In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Braga is a CP urban train from Porto São Bento or Campanhã, about 1 hour 10, €3.60 each way, roughly every 30 minutes. Bom Jesus do Monte is on the hill above the city, reached by TUB bus 2. Take the funicular up (€2.50, or €4 return), built in 1882 and moved by water counterweights, and walk the stairway down. The basilica is free, the choir and bell tower climb is €1, and Braga Cathedral is open 9:30 to 13:00 and 14:30 to 18:00, closed over lunch, with three routes at €3 each or €7 for all. On your own the train and funicular come to €11.20. Or book a tour: the Braga and Guimarães tourad is from €47 for 9 hours and covers both towns (GetYourGuide).
Getting there on your own
CP’s urban line to Braga runs from Porto São Bento and Campanhã. Times are from CP’s timetable valid since 26 July 2026.
- To Braga: from São Bento at 06:05, 06:20, 06:40, 07:15, 07:20, 07:40, 08:15, 08:20, 08:50 and 09:20, then roughly every 30 minutes until 23:20, with a last train at 00:50 reaching Braga at 01:55. The journey takes about 1 hour 10.
- Back to Porto: the first train leaves Braga at about 04:32, reaching Campanhã at 05:41.
- Fare: €3.60 each way on CP’s 2026 price list. The Alfa Pendular to Braga is €17 in second class, so the urban train is the one to take. Andante tickets cover the city zones only, so the Braga train is a CP ticket.
- To Bom Jesus: TUB’s bus line 2 ends at Bom Jesus. TUB sells tourist tickets for its whole network, €3.35 for one day (TUB tariff 2026). A taxi is the other way up. The sanctuary’s car park is €1 for a car.
Bom Jesus do Monte
A baroque pilgrimage sanctuary on the slope of Mount Espinho, recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage site. Its stairways climb to a church built between 1784 and 1811, and the Stairway of the Five Senses is the best known. The Confraria do Bom Jesus do Monte runs the site (bomjesus.pt).
The Bom Jesus stairway, with the church towers at the top. Photo: Scott Crowe, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
| What | Price | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Funicular (the elevador) | €2.50 one way, €4 return | Daily, 08:55 to 19:55 in summer; 08:55 to 12:55 and 13:55 to 17:55 in winter |
| Basilica | Free | Daily, 08:00 to 19:00 in summer, to 18:00 in winter |
| Choir and bell tower | €1 | Daily, 08:00 to 12:30 and 14:00 to 19:00 in summer, to 18:00 in winter; closed during services |
| Boats on the lake | €3 a person, 15 minutes, two or more people | Daily, 10:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 19:00 |
- The funicular opened on 25 March 1882 and climbs 116 m along 267 m of track beside the stairway, ending near the equestrian statue of São Longuinhos. It was the first funicular built on the Iberian Peninsula, and the operator says it is the oldest in service in the world that uses water counterweights. Trips leave at 15 and 45 minutes past the hour while the stops are rebuilt, and the first and last trips of the day keep their times.
- Masses in the basilica: Monday to Friday 17:00, Saturday 08:30, Sunday 08:00, 11:00 and 17:00. The tower is closed while a service is on.
The Bom Jesus funicular on its track through the trees. Photo: Joseolgon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Braga Cathedral
The Sé de Braga is in the historic centre, entered from Rua do Cabido, and its ticket office is in the cloister. Building began at the end of the 11th century, and it is first of all a place of worship, so the interior is closed to visitors during services (se-braga.pt).
| Route | Price |
|---|---|
| 1: Treasury-Museum | €3 |
| 2: Chapels and High Choir, with a guide | €3 |
| 3: Cathedral | €3 |
| All three | €7 |
| Any two | €6 |
Open every day from 9:30 to 13:00 and from 14:30 to 18:00, with the last ticket 30 minutes before closing. The treasury-museum is closed on Mondays. The cathedral is closed on 1 January, Easter Sunday and Monday, and 25 December. Children up to 12 are free.
The west front of Braga Cathedral. Photo: Joseolgon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Tours from Porto
A tour adds the transport, a guide and Guimarães, and entries are optional extras on the cheaper ones. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices for one adult.
