Museu Nogueira da Silva, Braga
Text + Photos by Robert Geiwitz
The Museu Nogueira da Silva in Braga lies hidden behind the facade of a non-descript house. However, the gardens are extensive, majestic, and spectacular.
The entrance to the house and gardens is obscured by multiple bus stops and shelters that line Avenida Central, which runs on the north side of the Praça da República, and which carries a good portion of Braga's daily bus traffic.
The Nogueira da Silva Museum and its gardens are within easy walking distance of all of Braga's downtown attractions.
From the da Silva museum's website, there is "… a French-inspired garden, with flowerbeds surrounded by boxwood, being crowned in the background by magnolias surrounding a baroque fountain originating from an old farm of Gualtar. …Very remarkable and rare are two panels of blue and white tiles, made in the Netherlands in the eighteenth century and that came from a palace."
The different areas of the garden form a set of interconnected terraces, structures, and statue platforms, with broad stairs connecting the different levels.
In the center is a large formal rose garden. Dotted around the space are benches on which to sit and contemplate the garden, shaded from the hot summer sun.
A museum café hides behind the panel of blue and white azulejos tiles. Entrance into the garden and café is free. Entrance into the museum is not. To see the gardens only, enter the museum front door and indicate to the Portuguese-speaking receptionist that you want to see the garden by pointing to the back and saying "o jardim".
Much of the garden is not accessible to people who use a wheelchair or who have mobility issues. The museum is wheelchair accessible and is worth visiting. Within are exhibits of ceramics, Portuguese painting, furniture, jewellery, glassware, tapestry, as well as pieces of religious art. Most were collected by António Nogueira da Silva (1901-1976), himself.
The museum also contains a salon hall that hosts various classical musical concerts on occasion.
The house was designed by the modernist Portuguese architect Raul Rodrigues de Lima (1909-1979).
Access & Hours
Museu Nogueira da Silva
Av. Central 61,
4710-228 Braga
mns.uminho.pt
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 10 am - 12 pm; 2 pm - 5 pm.
Closed Monday and Sunday, 1 January, Easter Sunday, 1 May and Christmas Day.
The Museu Nogueira da Silva is a 10-minute walk from Braga Station, and close to Braga Cathedral, the Igreja de São Victor and also the Biscainhos Museum (10 minutes on foot).
Hire a car in Braga to explore the northern region of Portugal.
Book Hotel Accommodation in Braga
Most accommodation is located in Braga city centre, recommendations include the Basic Braga by Axis near Braga Station, the budget, two star Hotel Dos Terceiros, the Hotel Dona Sofia and the Urban Hotel Estação, also close to the station.
There are several hotels close to Bom Jesus such as the Hotel do Elevador, Hotel do Parque, the Hotel do Largo and Hotel do Templo.
See here for a full listing of hotels in Braga.
Hotels in Portugal - Booking.com
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