Northern Portugal Road Trip: Aveiro, Braga, Barcelos, Guimarães-History, Canals, & the Birthplace of Portugal
59m | Aug 23, 2025Northern Portugal is one of the most rewarding road trips you can take in Europe — and one of the most underrated. In this episode, we drive through four of the north's most compelling destinations: the canal-laced streets of Aveiro (Portugal's answer to Venice), the ancient pilgrimage city of Braga with its extraordinary Bom Jesus sanctuary, the ceramics town of Barcelos and its famous Thursday market, and Guimarães — the medieval city where Portugal was born. This is the episode for anyone building a Northern Portugal itinerary or looking to go beyond Porto on their next trip.
Wandering Works for Us Podcast
Date: 23 August 2025
Title: Northern Portugal Road Trip: Aveiro, Braga, Barcelos, Guimarães, and the Douro Valley.
Summary of Episode
In this episode, we explore the Northern part of Portugal on a road trip! We took our niece Katey up to Aveiro, Braga, Barcelos, Guimarães, and the Douro Valley. We enjoyed the food, the wine, and the general vibe of the North, which is quite different from the South.
Thank you, Katelyn Boyd, for joining us on our podcast!
Key Topics
[00:30] Introducing Katey, our special guest today
[02:30] Aveiro
- Moliceiro Boats
- Ovos Moles
- Espeto do Sul
- Aveiro Blog post
- Aveiro podcast episode
[09:35] Braga
- Food
- climbing the stairs of Bom Jesus do Monte
- [17:00] Our Lady of Sameiro
- [19:25] Palacio do Raio
- [23:30] Taberna Londrina for Francesinhas
- [25:00] Letraria Beer
- [26:00] Brunch at Restauração 210
- Braga Blog post
- Braga podcast on Spotify
[28:55] Barcelos
- Market
- Circular Church: Igreja do Senhor Bom Jesus da Cruz de Barcelos
- Main Tower–climb the stairs for the view
- Galo the Rooster–check out the blog post for this story
- Medieval Bridge
- Ruins
- Ceramic Museum
- Shopping
[32:50] Guimarães
- Castle
- main square
- House of Dukes (refer to blog or podcast)
- Guimarães podcast episode
- Guimarães blog post
[35:30] Douro Valley
- N222
- historic train
- Douro Valley podcast and blog
[40:45] Quinta do Pôpa
[47:15] Pinhã o
- The Restaurant mentioned was Ponto Grande Lunch on Tour
- We mention Schist villages–check out the blog post and podcast on that!
[53:10] What surprised us the most.
Important Links
To follow all of our antics and adventures, please visit our social media pages and our website at wwforus.com! You can send us a message at any of these places and feel free to email us at wandering@wwforus.com
Like what we are doing? Buy us a gin and tonic and help us keep going!
- Tiktok
- YouTube
- Looking for a tour guide in Portugal? I have a whole list!
- Blog post for this episode–All the ones mentioned are linked in the show notes (time-stamp part). The Best Day trips from Porto will tell you the most.
- Also check out our other podcast episodes mentioned–linked above in timestamps!
RESOURCES & LINKS
Looking to plan your next trip to Portugal? We can help! Check out our guides and Itineraries at wwforus.com
- Free Lisbon Itinerary
- Packing List
- Essentials for every trip
- Renting a car in Portugal
- Looking for a tour guide in Portugal? I have a whole list!
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/wandering-works-for-us/donations
