Explore Portugal’s First Capital - Guimaraes, Guimaraes, Portugal

Between the terraces of the pretty Douro Valley and the popular city of Porto stands Guimarães, the first capital of Portugal. Learn the country’s history as you explore the medieval castle walls and wander between the narrow streets of the Old Town. More history can be found in the nearby historic cities of Amarante & Bragança. With restored castles and palaces to explore and unique cakes to sample, a trip to visit Guimarães, Amarante & Bragança should be on your Portugal itinerary.

Referred to as the Cradle of the Nation, Guimarães is the site where Portugal took its first steps to become an independent country. King Afonso Henriques I was born in Guimarães Castle. As a young adult he fought against his mother to become leader of Portugal, which was a vassal of León (Spain) at the time. In the ensuing years more battles took place in and near the capital city of Guimarães between Afonso Henriques I and his cousin, King Alfonso VII of León. It seems Afonso was a popular name at the time.

After winning these skirmishes, Prince Afonso Henriques I secured a path to Portugal’s independence. He went on to capture more land for Portugal and in 1139 was crowned the first king of Portugal in Lamego and the capital was moved to Coimbra. The Kingdom of León finally recognized him as king 4 years later. You can read about Lamego in our post A Driving Tour Through Portugal’s Douro Valley. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).