IN northern Portugal is a beautiful city that was once the home of the country’s very first king.
This year it’s set to become even more popular on the map this year thanks to it being awarded the title of European Green Capital for 2026.
Guimarães is well-known for being the home of the country’s first king who was born there around the year 1109.
Dom Afonso I was the first King of Portugal, he reigned from 1139 until his death in 1185 – and secured Portugal’s independence from the Kingdom of León.
Visitors to the city can to this day see Guimarães Castle, the 10th-century fortress is said to be the actual birthplace of the first Portuguese king.
Tourists are allowed to enter the castle, although it is unfurnished, for around £5.
When it comes to food and drink, one visitor on Tripadvisor wrote that you could pick up wine between €3.75 and €4 (£3.49).
In Northern Portugal, most restaurants and bars will serve ‘fino’, a small draft beer that you can usually pick up for around €2 (£1.74).
Something else to try is Guimarães’ take on Doces conventuais – which are traditional Portuguese desserts.
A Torta de Guimarães is a crescent moon-shaped pastry with a thin, flaky, and crispy puff pastry shell.
It’s filled with a sweet and creamy mixture of egg yolks, sugar, ground almonds, and chila (gila) squash jam.
Any bakery in the city is likely to sell Tortas de Guimarães which you can usually pick up for around €3 (£2.62).
Guimarães is Largo do Toural is at the the heart of the city. The central square was once used as a market and now has vibrant cafes.
For some incredible views, head up to the cable car which connects the city centre to the summit of the nearby Monte da Penha.
It travels up 1700 meters so you can get incredible views across the whole region.
At the very top is the Penha Sanctuary, a modern, art-deco-style church.
The Guimarães Cable Car typically costs €10 (£8.72) for a return.
This year, Guimarães has been named European Green Capital for 2026.
Part of the reason Guimarães was selected for this was its green spaces – between 2012 and 2023, the city added 95.7 hectares of natural spaces.
This includes along the main rivers and in its forests.
If you want to see it for yourself, Guimarães has a Green Map which takes visitors from Penha Mountain into the city.
Along with it, events are being held all year – Guimarães will host its spring festival in late March where there’s a 10km race through the city.
In April it will hold a three-day contemporary dance festival and the city will take part in Green Week in June as well as Mobility Week in September.
For Brits, the best way to get to Guimarães is by flying to Porto – which is around 25 miles away.
From there, you can hop on a direct bus which takes just 35 minutes and costs £5.
Here’s another quaint Portuguese canal city with white-sand beaches and cheap wine…
For striped houses that look like giant beach huts and beautiful stretches of coastline – head to Aveiro.
The city in Portugal sits on the west coast and is much less known than its neighbour – Porto – and is considered to be the country’s ‘Venice‘.
Along with its waterways, Aveiro is known for its beautiful waterfront houses, bars and boat tours.
The city is built around water including the Ria de Aveiro which is a shallow coastal lagoon – and throughout Aveiro are lots of canals.
The largest is Canal Central de Aveiro, right in the city centre and it’s here where tourists can hop onto a boat and take a river cruise.
Dotted along the water are the brightly coloured Moliceiro boats which were historically used to collect seaweed.
Now, these are used for leisure tours which you can book from €13 (£11.22).
A local pint will set you back just €2.75 (£2.38).
Just a short trip from Aveiro is the Bairrada Region Proximity, which produces plenty of sparkling and red wine, so the city is also perfect for wine lovers.
It is an excellent hub for exploring vineyards on reasonably priced tours, and bars and restaurants in the city centre offer glasses from as little as €2.30 (£2).
Aveiro is known for a local delicacy called ‘ovos moles’ – these traditional Portuguese pastries are essentially a sweet, creamy egg yolk and sugar mixture inside a thin wafer shell.
You can pick these up in local cafes or bakeries for around €1.60 (£1.38) each – and if you treat yourself to a coffee, it will cost as little as €2.16 (£1.87).
Plus, here’s the secret side to Portugal crowned one of the best places in Europe to visit this year.
And here’s a definitive guide on where to eat, sleep, drink and sunbathe in Portugal’s Algarve by the locals.