Exploring Portugal: Guimarães

Known as Cidade Berço (the cradle city), Guimarães is considered to be the birthplace of the Portuguese nationality. A UNESCO World Heritage Site and with a castle that's one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal, the city was high on my list of places to visit. Little wonder then that it was one of my earliest day trips.

The history of Guimarães can be traced back to the ninth century when it was known as Vimaranis, after Vímara Peres. A vassal of King Alfonso III of Asturias (r. 866-910), Peres was awarded the title of the first Count of Portucale (r. 868-873) following the reconquest of the lands north of the Douro. He chose the city for the main Government seat, and thus it became the country's first capital, although Portugal didn't get its independence until the 12th century.


Statue of Afonso I, Count of Portugal (r. 1129-1139) and first King of Portugal (r. 1139-1185)

One of the first things we came across was Paço Dos Duques De Bragança (The Ducal Palace of the Bragança), which was built in the 15th century by Afonso, first Duke of Bragança (t. 1442-1461). The illegitimate son of King João I of Portugal (r. 1385-1433), Afonso would go on to start the House of Bragança, Portugal's wealthiest and most powerful dynasty.

The palace, however, was to be abandoned and left to fall into ruin. It wasn't used again until the 19th century, when its remains were turned into a military barracks. Finally, in the 20th century, it was rebuilt, and is now a museum.

The reconstructed Ducal Palace of the Bragança

Archway leading to a courtyard

I must confess to not having visited the museum. It was a gorgeous day, you see, and I wanted to see Castelo de Guimarães, a 10th century castle built to defend the city from Moorish and Norman attacks. We spent an hour or so exploring the castle, before slowly making our way into the heart of the old town for lunch.

One of the Seven Wonders of Portugal

Rising from the rocks

 

Walking the castle walls

Autumnal countryside



Wooden footbridge



Entering the tower

Sabores de Oliveira, just inside the Largo de Oliveira was a find. Comprising soup, main, dessert, coffee and drinks, the set menu was a steal at a mere €8.50 (£6.70/US$10.50) per person. In a welcome change from bacalhau com natas, the dish of the day was robalo grelhado (grilled rock bass) with new potatoes and a spinach-like vegetable, and my God, it was good!

Grilled rock bass with potatoes and greens

Hungry though I was, I looked up from my lunch just long enough to take in the view, which happened to be of a rather lovely church, Igreja de Nossa Senhora de Olivas (Church of Our Lady of the Olive Tree).


Perfect lunch view


After lunch we followed our feet and came across yet another church, Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Consolação e dos Santos Passos, with a long manicured garden in front of it. We spent quite a while trying to capture the view. By this time the sun was fading and the temperature had dropped so after a quick look inside the church, we made our way back to the bus station, just in time to miss the bus! Fortunately, it wasn't the last bus, and an hour later, we were on our way home...


The stunning lead up to the church

 
As soon as I heard about Guimarães, I had wanted to visit, and it didn't disappoint. From the castle to the narrow streets, the sunny squares and the convent, it was like stepping back in time. The plan was always to go back, but I never did. There were just too many other places on my list...