The New York Times has put out a list of 41 places to go this year and there’s one entry for Portugal, Guimarães. Once the northern city was Portugal’s capital—in 1128, Portugal was founded as a nation here—and today youth have returned to the city named as a Cultural World Heritage site in 2001 by UNESCO and filled it with art.
Next year Guimarães will be the 2012 European Capital of Culture. Its historic core has been all gussied up.
At the heart of it all is the Centro Cultural Vila Flor which has been hosting the Guimarães Jazz Festival for years, and will host the first International Festival of Contemporary Dance in March.
The visitor to Guimarães can easily visit Braga, to the north, and the most photographed church in Portugal, Bom Jesus do Monte—if car transportation is available.
Guimarães, Portugal Travel Notes
Guimarães is located on our Minho Map
A popular and inexpensive hotel near the train station (see our Rail Map of Portugal for train information) is the Residencial Dom João IV 100 meters from the train station.
For the full luxury, historic experience, the Pousada de Guimarães, Nossa Senhora da Oliveira should fit the bill.
