Is the city of Braga on any route?

[alexwalker]

I have walked the CP both from Lisboa (I deliberately spell it correctly...) and Porto. I also walked from Porto to SdC the normal route (not Coastal). I have just been made aware that in the city of Braga, inland from Barcelos, there is a beautiful cathedral, earlier mandatory visited by pilgrims:

Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

So I ask you, educated pilgrims: Is there an alternative route that goes through Braga? It is said that if you climb the 1165(?) steps up to the cathedral, on your knees, you are forgiven all your former sins. Well, after some 11-12 previous Caminos, I regard myself as (relatively) sin-free and forgiven, especially since at the age of 66, I have stopped sinning (I hope), so I would prefer to just walk the steps up...

But seriously: On the CP, is there a route alternative through Braga, inland from Porto/Barcelos?

 

[mspath]

Alex,
Check out this earlier Forum thread for Braga possibilities

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/braga-to-santiago-via-an-alternative-way.62523/

Happy research and Bom caminho

 

[Isca-camigo]

Hi Alex you can walk two ways from Porto, one goes direct and the other goes by Guimares. I have a feeling someone posted a resource on the forum for this either last year or the year before.

The Camino Torres goes from Salamanca to Braga, some of it is way marked and some you will have to use GPS, there would be plenty of stunning places you could join it at, the way it enters Braga you could tag on to local routes and go Bom Jesus and then use other routes to go into Braga's centre.

The sanctuary you have given outside of Braga is the starting point for the Via Mariana, which goes to Santiago and then onto Muxia, it's around 330km. I joined their facebook page a couple of years ago and the photos that keep being put up from the pilgrims who have walked it are stunning. The Camino Geira is the route I want to walk but this keeps turning my head. Luis Freixo who does the the maps for Portuguese/ Galician Caminos has a detailed one of the Via Mariana, he gives you a few options for visiting Sanctuary's before Braga, it would be a days walking in itself and a few hefty ascents thrown in.

Or you could just start in Barcelos, I saw photos years ago of an amigos group who walked Between Braga and Barcelos , so there is some kind of local path out there, but I can't find it on Wikiloc or other places.

Good luck.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I have been to Braga and the beautiful Bom Jesus, but only as a tourist. I did see a few pilgrims or walkers with backpacks in the heart of the city on a hot June day, but did not investigate to get any details from them.

 

[Isca-camigo]

This is the link to the Luis Freixo page which gives maps , etapas etc for the Via Mariana. His pages are a wealth of information but can be a little confusing when you first encounter them

VIA MARIANA LUSO GALAICA | O´Luis do Freixo

 

[JabbaPapa]

The Way through Braga from Porto is the older traditional one, and the more coastal Way most people seem to go on nowadays is the variant. (there seem to be a couple more variants to skip Braga towards the West)

There is a Way from Slamanca, and whilst a waymarked modern trail goes through Braga, this time that's the variant, as that route historically heads up north after Lamego to Ourense, going nowhere near Braga (same as the "official" path).

 

[Donovan]

The Camino Torres goes from Salamanca to Braga, some of it is way marked and some you will have to use GPS, there would be plenty of stunning places you could join it at, the way it enters Braga you could tag on to local routes and go Bom Jesus and then use other routes to go into Braga's centre.


Good luck.

I really enjoyed the Camino Torres. As said, some very interesting towns, and a lovely walk through the Portuguese hills. I found all I needed to know on this website:

http://caminosantiago.usal.es/torres/

The Relatos section contains several very informative reports from previous pilgrims, including Pelerine and Magwood of this forum.

 

[Mark Francis Auchincloss]

Yes you really must visit Braga it's so beautiful and its people real friendly etc. There's lots of caminos which you can walk crossing the mountains to Lobios where you turn right and head towards Celanova to Ourense or turn left towards the Ribeiro wine producing area whose capital is Ribadavia where I now live having abandoned the Coastal Route where I used to live in Baiona ! Here's the links to the Ribeiro camino and route from Braga to Santiago both via Ribadavia...https://debragaasantiago.com/etapas-camino-xacobeo/ & https://www.caminominotoribeiro.com/en/

 

[pelerine]

The Relatos section contains several very informative reports from previous pilgrims, including Pelerine and Magwood of this forum.

