Why Braga:
My friends Maren and Bruno were getting married! The three of us attended IESE Business School in Barcelona and have traveled together to Brazil and Egypt. I stayed at their place in Amsterdam last winter. Since they met at business school, there was naturally going to be a big crew. Approximately 45 of us made the trip.
Maren is Norwegian and Bruno is Brazilian. Portugal, which is in Europe but has many flights to Brazil is the midpoint. The couple has no specific connection to Braga. It was selected because they liked the wedding venue. Spoiler alert: the venue was insane.
September 20, 2025: The Long Journey
My journey to Portugal involved flying from Los Angeles to Vienna, Austria and then 3-hours intra-Europe to Porto. I landed at 19:00. From the Porto Airport, I caught a direct bus to Braga which took 40 minutes.
Once in Braga, I checked into hostel which was located behind a shoe shop.
I then took an Uber to the rehearsal dinner, located at a fancy restaurant in the hills above the city. The dinner ended around 23:00 and I was asleep by midnight.
September 21, 2025: Braga
I woke up shockingly not jetlagged around 8:00 and took an Uber to Braga’s UNESCO World Heritage Site: the Sanctuary do Bom Jesus do Monte (not to be confused with Goa’s Basilica de Bom Jesus). The church is located atop a large hill. To reach the top you can walk a long staircase, ride a funicular or accidentally have your Uber driver take you to the top. Whoops!
This actually worked out in my favor since I only needed to walk down the hill to see everything and wouldn’t tire myself out before the wedding.
The basilica, built in the 18th and 19th century is medium impressive by Europe standards. The best part was the entire Golgotha scene on the altar complete with Roman soldiers.
I then walked down the monumental staircase, flanked and decorated by numerous statues and small chapels.
There were nice views of the city too!
The staircase was popular with locals who used it for fitness. Among the people climbing were firefighters in full gear.
At bottom, I caught a city bus back into town.
My next stop was the city’s famous cathedral: Se de Braga. The cathedral is older than the independent country of Portugal itself, having been constructed when Portugal was a county of the Kingdom of Leon. The cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Braga who also holds the honorary title of Primate of Portugal and Spain because Braga is the original Catholic diocese on the Iberian Peninsula. More on him in a bit.
When purchasing an entry ticket to the cathedral, I was given the option of a guided tour to some chapels for an extra €2. Spoiler: the chapels were better than the main church.
First, our small group was taken through a locked gate into a side chapel outside the main church. Inside, we saw the tombs of the parents of the first king of Portugal.
Also in this chapel was the 600-year-old naturally mummified body of a former archbishop of the church. In Catholicism, this is often called an “uncorrupted” body and is used as justification for sainthood. However, the archbishop has never been considered for sainthood. The real story is that the chapel was dry and cool – perfect conditions for the mummification process to occur.
The next chapel contains the Baroque masterpiece tomb of the patron saint of Braga: St. Gerald of Braga (San Geronimo).
We visited a third tomb which has Moorish wall patterns and a grand tomb of a different archbishop.
Finally, we visited the Baroque choir loft, which sits above the main church nave. This is one of the prettiest pieces of church architecture I have ever seen.
Ironically, the main part of the cathedral itself is Romanesque and relatively simple.
Outside the cathedral, I ran into my friends Andres and Shelly who were on a guided tour. I decided to join their tour where I learned more about the history of Braga.
Braga founded by Romans, but its relevant history begins after the reconquest from the Moors just after the turn of the second millennium. The archbishop of Braga Paio Mendes, an enormously powerful religious figure helped support the independence of Portugal from Leon. In exchange, Dom Alfonso I gave the Church direct control over Braga. So while Braga was part of Portugal, it was run essentially as an independent fiefdom.
This arrangement lasted all the way until the establishment of the Republic in 1926. With 900 years of Catholic Church control meant that Braga has an insane number of churches. The Bishop of Braga lost its power as the most important Catholic figure in Portugal in the early 1700’s, when the Pope shifted power to the Bishop of Lisbon.
After the archbishop of the Church lost power, the landscape of the city began to change. The massive archbishop’s palace was converted to municipal uses. The walls were knocked down and in its place were public plazas flanked by buildings created by the famed architect Carlos Amarante.
Today, Braga is a thriving city with Portugal’s lowest unemployment rate and a strong tech scene and many students. Tourism not major factor here compared to rest of country.
After the conclusion of the tour, I got lunch with friend Connie and her boyfriend. Braga not best food city in Portugal – or at the very least all the good restaurants closed on Sundays.
It was now 15:00 and time to head to the wedding. The shuttle ride took about 30 minutes, just in time for the ceremony.
The ceremony took place on an island in an artificial lake.
We then headed to a garden for cocktail hour followed by a Brazilian country music band.
Then we headed into grand room with old ruins for three-course dinner and speeches.
Then we headed outside for the cake cutting which took place in front of a massive wall of fire.
Then we headed inside a greenhouse area for dessert buffet.
Finally, we went next door into the party room where a DJ played aggressive EDM and dance music.
The party went until 2:00 and I got home around 3:00. I was exhausted.
Final Thoughts:
Braga is a nice town, but I wouldn’t call it a must-see. The highlight was the side chapels of the cathedral, which was special. If you are efficient with your time, a day is plenty to see Braga. The best way to visit Braga is probably as a day trip from Porto.
The wedding was absolutely bonkers – both the venue and the fact that 45 of us from our business school were all there together. I had an amazing time.
Leave a Reply