BBC recommends visiting Guimarães in 2026

The BBC has recommended visiting the Portuguese medieval city of Guimarães in 2026 calling it “one of the most compelling surprises in Europe”.

“Just 65km inland from Porto, Guimarães is astonishingly under the radar for a city considered the 12th-Century birthplace of Portugal and its first capital,” says BBC’s Norman Miller, distilling in just a few paragraphs what the city represents to Portugal’s history.

The city, dominated by its medieval castle and traditional markets, was highlighted on the BBC Travel List of ’20 best places to travel to in 2026’.

Guimarães is described as a city with a “youthful, creative energy thanks to being one of Portugal’s oldest university towns.”

The BBC also mentions that it will be the European Green Capital in 2026 (It has been the European Culture Capital in 2012 (sharing the title with Maribor in Slovenia).

In 2026 the city will also celebrate 25 years as a UNESCO Heritage Site.

The BBC continues to wax lyrical about Guimarães and “Its beautifully preserved medieval core is a tangle of cobbled squares and lanes dotted with grand palaces and terraced restaurants, from Michelin-starred spots to laid-back eateries and craft beer bars.”

“Contemporary culture sits comfortably alongside its medieval streets: futuristic galleries built for its 2012 European Capital of Culture title mingle with museums in ancient cloisters and hipster spots carved out of old factories.”

Norman Miller also highlights the “newly created green city oases and artfully repurposed heritage buildings”.

The journalist also recommends visiting the archaeological site of Citânia de Briteiros, “a dramatic ancient hilltop settlement dating back to 9th Century BC”. However, he is quick to point out that Guimarães is “no museum piece” … it is a “forward-thinking, quietly confident city – and one of Europe’s most compelling surprises for 2026”.