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guimaraes free walking tours

GUIMARÃES

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ABOUT GUIMARÃES

Discover Guimarães

Take Guimarães Free Tours

There is a special moment in our free tour in Guimarães, when we stop in front of the Torre da Alfândega and point to the gothic letters announcing "Aqui nasceu Portugal". We are right at the entrance of the historical centre of Guimarães, the city founded by Vimara Peres, the first Count of Portucale and known as the "birth city" because Afonso Henriques the first king of Portugal, was born here.

If Portugal was born in Guimarães, Guimarães was reborn in Portugal in the 21st century. It was reborn in 2001 when it was classified as a World Heritage Site by Unesco. It was reborn again in 2012 when he was European Capital of Culture. It is reborn every day by the eyes of those who visit the city for the first time and are caught by the granite sidewalk, the iron balconies, the medieval arches and porches, the old wooden doors of the manor houses. During our Guimarães free tour, as we step on the slabs polished by time, we return to the origins of Portugal. The echo of our steps as we w...

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Best Places to Visit in Guimarães

The vast majority of things to do in Guimarães are made known by our free tour. Additionally, we recommend a visit to the Santuário da Penha and the Citânia de Briteiros.

 

  • Guimarães Castle

  • Dukes of Bragança Palace

  • São Miguel do Castelo Church

  • Santa Maria Street

  • Santiago Square

  • Nossa Senhora da Oliveira Church

  • Salado Pattern

  • Alberto Sampaio Museum

  • Largo do Toural

  • Santos Passos Church

  • Santo António dos Capuchos Museum and Convent

  • Penha Sanctuary

  • Briteiros Citânia

Where to sleep in Guimarães

There are several accommodation options in Guimarães, not only from hotels but also from hostels and apartments. Tourism in Guimarães has been growing since 2017 and it is natural that there are increasingly more offers. The following recommendations are made based on personal impressions of the inhabitants of the city and opinions of tourists who have made our Guimarães free tour. Our main interest is that you stay well in a hotel in Guimarães so that you can make the most of our guided tour.

 

  • Pousada Mosteiro Guimarães | €€€ | Largo Domingos Leite de Castro Lugar da Costa

  • Hotel da Oliveira | €€ | Rua De Santa Maria Largo da Oliveira

  • Casa do Juncal | €€ | Rua Dr. Avelino Germano, n.º 65

  • My Hostel | € | Rua Francisco Agra 135

  • Santiago 31 Hostel | € | Praça de S. Tiago, 31

Where to eat in Guimarães

There are also more and more restaurants in Guimarães, not only regional gastronomy ones, but also author and fusion cuisine. The suggestions presented here have no disguised commercial interest. We just want you to make the most of what the city has to offer beyond our free walking tour. Also in this case the impressions are a mixture of advice from the city's inhabitants and opinions from tourists who have taken our free tour in Guimarães.

  • Snack Bar Buxa | Largo da Oliveira 23 | 911 175 763

  • Troubadour Tavern | Troubadour Square 10 | 913 205 263

  • Le Babachris | R. João I 39 | 964 420 548

  • Yellow House | R. de Donães 24 | 253 292 629

  • Sala 141 | Dom Afonso Henriques Avenue 141 | 253 084 851

  • Solar do Arco | R. da Santa Maria 48 | 253 035 233

  • Cantinho dos Sabores | R. Francisco Agra 33 | 253 095 645

  • 34 | Largo António Leite de Carvalho 34 | 934249966

How to get to Guimarães by Car

Guimarães is 55 kilometres from Porto, 25 kilometres from Braga and 187 kilometres from Vigo (Spain). We recommend that you organize your trip with the Google Maps route planner. There is a car park next to Largo do Toural with capacity for 400 places (https://goo.gl/maps/nVndNDbbcVqVVZ3z5). The price of a day ticket between 8am and 8pm is 5 Euros. 

How to get to Guimarães by Train

From Porto there are trips to and from Guimarães every hour and the train leaves from São Bento station. Depending on the departure time, the trip with fewer stops lasts about 60 minutes and the one with more stops lasts about 75 minutes. The price per person is the same for both trips, 3.25 euros. Please check CP's website for the schedule here: https://www.cp.pt/passageiros/en.

From Braga there are trips to and from Guimarães every hour and the train leaves from Braga station. Depending on the departure time, the trip with fewer stops lasts about 75 minutes and the one with more stops lasts about 120 minutes. The price per person is the same for both trips, 3.55 euros. Please consult the schedules on CP's website here: https://www.cp.pt/passageiros/en.

Upon arrival at the station, the walk to the meeting point of our free tour of Guimarães takes about 10 minutes (850 meters).

How to get to Guimarães by Bus

The bus trip can be a little faster than the train trip but the value per person is significantly more expensive and can reach 17 Euros. We do not recommend this option.

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GUIMARÃES FREE TOURS

FREE TOURS

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GUIMARÃES FREE TOUR

Guimarães Free Tour is a great intro to this amazing city and you’ll get to see Guimarães’ historical center most important sites in one single tour. Take Guimarães free walking tour will take you through 3.000 years of history showing you the unmissable Guimarães and offering you dozens of local tips and plenty of things to do in Guimarães.

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guimaraes free walking tours
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