Monte de Penha

Let's continue talking about Guimarães, not about the city on this occasion but instead about a nearby place that is almost an obligatory visit: Monte da Penha. A visit to Guimarães can be fit perfectly into a morning, leaving the afternoon to visit Monte da Penha.

Other people take advantage of doing Braga-Guimarães in a day if the days of their trip are numbered. It doesn't seem like the best option to me since one can spend a whole day in Braga, visiting the historical centre in the morning (where I am sure you will still miss something) and then go to Bom Jesús and the Santuario de Sameiro.

How to get there

If you go by my recommendation, you are going to have less than half a day to visit it so it is better to go there by cable car or funicular which leaves from the outskirts to Monte da Penha.

Entrance costs 2. 80 euros, which seems like quite a reasonable price to me. I remember that Madeira cost double or triple the price, although it's definitely a lot bigger. If you get a return, it will be 4. 50 euros and if you use the young person's card it will be 2. 30 euros.

My recommendation is that you go by the cable car mainly due to the lack of time and that you come down it walking, although make sure you follow the signs because it is easy to get lost as there are lots of deviations since the Monte receives people not only from Guimarães but from other nearby "parishes" too. The descent can be combined with a visit to a church such as the San Gualtar but I did not see it due to lack of time.

You can also get there by car, which is possibly the most frequently used option. There is parking in front of Santuario da Penha and another one, although it is a lot smaller, on the top of Monte da Penha.

If you like mountain biking, this place serves well for doing this sport but it seems quite difficult to go up it for people that don't usually do uphill biking.

A little history...

The place as such would have had its importance by being the highest point in Guimarães but also as a religious place, where it was in the eighteenth century that a Frenchman built a small chapel dedicated to Santa Catalina (or Catarina in Portuguese).

It acquired a major importance towards the end of the 19th century, when in 1893, a statue on the top of Monte da Penha that was dedicated to Pope Pius IX was built. But it was not until the 30's that they built Monte da Penha. Unfortunately, an incident occurred in 1939 which postponed the work being finished until 1947.

Afterwards, in 1989, the cable car that connected the city of Guimarães with Monte da Penha was created and its surroundings were converted into a recreative area.

Monte da Penha, the Sanctuary and its surroundings

If you go up by cable car you will be left behind the Sanctuary of Monte de Penha, which is also called Santuário de Nossa Senhora do Carmo da Penha as it is dedicated to the Virgen del Carmen (Virgin of Carmen).

The church (or sanctuary) in itself seems quite inferior to both the one at Bom Jesus and the one at Sameiro. The style of the church is "art deco" from the 30's and it is made from granite from that region.

The truth is that I think its a style that isn't that attractive to the eye. The only remarkable things are certainly the statues that are inside and little else. The church is quite large since pilgrimages are made to Monte da Penha in the month of August.

Next, go to the top of Monte da Penha where there is a map and you can follow its itinerary but from my experience going up to the top showed me that it is very easy to get lost since there are minimal signs and one can easily go the wrong way.

On the way to the top there are various images of Saints in determined parts of the road, some are very interesting since they are not in a chapel like those in Bom Jesus, instead they are inside caves and small narrow places. Another thing that is worth highlighting is the journey itself, as you can see in the second photograph, it is a very beautiful place in itself.

Once you arrive at the top you will have an excellent panoramic view of Guimarães and its surroundings. The truth is that it is very beautiful as it is the highest places, giving you fantastic views. One of my favourites from my trip to Portugal.

The statue dedicated to Pope Pius IX is the one seen in this photograph, in itself I do not think it is the most beautiful thing on the top, but the landscape itself and also having a good place to photograph the church. That is to say, the top has a more valuable vantage point than a monument in itself.

Monte da Penha, as it is a good recreative area, is quite exploited by tourism. You can do the journey by going up on a mini-train, however, the train is aimed more at older people, anybody can easily walk this path and you can even access parts that the small train can not. There are also various restaurants, a small picnic area and a mini golf course.

The other part of Monte da Penha can be found on the other side of the summit, the other side of the church. In this part there is an original French chapel, although it is totally reformed, and other small saints like the one from the photograph above, where there is a saint within a small cave.

This place can be visited quickly within one or two hours so the visit is quite recommended. It is the best green space that you can walk through in Guimarães and it is a good alternative to Citãnia de Briteiros, a small fort that can only be visited by car.

In conclusion, the main reason to visit Monte da Penha is not in any way because it is a religious monument such as Bom Jesus, the place if they have certain similarities as tourist exploitation but little else. The surroundings are beautiful and you have great views, so I recommend my visit to Monte da Penha.