Plus your own, Donovan!

 

[Josefus]

Alex,
may be you also should take a look on the Camino Zamorano Portugues.
It´s a branch of the Via de la Plata starting in Zamora and uniting with the Sanabrés in Veirin. It passes Braga.

¡Ultreia!

 

[he.panpub]

Hi everybody,
To Bravo, I hiked on Camino Torrès in 2017. It was magnificent with very varied landscapes. In some places it is better to use a gps. This Camino goes through Braga. See my youtube Channel : he.panpub

 

[WalkingJane]

I have been to Braga and the beautiful Bom Jesus, but only as a tourist. I did see a few pilgrims or walkers with backpacks in the heart of the city on a hot June day, but did not investigate to get any details from them.

I lived in Braga for 2 years, working for Habitat for Humanity. It is a beautiful city, with many Cathedrals besides Bom Jesus. If part of the reason for your walk is to learn more about the history of the country, do manage to spend a bit of time there. Parts of the Se Cathedral were built in Roman times. During Holy Week there are several processions........

 

[WalkingJane]

I have walked the CP both from Lisboa (I deliberately spell it correctly...) and Porto. I also walked from Porto to SdC the normal route (not Coastal). I have just been made aware that in the city of Braga, inland from Barcelos, there is a beautiful cathedral, earlier mandatory visited by pilgrims:

Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

So I ask you, educated pilgrims: Is there an alternative route that goes through Braga? It is said that if you climb the 1165(?) steps up to the cathedral, on your knees, you are forgiven all your former sins. Well, after some 11-12 previous Caminos, I regard myself as (relatively) sin-free and forgiven, especially since at the age of 66, I have stopped sinning (I hope), so I would prefer to just walk the steps up...

But seriously: On the CP, is there a route alternative through Braga, inland from Porto/Barcelos?

There is a tram up to Bom Jesus, in Braga, for those whose feet or knees cannot manage the steps....

 

[AlwynWellington]

is there a route alternative through Braga

I suggest you try this link. It is focused on the Caminho da Geira e dos Arrieiros starting from Braga.

But also shows other way marked routes in the vicinity. Scroll back and you will see many more routes in all directions.

Particularly relevant is the Camino Torres starting from Salamanca and ending at Braga and the Caminho Portugues por Braga starting from Porto.

Kia kaha (take care, be strong, get going when you can)

 

[henrythedog]

I have walked the CP both from Lisboa (I deliberately spell it correctly...) and Porto. I also walked from Porto to SdC the normal route (not Coastal). I have just been made aware that in the city of Braga, inland from Barcelos, there is a beautiful cathedral, earlier mandatory visited by pilgrims:

Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

So I ask you, educated pilgrims: Is there an alternative route that goes through Braga? It is said that if you climb the 1165(?) steps up to the cathedral, on your knees, you are forgiven all your former sins. Well, after some 11-12 previous Caminos, I regard myself as (relatively) sin-free and forgiven, especially since at the age of 66, I have stopped sinning (I hope), so I would prefer to just walk the steps up...

But seriously: On the CP, is there a route alternative through Braga, inland from Porto/Barcelos?

Hello Alex

Back in the day you started a pilgrimage to Santiago from your own front door, so in that sense there is a route through (or from) Braga.

The cathedral is indeed impressive and the collection of relics, including the almost obligatory mummified former archbishop, interesting enough. I wouldn’t say it was worth a detour - not that any experience need be ‘worth’ anything other than to the participant.

I’m just a few years behind you, but still accelerating my sinning every year.


David

 

[JDM]

For the engineering minded, the tram is a funicular railway powered by water. Great concept if you have an unlimited water supply.

 

[Wendy Werneth]

If you are interested in religious architecture, there are three buildings in particular that I definitely recommend seeing while you are in Braga.

The first is the Cathedral, which is the oldest Cathedral in Portugal. There's even a saying in Portuguese, "mais velho do que a Sé de Braga", which means "older than the Braga Cathedral" and is used to describe something that's very, very old. Be sure to pay the two euros extra for the guided tour of the chapels, which I found much more interesting than the Cathedral itself.

