Buses in Braga
Braga in the north of Portugal is served by various bus companies both local buses running in and around Braga and more long-distance buses connecting Braga to Porto Airport (Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport) and other cities.
If you do not have a hire car you will need to take a bus to get to Bom Jesus, the Mosteiro de São Martinho de Tibães and Braga Stadium (though the stadium is walkable from the city center as it is about 1.5km from Braga Cathedral)
Getbus to Porto Airport
There are direct buses taking about 50 minutes from Porto Airport to both Braga Bus Station and Guimaraes with Getbus. Tickets can be bought online, at the airport service desk or with the driver directly.
There are departures from Porto Airport at 5am, 8.30am, 9.30am, 10.30am, 11.30am, 12.45pm, 2.15pm, 3.30pm, 5.45pm, 8.30pm, 10.30pm and 12.45am. The fare is 8 Euros one-way or 14 Euros return. The 9.30am, 11.30am and 2.15pm departures do not run on weekends and public holidays. The 10.30pm departure does not run on Saturday, Tuesday or Wednesday.
From Braga Bus Station there are departures to Porto Airport at 4am, 6am, 8am, 9.30am, 10.30am, 11.30am, 1pm, 2pm, 4.30pm, 6.45pm, 8.30pm, 9.30pm and 11.15am. The 8am, 11.30am and 1pm departures do not run on weekends and public holidays. The 9.30pm departure does not run on Saturday, Tuesday or Wednesday.
Local Buses
Local buses in Braga are run by Transportes Urbanos de Braga (www.tub.pt).
To reach Bom Jesus take bus #2 from Praça Conde de Agrolongo close to the Museu dos Biscainhos or Avenida da Liberdade. Praça Conde de Agrolongo and Avenida da Liberdade along with Braga Station are the main places to catch a local Transportes Urbanos de Braga bus.
There are buses approximately every 30 minutes (hourly on Sundays). From the last stop at Bom Jesus it is a short walk to the funicular (ascensor), which runs from 8am-8pm.
To get to Mosteiro de São Martinho de Tibães take local Braga bus #50 from Praça Conde de Agrolongo to the monastery. There are buses at 9.30am, 11.30am, 2.30pm and 4.30pm. The journey takes 30 minutes.
On Saturdays take a #90 bus from Avenida Central with departures at 8.40am, 9.40am, 11.40am, 12.40pm, 1.40pm, 2.40pm, 3.40pm. and 4.40pm.
Special buses run out to Braga Stadium from various parts of Braga on match days costing 1 Euro for a return trip. (See the TUB website for details). On non-match days take a #5. The #943 connects the stadium to the Universidade do Minho.
In general Transportes Urbanos de Braga buses run from 7am-9pm but many services to outlying areas do not run on weekends or public holidays.
There are 1-day, 2-day and 3-day tourist tickets available. Presently tickets cost from 1.55-2 Euros depending on the number of zones travelled.
Long Distance Buses
Braga Bus Station is 500m north of Praça da República on Av. General Norton de Matos close to the Mercado Municipal.
RedeExpressos, Rodonorte, TransDev, Arriva and EBA are the major bus companies that operate services.
Fairly frequent buses a day make the 2 hours 40 minute journey between Braga and Coimbra.
Buses to Porto with Renex and RedeExpressos are every 30 minutes and take 60-70 minutes.
There are 8-11 buses daily to Lisbon (approx. 4 hours 30 mins.) There are also bus connections to Viana do Castelo (90 minutes), Guimarães (50 minutes), Viseu (3 hours), Póvoa de Varzim and Barcelos (1 hour). If coming from Chaves and Bragança in Trás-os-Montes, change in Guimarães.
Buses between Guimarães are operated jointly by EBA, Arriva and TransDev. Buses leave from both Braga and Guimarães on weekdays at 6.35am, 7am, 7.35am, 8.05am, 8.35am, 9.05am, 9.35am, 10.35am, 11.35am, 12.35pm, 1.35pm, 2.35pm, 3.35pm, 4.35pm, 5.05pm, 5.35pm, 6.05pm, 6.35pm, 7.05pm, and 8.05pm.
There are reduced services on weekends and holidays.
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.
It is possible to stay at the Hospedaria Convento de Tibães in 9 simple rooms with excellent food from Monday-Friday during the months of August and September. (hospedariatibaes.com; Tel: 253 282 420)
See here for a full listing of hotels in Braga.
Hotels in Portugal - Booking.com