Barcelos (Rooster Town) & Bom Jesus do Monte (Braga)

This day we headed out for a day trip from Braga to the town of Barcelos and on the way back to Braga in the afternoon we stopped and toured around the site of Bom Jesus do Monte, a UNESCO World Heritage Site near Braga.

In the photo collage above, the top 2 photos are in Barcelos and the bottom 2 are at Bom Jesus do Monte.

This was a Thursday and Barcelos is known for having a huge market on every Thursday. It can be busy in the town on Thursday morning and we had to search a bit for a free parking spot.

Barcelos is a town famous for its’ rooster legend. The rooster is a symbol of the town and is all around the town displayed in various ways and forms. The rooster legend is a folk tale of the rooster of Barcelos, based on the story of a dead rooster's miraculous intervention in proving the innocence of a man who had been falsely convicted and sentenced to death. The story is associated with the 17th-century calvary that is part of the collection of the Archaeological Museum located in Paço dos Condes, a gothic-style palace in Barcelos.

The Barcelos market is in the Campo da Feira (Campo da República). It covers a large area and has a huge variety of things for sale - your typical market items such as produce and food but also many clothing stalls, housewares, furniture, handicrafts, embroidery, pottery, souvenirs, etc. We spent a couple of hours wandering through the market area and then sought ot a place for lunch. We went up in the free Tower of Barcelos for a nice view of the area around the market.

Barcelos is an easy day trip from Braga if you have a car and an interest in markets. There is a buzz in the town on market day and it can get busy.

After departing Barcelos we headed back towards Braga, but with a site seeing stop along the way.

The Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte is a Portuguese Catholic shrine in Tenões, outside the city of Braga, in northern Portugal. Its name means Good Jesus of the Mount. This sanctuary is a notable example of Christian pilgrimage site with a monumental, Baroque stairway that climbs 116 meters (381 feet). It is an important tourist attraction of Braga. At this location there is a striking view over the city of Braga.