The second is the Santuário do Bom Jesus do Monte, which is the church with the staircase that you are talking about. It's not a cathedral, just a church. I counted 582 steps when I walked it a month ago, a far cry from 1165.

The third is the Capela de São Frutuoso de Montélios. Attached to a little-known church on the outskirts of the city is this magnificent 7th-century Visigothic/Mozarabe chapel.

There are plenty of other churches in Braga, of course, but these are the ones that really stand out. You can read more about them in this article I wrote about Braga.

 

[Kevin Considine]

I have walked the CP both from Lisboa (I deliberately spell it correctly...) and Porto. I also walked from Porto to SdC the normal route (not Coastal). I have just been made aware that in the city of Braga, inland from Barcelos, there is a beautiful cathedral, earlier mandatory visited by pilgrims:

Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

So I ask you, educated pilgrims: Is there an alternative route that goes through Braga? It is said that if you climb the 1165(?) steps up to the cathedral, on your knees, you are forgiven all your former sins. Well, after some 11-12 previous Caminos, I regard myself as (relatively) sin-free and forgiven, especially since at the age of 66, I have stopped sinning (I hope), so I would prefer to just walk the steps up...

But seriously: On the CP, is there a route alternative through Braga, inland from Porto/Barcelos?

Yes. There are two routes going through Braga. It is a beautiful stop.

 

[alexwalker]

Yes. There are two routes going through Braga. It is a beautiful stop.View attachment 79425

VERY Helpful! Thank you!

And thanks to all of you who have taken the time to answer me. It is so kind and helpful. Thank you all again, and then again!

 

[VikingWarrior]

I have walked the CP both from Lisboa (I deliberately spell it correctly...) and Porto. I also walked from Porto to SdC the normal route (not Coastal). I have just been made aware that in the city of Braga, inland from Barcelos, there is a beautiful cathedral, earlier mandatory visited by pilgrims:

Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

So I ask you, educated pilgrims: Is there an alternative route that goes through Braga? It is said that if you climb the 1165(?) steps up to the cathedral, on your knees, you are forgiven all your former sins. Well, after some 11-12 previous Caminos, I regard myself as (relatively) sin-free and forgiven, especially since at the age of 66, I have stopped sinning (I hope), so I would prefer to just walk the steps up...

But seriously: On the CP, is there a route alternative through Braga, inland from Porto/Barcelos?

The redhead and I were in Braga a month ago. Our hotel was next to Bom Jesus do Monte and there were lots of tourists, but I didn't see any recognizable pilgrims while we were there.

BTW, there's only 577 steps ... we walked them twice because we discovered the answer to a geocaching question was at the bottom of the stairs and had to go back down.

It's well worth visiting, but it's six kilometers outside Braga ... we left our rental car parked at the hotel and rode the funicular down to a spot where we caught a city bus into the center of the city where the Braga Cathedral is located (I believe it is also a pilgrimage destination on it's own ... there's well over a dozen of them in Portugal). We saw pilgrims while there, but didn't talk to any of them.

Back to your question about the Camino. On the front door of the Braga Cathedral the was a yellow and blue scallop shell with a QR code I scanned to see what it was and it sent me to a site that said ...

Caminho Português Central pela Via Romana XVI (Porto-Braga) Etapa 1 Porto - Trofa (30,9 km) Etapa 2 Trata-Braga (34,1 km)

 

[Former member 22438]

From Porto there is a caminho by the small town of Famalição to Braga and from there to Ponte de Lima where it connects to the Portugese Central caminho to Valença and Tui .Called caminho de Centra pela Braga as it is called in a Portuguese guide for bikers , issued by Via Lusitana, the Portuguese Caminho pelo Santiago Association. The ancient route to Santiago from Porto.
I did not hike this myself but are intending to do so.But I know the area where the caminho leads through very well. Even Braga is my utmost favorite town in Portugal.
Braga is a beautifull Roman town with lot of history and as mentioned millions of times before the wonderfull sanctionary Bom Jesus do Monte. Really a splendid landmark .
Braga is the town where most of the traditional Portuguese musical instruments are being produced such as the Portuguese or Fado guitar and the Cavaquinho, a ukelele like small instrument used in traditional Portuguese music but also in Brazilean choro and Cabo Verdian music.
About 6 producers, most family related and competing each other take care for the supply of these wonderfull instruments
If you start from the Porto Sé cathedral in front of you in the street that leads towards the famous Eiffel bridge, there is a music shop only 100 steps away that sells those instruments. Casa da guitarra it is called.

