Palace Duques de Bragança — Attraction in Guimarães

The Palace of the Dukes of Braganza (Paço dos Duques de Bragança) in Guimarães is an exceptionally unique landmark, primarily distinguished by its imposing and somewhat austere medieval appearance, reminiscent of a Burgundian or Northern European manor house, which is distinct from typical Portuguese palaces.

Its most striking architectural features are its numerous cylindrical brick chimneys dominating the skyline and the square towers that give it a fortified, almost castle-like quality. The palace showcases a Burgundian Gothic style, reflecting the ties of the Braganza family with European nobility, making it architecturally unique in Portugal.

Built in the 15th century, it was the residence of the first Dukes of Braganza, the family that later became the royal dynasty of Portugal. After centuries of decline, it underwent an extensive 20th-century restoration, which brought it back to its original grandeur. Today, it also serves as an official residence for the President of the Portuguese Republic when in the North, further solidifying its unique blend of historical significance, distinctive architecture, and...

A very nice medieval palace that is located in the north of Portugal near the city of Braga and the Porto . A friend suggest me to go to this town and walk it and it was a very good propose if the weather is good. If you go to Porto you must go to see this palace and the castle near it. The day I went it has got an exhibition of Leonardo da Vinci, and some of his innovative things he draw inside the palace. It was amazing because it was like you lived in this period, walk in the palace, see their weapons and their furniture, and of course learn about da Vinci. I went in autumn but it had got a beautiful sunny day so we made a walk in the park which connects the palace with the castle and then a little one to the town center. It is like you live in another period, with clean air, without the noises of a city and the cars. Near the nature with very beautiful houses and roads. I thing it is something that you can live it not many times in your life and a place which keeps the good things of the past inside their modern life. This is something that it is not easy to be seen in my...

There is no doubt that this building and the surrounding grounds are magnificent.

We just did a quick stop for about two hours in this town, and were blown away by the architecture here.

There are many, many photos online of this wonderful building, and I am gonna post a few myself. But, none of the photos can do this place justice. You just have to come here and see it. The tapestries alone are worth the price of admission. Speaking of admission, we paid €5.00 for my wife and €2.50 for me, with my senior discount.

Quick note: all the parking lots near this edifice fill up rather early., so we parked on the street. As we were paying the fee and buying our receipt to put in the window, two police officers came walking down the street ticketing vehicles. They were kind enough to chat with us for several minutes, and gave us tips on what to see and what not to see. They also said they would keep an eye on our rental car. Very nice police officers.

Please do stop here. It is...