so the city is considered to be the cradle of the nation, with substantial historic importance.
There are plenty of things to see in Guimarães, and proof of that is that it has been deemed as a World Cultural Heritage.

What should you see in Guimarães? There is a little bit of everything for everyone in Guimarães. For the history buffs, there’s the Paço do Duque, or Duke’s Court, as well as the Guimarães’ castle. For those that like to go on a shopping spree – rest assured, the historic center of the city has a lot of traditional shops for you to get the native goods or get some souvenirs to take home.
If you love the wild, there are some awesome hiking trails around Serra da Penha, a mountain that is iconic and filled with local fauna and flora – it’s bliss, it’s peaceful, it’s heaven on Earth.

The main square of Guimarães is one of the big attractions for tourists simply because of its diversity – on one end you can experience total peace and bliss, recovering your energy and escaping the everyday stresses of live, while on the other you can experience the most dynamic nightlife Portugal has to offer – there’s something for everyone.

St. Michael’s Church is also a great place to visit because while you stand there you can take pride in knowing you are at the church the first king of Portugal was baptized – when he was he was still Spanish.

Tags: Weekend in Portugal