On this page you will find a lot of tips and advices regarding the students’ life in Braga. They have been written by the UMinho – EMLex students of previous years who want to help you getting around better.
Snizhana – María Moliner Class:
Hello future students of UMinho! Welcome to Braga. I am sure you will have a good time here. I have lived in Braga for around a year, so I can give you some recommendations about the student life.
Accommodation:
There are plenty of options to find an accommodation, like websites such as idealista.pt or bquarto.pt. Another option is checking the Facebook groups for accommodation in Braga. You can contact EMLex students who already lived or live in Braga, and they can give you some recommendations on this. Usually every semester the ESN section of UMinho creates a Facebook group where announcements about the rooms are posted too. The price of rooms normally ranges from 200 euros to 300 euros.
Concerning the area, Gualtar Campus is not so close to the center, around 30 minutes on foot. So it depends if you prefer to live closer to the university, or closer to the historical center. The area around the university is normally nice and quiet (when there are no student parties in the university bars 😉 ), and there is a Rodovía park around. This park has some sports activities, as well as swimming pools. If you like sports, University of Minho campus has sports center as well, and the subscription there is quite cheap for students. There are different activities such as group classes, football, tennis etc.
Where to go and what to see:
Braga has a lot to offer in terms of sightseeing, most of interesting places are located around the historical center (such as the cathedral, different museums, Raio Palace, and the theater), but also one of the iconic places of Braga is Bom Jesus church, which is located on the hill, and has a nice park and a pond around. If you go further, there is Sameiro sanctuary. From these spots the view upon the city is amazing.
To add to that, Porto is only 1 hour away by the train from Braga. Trains are every hour, and the ticket there and back costs around 7 euros.
Also in Braga there are a lot of open concerts and different events and festivals, such as Braga Romana, São João, Noite Branca, Braga Barroca etc. If you pay attention to the announcements in the center, you can notice a lot of interesting things.
If you want to go to the beach, there are several river beaches around Braga such as Adaúfe, or if you want to go to the ocean, you can go to Porto, or to the beaches like Esposende, Apúlia. There is also a beautiful natural park Gerês not very far from Braga.
Public transportation:
I live near the campus, so I rarely use public transport. The ticket for one ride on the bus costs around 1.5 euro, there is a pass as well. Nowadays a lot of people also use electric scooters to get around.br>To go and come back to the Porto airport there is a transfer called GetBus (getbus.eu).
Where to eat:
here are plenty of places to eat in Braga, near the university, as well as in the center. The coffee is good and cheap here. In the university there is a main canteen where for 3 euros you can get a lunch with the main dish, soup and dessert. There are also several cafeterias on campus.
A lot of restaurants serve traditional Portuguese food, also there are some restaurants that specialize in making Francesinha (like Taberna Belga, Taberna Londrina), a Portuguese dish which you definitely have to try.
There are lots of places with vegetarian or vegan food as well, near the university there are restaurants like Shanti, Pausa Útil, UniVegetariano, in the center – TerraPlantio, Hibiscus and others. University canteen has a vegetarian option too.
Where to shop:
Among the supermarkets I can name Pingo Doce, Continente, Lidl, Froiz. There are other supermarkets as well as smaller grocery shops. Not far from the university there is a shopping center Braga Parque, further in the city there is a shopping center Nova Arcada with IKEA. There is also another shopping center called Minho Center.
General tips:
I hope I covered main aspects of life in Braga. If you have questions, do not hesitate to contact me (my email is snezhanaum(at)gmail.com).
Another tip I can give is to check the activities of the Erasmus Student Network of University of Minho. Every semester they organize a lot of events for international students, it is a good chance to get to know other people here in Braga. They also have a buddy program.
Yulianti Yudo – María Moliner Class:
I could tell you that Braga is a small and safe city. So small and safe, that you can literally walk everywhere and anywhere at any time without feeling scared. It’s also relatively quiet and the air is still fresh. All these were factors I took into account when choosing my home university and I’m not disappointed.
