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Braga was Bracara Augusta, a Roman administrative capital of the province of Gallaecia, founded in 16 BC. The grid of the Roman city is still readable in the street plan of the old town, and sections of Roman walls appear at irregular intervals behind medieval facades and Baroque church fronts. The city became the seat of Portugal's oldest archdiocese, established in the 1st century AD according to tradition, and the consequence of that institutional continuity is an extraordinary density of churches for a city of 180,000 people. Braga has been called the Portuguese Rome, a comparison its residents accept without false modesty.

The Bom Jesus do Monte sanctuary, on a hill 5 kilometers east of the city center, is reached by a grand staircase of 577 steps built in the mid-18th century, with chapels at each landing representing the five senses and the Passion of Christ.

The theatrical Baroque scenography, fountains, and symmetrical balustrades make the ascent one of the most architecturally considered walks in Portugal. An 1882 funicular runs parallel for those who prefer the view without the climb. At the top, the Neo-Classical basilica looks out over the green Minho countryside in a panorama that explains why this has been a pilgrimage destination since the 14th century.