Braganca and its Citadel

Medieval Walled Citadel With The Keep Of Braganca Castle And The Domus Municipalis, The Town That Gave Its Name To Portugal'S Last Royal House · Braganca, Braganca

Braganca is the capital of Tras-os-Montes in the far north-east of Portugal, a few kilometres from the Spanish border, and its walled medieval citadel sits on a hill above the modern city. Inside the walls a small village still lives around the tall keep of the castle, the fifteenth-century Torre de Menagem; the Domus Municipalis, a rare Romanesque civic building often said to be unique in the Iberian peninsula; the church of Santa Maria; and a pillory mounted on an ancient granite boar. The town gave its name to the House of Braganza, the royal family that ruled Portugal from 1640 to 1910. People come for the citadel, the Iberian Mask and Costume Museum with its winter caretos, the Abade de Bacal museum, the smoked sausages and chestnuts of the region, and the villages of the Montesinho Natural Park, including Rio de Onor, split by the border. Honest caveat: it is remote - roughly 3 hours by car from Porto and with no train - and the citadel is small; it suits people touring the north-east rather than a first trip to Portugal.

The walled citadel of Braganca on its hill above the modern city, in the far north-east of Tras-os-Montes, close to the Montesinho Natural Park, Braganca, Braganca, Portugal

The citadel walls, lanes and the outside of the keep and Domus Municipalis can be seen at any reasonable hour and free. The keep and its military museum usually open daily except Mondays and some holidays, roughly morning to late afternoon with a lunch break (confirm). The Abade de Bacal and the Mask and Costume museums typically close on Mondays - confirm. There is no train: long-distance buses run from Porto (roughly 3-3.5 hours) and Lisbon, and driving takes about 3 hours on the A4. Nothing needs booking except rooms during winter festivals.

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