Braga in four hours from Porto: review, 4.7 from 48 reviews
My verdict. 48 ratings is the second-largest sample among the eight tours I have written up here, and 4.7 from that many is a solid, unspectacular number I would actually rely on. Four hours, €60, Braga only, from Porto. Three separate reviewers name the same driver-guide, Jorge, spelled George in one of them.
Antonio’s sentence, which describes the product better than the listing does
Antonio wrote that Jorge got them to Bom Jesus, showed them around and patiently waited. Read it twice, because it is a complete description of what you are buying: a driver who knows the city, company while you look, and time that belongs to you rather than to a schedule. Paul and Ruth name him too. Three reviewers naming one man out of 48 reviews is a thinner share than on the tiny tours here, and it still means something.
What four hours from Porto really is
Braga is 42 km from Porto. The drive takes a bite out of each end, so four hours is not four hours in Braga. What is left is enough for the sanctuary and a look at the centre, and not enough for the cathedral properly as well. That is the trade, and at €60 it costs more than the nine-hour two-city day at €34. You are buying the rest of your day back. Some people should. If you have one day in Porto and a dinner booking inside it, this is a rational thing to do.
The alternative worth pricing against it is the train. Porto São Bento to Braga runs 54 or 71 minutes depending on the service, about €3.60 each way, twenty departures a day with seven more on weekdays, and then TUB line 2 climbs to the sanctuary in about half an hour. The Porto page works out when the tour wins and when the train does, and it is not always the tour.
What works
- 48 ratings at 4.7, the second most reliable number on these eight pages
- A named driver-guide whom three reviewers single out
- Four hours leaves you most of the day in Porto
- One city, so no rushing between two
Worth knowing
- €60 for four hours, more than the nine-hour two-city trip costs
- The drive eats both ends of the four hours
- Not enough time for the cathedral and the sanctuary both
- The funicular fare is not included, as on all but one tour here
If the driver offers you the road to the top, take the funicular anyway on the way down. It is two and a half to four minutes, it has run since 1882, and it is the only part of the site that is a machine rather than a monument.
Who it is for
People with one full day in Porto who want to see Braga without giving up the evening, and anyone travelling with someone who cannot face nine hours. If four hours sounds short for a 42 km drive, the eight-hour Braga day trip is the same idea with room in it, and going up under your own steam costs less than either.
Alternatives worth a look
Braga onlyFrom Porto: Braga Day Trip with Bom Jesus & Cathedral Ticket
Most reviewedFrom Porto: Braga & Guimarães Tour with Bom Jesus & Castle
CheapestBraga: Tuk Tuk City Tour
Frequently asked questions
Is four hours enough to see Braga?
It is enough for Bom Jesus and a look at the centre, once the 42 km drive from Porto has taken its share. It is not enough for the cathedral as well. The eight-hour Braga day trip is the same city with twice the time in it.
Who is the guide on this tour?
Three reviewers — Paul, Antonio and Ruth — name Jorge, written as George in one of them, and describe him as the driver as well as the guide. Antonio wrote that he got them to Bom Jesus, showed them around and patiently waited, which is the clearest account of this product I have read.
Is it cheaper to take the train from Porto to Braga?
Much. The train is about €3.60 each way and takes 54 or 71 minutes from São Bento, and then TUB line 2 climbs to the sanctuary in about half an hour. You lose the guide and the door-to-door part. The Porto page sets out when each one wins.