Taste Braga presents some of the reasons why you really have to visit Braga during the holidays:
See also: The facts that show that Braga is a lot more than the “third city of Portugal”
The food
This is always an excellent reason to visit Braga at any time of the year! In the city and the region, there are many typical dishes, sweet and savory, to eat and cry for more. And there are also plenty of restaurants to take the most out of the traditional Christmas dinners with the company, family or friends. Need suggestions? Follow the link.
The stores
Braga’s historical center may not be very large, but it has almost everything you might want to make your Christmas shopping. Throughout the beautiful streets of the city, you’ll find major brands, like Zara or Mango, and also little local stores that will grant you success with more original gifts. And, this way, you’ll have the best of two worlds, because you’ll also get to know (better) the charming city of Braga, while listening to Christmas classics.
The lightning
All the cities are even more beautiful with Christmas lights decoration and Braga is no exception. After a delicious dinner in the city or at the end of a busy afternoon of shopping, there’s nothing better than to take a night walk through the historical center to enjoy the Christmas’ lights. Don’t miss the big Christmas tree of lights, which is placed every year on Arcada’s fountain, and the simple lightening that paints every little street of the city’s center.
The live Nativity of Priscos
To say that the live Nativity of Priscos is the largest in Europe is reason enough to visit Braga. But it’s also important to say that this project has a huge value. During a whole year, the community of the small Priscos’ parsish gets together for a common goal: recreating the town where Jesus Christ was born. All the details of the 90 sceneries are carefully thought through and planned to create a unique ambiance, where children and adults will certainly have a good time.
Credits: Presépio de Priscos
The traditions
As a millenary city and important religious center, Braga only could be a place of many Christmas traditions. Living yourself some of them will assuredly be a unique and special experience that you’ll want to have! On Christmas eve, pass by Bananeiro at the end of the day for a glass of muscatel wine and a banana – having a peculiar celebration of the day – and, by night, go to the Cathedral for a Midnight Mass with a unique ambiance.
Rua do Souto at Christmas Eve – Credits: Flickr