 

[amsimoes]

The redhead and I were in Braga a month ago. Our hotel was next to Bom Jesus do Monte and there were lots of tourists, but I didn't see any recognizable pilgrims while we were there.

BTW, there's only 577 steps ... we walked them twice because we discovered the answer to a geocaching question was at the bottom of the stairs and had to go back down.

It's well worth visiting, but it's six kilometers outside Braga ... we left our rental car parked at the hotel and rode the funicular down to a spot where we caught a city bus into the center of the city where the Braga Cathedral is located (I believe it is also a pilgrimage destination on it's own ... there's well over a dozen of them in Portugal). We saw pilgrims while there, but didn't talk to any of them.

Back to your question about the Camino. On the front door of the Braga Cathedral the was a yellow and blue scallop shell with a QR code I scanned to see what it was and it sent me to a site that said ...

Caminho Português Central pela Via Romana XVI (Porto-Braga) Etapa 1 Porto - Trofa (30,9 km) Etapa 2 Trata-Braga (34,1 km)

In the city of Braga there are three caminhos:
1 - The old central path (before the construction of the bridge in Barcelos),
2 - The Torres path, which starts in Salamanca and continues to Ponte de Lima,
3- And the way to Geira and Arreeiros begins (in September I will do it).

 

[Former member 22438]

In the city of Braga there are three caminhos:
1 - The old central path (before the construction of the bridge in Barcelos),
2 - The Torres path, which starts in Salamanca and continues to Ponte de Lima,
3- And the way to Geira and Arreeiros begins (in September I will do it).

O especialista de todos caminhos Portuguêses , Aurélio
Obrigado amigo !

forte abraços para a Rita e você .

Albertinho

 

[Vacajoe]

Guimaraes was mentioned in an earlier 2020 post - THAT is a city that should not be missed!!! Easy walking from Porto, then in to Braga the next day.

 

[Former member 22438]

Guimaraes was mentioned in an earlier 2020 post - THAT is a city that should not be missed!!! Easy walking from Porto, then in to Braga the next day.

If you like medieval castles yes.
Braga is older. It is a Roman town. But I agree with you. Guimarães is a beautiful town.

 

[WalkingJane]

I lived in Braga for 2 years while working with Habitat for Humanity. It is a beautiful city; the main square has a cathedral on each of the 4 sides. There is a shrine on the north of the city, up by funicular or STEPS. Friendly people - University students speak English. It was on the old Roman road and the oldest cathedral is said to have parts built in that Roman era. Only down side I found was climate - seemed always dampish, winter or summer.
And, I had brought a pair of dress boots that needed new heels. Shoemaker in US had told me they could not be fixed. Shoemaker in Braga had them done, beautifully, in 2 days.

 

[Audax]

Here you can find information about the Camiňo da Geira e dos Arrieiros (Camiňo da Geira Romana):

Caminos de Santiago desde Braga – Caminos de Santiago desde Braga

www.debragaasantiago.com

 

[Camino Chrissy]

My family and I have done a "tourist road trip" to visit parts of Portugal a few years ago and I enjoyed Braga. The "Bom Jesus do Monte" site was a special highlight I will not forget, including the perfect weather that particular day. I highly recommend.

 

[Prentiss Riddle]

On the front door of the Braga Cathedral the was a yellow and blue scallop shell with a QR code I scanned to see what it was and it sent me to a site that said ...

Caminho Português Central pela Via Romana XVI (Porto-Braga) Etapa 1 Porto - Trofa (30,9 km) Etapa 2 Trata-Braga (34,1 km)

Thanks for this. I've seen that same QR code in Porto and dug into it a bit. It turns out that for a 30-km stretch there are actually two routes out of Porto to Braga, one of which follows the ancient Roman road of the Via XVI. For more see this thread:

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/mysteries-of-the-caminho-in-porto-fork-in-the-path-to-braga.78913/