Bragança

On a dark hillock above BRAGANÇA, the distant capital of Trás-os-Montes, stands a circle of perfectly preserved walls, enclosing a medieval village and castle keep. Known as the Cidadela, it’s the embodiment of the town’s dynastic history under the sway of the Bragançans – the last line of Portuguese monarchs, ruling from 1640, when they replaced the Spaniards, until the fall of the monarchy in 1910. It used to take an age to reach Bragança (and still does on the mountain road, the N103, from Chaves), but the fast IP4 highway from Vila Real easily puts the modern city on any northern itinerary. It’s a pleasant place, despite the suburban eruption all around, and while the citadel, main museum and riverside gardens provide the principal reasons for a visit, the outlying Parque Natural de Montesinho is an additional draw. It’s certainly worth staying a night or two, especially to experience early evening in the Cidadela, when the tourists have gone for the day and peace returns to the ancient streets.