It wasn’t very hard for me to find a place to live. Especially in the São Vítor and Gualtar areas surrounding campus, rooms for rent of all kinds and prices are plenty. There’s a dedicated Facebook group for that, but even googling will give you plenty of options.
I think food shouldn’t be a problem either. Even if you have a special diet, you’ll always find something for you and the waiters would be happy to help with your concerns. I have some dietary limitations myself, but so far I have always been able to eat out just fine.
Last but not least, language barrier might be an issue for some, but people in Braga, especially the younger ones, usually speak some degree of English. Even if you encounter one who doesn’t, they’ll usually try and help anyway. People in Braga are among the most helpful I’ve ever encountered in my life.
To sum up, I really enjoy my time here in Braga. I’m sure the 2021-2023 cohort will too in their 2nd semester.
Polina Solinets – Tullio de Mauro Class:
Some tips how to make your stay in Braga great:
– Braga seems to be small, but it has a lot to offer: pay a visit to Biscainhos Museum, which has a fantastic garden, go hiking from Braga to Sameiro via Bom Jesus (you’ll have to climb a lot but the journey is worth it), enjoy a galão in the beautiful garden (full of flowers and cats) of the bookshop Livraria Centésima Página and enjoy the best cappuccino in Nordico cafe.
– Braga is also a good starting point for exploring the north of Portugal. Schedule a day trip to Porto, Guimarães and my personal favourite Viana de Castelo.
– there are also some great hiking routes within the city: for example, you can start at university and walk along the Este River through pedestrian area and all the way up to Parque de Ponte. Another possibility would be going up to Picoto.
– if you need to see a doctor and you don’t know where to find one, the best place for it would be Trofa Saúde Centro, which is a huge hospital close to the historic city centre. They have all sorts of specialists (many of whom do speak English, but better check when you make an appointment) and one can also do all necessary medical examinations right there – conveniently all in one place.
– it’s worth following the newsfeed from the local Erasmus office, they organise many events and also some trips (with very moderate prices).
– for accommodation hunting it is a good idea to check some thematic groups on Facebook, or alternatively ask your coordinators or ex-EMLex students from Braga. There are many ads at university hall (just stuck on the walls), in the students cafes, in copy shops and so on. University area is very lively, but maybe a bit noisy.
– festa de São João is one of the main festivals in the north of Portugal, traditionally celebrated on the 23 June. Don’t miss it but be careful as the tradition allows to hit each other on the heads with plastic hammer or garlic clove this day.
Temitope Dorcas Adetoyese – Tullio de Mauro Class:
I had a nice stay in Braga.
Accommodation is quite cheap and the cost of living is not high. Accommodation adverts can be found on the notice boards in the university. Most accommodation does not include heating (Heizung), occupants will have to have warm clothings at night or buy a portable heater during winter month. Needless to say that there is no snow in Braga. It rains a lot in Braga, so a good umbrella is needed.
The city is not too modern, so there is no fear of trouble. Life is peaceful and calm in Braga.
The coordinators are very warm and ready to help. Dr. Idalete Dias will be of help to those who would have any challenge with XML, HTML, and the use of computer language tools in general.
Restaurants are relatively cheap: a comprehensive menu (even for vegetarians too) for as low as 10 euros in restos around the universities.
Braga park is a very nice place to visit from time to time; there you will find nice stores such as pingo doce and Primark for your affordable shopping.
Ivan Arias – Herbert Ernst Wiegand Cohort:
I think it’s always a good choice to live in the downtown because Braga is a very nice and beautiful city. Being able to enjoy and visit some sights each morning is definitely worthy! The area where the university campus is located is also a good option: full of bars and of attractions for students especially in pre-pandemic times!
Pingo Doce, it’s the best supermarket in the world! Where to find a room? I would recommend facebook groups or the website House & People, even though it might be a bit expensive! I unfortunately do not know many restaurants because of corona but I hope I can discover most next year. The university cantine as well as the restaurants on campus are very cheap and really good!
I honestly have no experience with public transport in Braga 😅😅😅
The city centre is definitely worth a visit! The Bom Jesus do Monte is also a good option to go hiking and to enjoy a wonderful sunset over the city!!