Braga and Guimarães with Bom Jesus
From €47 · 4.6 stars from 4,804 reviews · 9 hours
From Porto: Braga & Guimarães Tour with Bom Jesus & Castlead goes first to Bom Jesus, for an hour, then to Braga for a guided walk and the cathedral, then to Guimarães. It is a minibus tour of up to 27 people, with free time for lunch in Braga.
Small group
From €65 · 4.9 stars from 252 reviews · 8 hours
Braga & Guimarães Tour: Small Historical Group Tourad is the small-group version of the same pair.
With lunch and tickets
From €113 · 4.8 stars from 592 reviews · 8 hours
Braga & Guimarães Small Group Tour, Lunch & Tickets Includedad includes lunch and the entries.
With Viana do Castelo
From €39 · 4.7 stars from 1,840 reviews · 10½ hours
From Porto: Viana do Castelo, Braga and Guimarães Day Tourad adds a coastal town to the two.
What to see, in order
Go to Bom Jesus first and the cathedral after lunch, because the cathedral’s lunch closing is the fixed point of the day.
- Bom Jesus: funicular up, stairway down. Take the funicular to the top, visit the basilica and the tower, and walk down through the stairways: the Pórtico stairway, the Five Senses, the Virtues, and the Pelican square and cascade. Allow about 1½ hours.
- Braga Cathedral. Allow an hour for the cathedral (route 3) and the treasury. Add route 2 if you want the chapels and the choir with a guide.
- The historic centre. The cathedral stands in the old town, so lunch and a walk fit the 13:00 to 14:30 break.
- Leave out: the lake boats unless you have children with you, and Guimarães, which is a day of its own.
A day, hour by hour
| When | What |
|---|---|
| 08:20 | Train from São Bento, arriving about 09:30 |
| Morning | Bus 2 to Bom Jesus, funicular up, basilica and tower, stairway down |
| 13:00 to 14:30 | Lunch in the old town while the cathedral is closed |
| 14:30 | Braga Cathedral, last tickets 17:30 |
| Evening | Train back to Porto |
- On your own the cost is €11.20: €7.20 for the train and €4 for the funicular return, plus the bus and €3 to €7 for the cathedral.
- Winter hours: the funicular does not run between 12:55 and 13:55, and the last trip is 17:55.
Before you go
The cathedral closes for lunch every day, and on a Monday only the treasury-museum is shut: Bom Jesus and the cathedral stay open. The Guimarães day trip is the other half of the tour, and day trips from Porto compares both with Aveiro, Coimbra and the Douro Valley. What to book before you go to Porto has the city tickets, Porto in 2 days shows where a day trip fits, and where to stay in Porto covers the areas near São Bento and Campanhã.
Common questions
How do you get from Porto to Braga?
Take the CP urban train from Porto São Bento or Campanhã. It takes about 1 hour 10, runs roughly every 30 minutes, and costs €3.60 each way on CP's 2026 price list. The Bom Jesus sanctuary is on a hill above the city, reached by TUB bus line 2.
How much does the Bom Jesus funicular cost?
€2.50 one way or €4 return. It runs every day, 08:55 to 19:55 in summer and 08:55 to 12:55 and 13:55 to 17:55 in winter. While the stops are being rebuilt it leaves at 15 and 45 minutes past the hour. The basilica is free, and the climb to the choir and bell tower is €1.
What is special about the Bom Jesus funicular?
It opened on 25 March 1882, rises 116 m along 267 m of track beside the stairway, and is moved by water counterweights. The operator says it is the oldest funicular in service in the world that uses that system.
Is Braga Cathedral open at lunchtime?
No. The Sé de Braga is open 9:30 to 13:00 and 14:30 to 18:00 every day, with the last ticket sold 30 minutes before closing. The treasury-museum is closed on Mondays, and the cathedral is closed to visitors during services.
Can you see Braga and Guimarães in one day?
On a tour, yes: the Braga and Guimarães tour with Bom Jesus is from €47 for 9 hours. By train they are separate lines from Porto, so on your own they are two days.
