Wander & Wonder Travel Newsletter

Hey StoryHunter

There’s a reason why Guimarães has been awarded the title European Green Capital 2026; sustainability has become part of the city’s culture.

It promotes a cleaner and healthier way of living, and as a traveler, you can really sense it in its massive amount of green spaces.

Between 2012 and 2023, the city added more than 95 hectares of natural spaces.

But that shouldn’t be the only reason you’re visiting Guimarães.

It's also a city with a dramatic history, amazing views and the title of the first capital of Portugal.

Read on to learn about:

⚔️ Sons fighting mothers

👞 The power of leather

🚡 How to fly 1700 meters in 10 minutes

- Lukas

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Destination of the Week

Guimarães is the birthplace of Portugal’s first king, Afonso Henriques, and you can see the history in every street and on every corner.

UNESCO even describes it as an exceptionally well-preserved and authentic example of a medieval settlement.

Everywhere you look, there are granite streets, arcaded squares, churches, castles - and places like the surprising Palace of the Dukes of Bragança and the old Couros leather-working area.

And luckily, Guimarães is small enough that you can actually walk everywhere and see all these layers without rushing.

Don't Miss

Guimarães Castle feels like the stone skeleton of Portugal’s beginnings - a hilltop fortress where bloody battles and great ambitions still seem to linger in the air.

It was first constructed to protect the nearby monastery and settlement.

And in 1109, Afonso Henriques was born inside these walls.

Years later he would actually fight his own mother and her army on the plains outside Guimarães Castle.

When she was defeated, he could claim the sole rule over Portugal and set it on the path to becoming an independent kingdom.

Did You Know?

Guimarães was also famous for its leather-working district, which was known as Couros.

This was where an entire part of the city was shaped by tanning, washing and drying animal hides.

UNESCO highlights the old town’s different urban layers, and Couros is one of the most interesting – one you can actually still see and walk around in today.

Kings, castles and battles shaped the city, yeah, but it also became a powerhouse because it was a working city built on craft, trade and industry.