The Herald - The Herald Magazine
Braga Leave the tourist hotspots behind and you’ll be enthralled by this overlooked gem
WHEN imagining Portugal, there are many desirable destinations that might spring to mind for the first-time visitor or even for the ardent Lusophile. There is Lisbon, the iconic capital, departure point for many seaborne expeditions that would take fabled navigators around the globe; Oporto, another coastal powerhouse with its often hilly streets, surrounding Douro valley and renowned Ports and underrated vinho tinto vineyards; Faro and the Algarve with its promise of sunshine and relaxation; and, an hour’s flight from the Portuguese mainland, the floral beauty and sensory delight that is the island of Madeira.
With these familiar ideas in mind, it is not unexpected that Braga, the third-largest city, hidden away inland in north Portugal, goes relatively unnoticed – but you may be pleasantly surprised by what you find there.
Settled for millennia, Braga was an important centre of commerce for the Roman empire, and indeed its Latin name Bracara Augusta hails from the title bestowed by the eponymous Roman emperor. Nowadays there are ancient ruins to explore just a short walk from the city centre, and the foundations remain of a long-vanished pillared structure at the back of trendy tapas restaurant Brac.
Braga was influenced by the Celts, just like northern neighbour Galicia, but it is the more recent Catholicism of the region that has left Braga, similar to the Galician city Santiago de Compostela, as an essential stopping point for religious pilgrims nowadays. With fewer than 150,000 people, Braga boasts some 300 churches and a cathedral.
After navigating the baroque staircases leading to Bom Jesus do Monte, the magnificent basilica set atop the south-eastern slopes of the city, and quite often a glamorous wedding venue, foodies and hungry travellers alike can descend again and choose from a range of restaurants and cafes offering the multicultural cuisines you would expect of a city.
Beware, though, that in keeping with the gastronomy of much of southern Europe and Latin America, Braga’s residents clearly have a carnivorous taste, with prices for steak and cured meat platters ranging from place to place. For seafood lovers, Braga folk enjoy bacalhau – dried and often salted cod fish – prepared in hundreds of different ways as desired, and camarão (prawns) in various recipes.
There are, however, two vegetarian restaurants, Anjo Verde on Rua do Souto being the better known among locals, with the usual international choices from India, China, Italy and more than one Japanese option available. The Singhs’ thematically titled Indian Tandoori Restaurant is an unwitting but quality haven for any veggie food enthusiasts.
Braga has a reputation in Portugal for being a generally young city, with a vibrant student scene at the Universidade do Minho. Sporadic outbursts of impassioned chanting and singing rings around the residential campus area’s cafes and bars but, like the rest of the city, the atmosphere and intention is friendly, if a little more lively.
It was partly for this reason that Braga was named Ibero-American Youth Capital in 2016 – and next year it will be the European City of Sport.
The main sport, football, as across Portugal, runs through the veins of the Braga people, and the city’s professional club SC Braga has punched above its weight in Europe in recent years. The Guerreiros do Minho, or Warriors of Minho, referring to the Roman conquerors who marauded across the region in days of antiquity, are the national cup holders.