Braga!!! (Braga)

Member Name: Peter

Product:	Braga
Date:	28/04/09 (2 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: amazing monuments, center closed to trafic, commerce, nice people, a lot of easy underground parking

Disadvantages: a litlle caothic on rush hours

Braga is the most amazing city i have ever visited.
The historic center is very beautiful, with amazing religious and civil buildings, the streets are filled with live and great shops.
Because of the excessive opening of new malls in the vicinity, some portuguese cities have a lot of problems with abandonement and decay in the historic downtowns, thankfully that didn't happen in Braga, so the historic center has a lot of people and a great variety of stores, a few megastores like Zara, H&M and department stores, hundreads of other stores from local international and international groups, restaurants from the tipical, cheap "tascas", to economic restaurants and chain,to fancier more expensive, you can find everything on the center.
The center also has a fantastic recently renovated theatre (Theatro Circo) with a great selection of shows and many samaller theaters, and very intersting museums.
There's also a few shopping malls in the city, Bragashopping, right in the center of the historic city(with movie theatres), the BragaParque wich is currently the biggest mall in the city (and is expanding an remodeling the new space will be ready in october 09)(with movie theaters)Near the Minho university), and the Dolce Vita Braga currently under construction will be the new biggest mall with 75 000 sq. meters in the north side of the city.
The historic buildings you can find them all over the historic center, some open to the public, others don't.
There's also a few roman and pre-roman sites open to the public thru the city (ask for more info at the turist information center).
Outside the city there's 3 surreal religious sites on the hills( about 2 or three Kilometrsfrom the city), that everyone should visit al least once in their lives!!
There's also great beaches (Esposende, Ofir, Apulia) wich are about 35 kilometers west of the city ( 15 minutes drive thru the motor way) and the only national park in the country to the east(about 25 kilometers)...
If you visit Braga, you can also find other lovely historic cities on the vicinity, like Guimaraes and Barcelos wich are about 20 kilometrs from Braga, and definitly worth a visit.

Summary: Deffinetly worth at least a two weeks stay!