Bom Jesus do Monte

Bom Jesus do Monte is a pilgrimage sanctuary on a wooded hill just outside Braga, with a baroque zigzag staircase running up to a church at the top. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019. For children, though, the star is the funicular, the Elevador do Bom Jesus, which climbs the hill using nothing but water and gravity. Add a staircase to race up, a lake with rowing boats and a park full of grottoes, and it fills half a day for very little money.

The Elevador do Bom Jesus opened on 25 March 1882. It was the first funicular built in the Iberian Peninsula, and the sanctuary says it is the oldest in the world still running on a water counterweight. The Swiss engineer Nikolaus Riggenbach designed it, and the Portuguese engineer Raoul Mesnier du Ponsard, who later built Lisbon’s famous lifts, oversaw the work. A Braga businessman, Manuel Joaquim Gomes, paid for it to replace an older, animal-drawn line that struggled on the slope.

Here is the science at a child’s level. Two cars are joined by one cable that runs round a wheel at the top. Under each car is a big water tank. At the top station, the tank of the car about to go down is filled with water, around 5,850 litres when full. That car is now heavier than the one waiting at the bottom, so it rolls downhill and pulls the other car up. At the bottom, its water is emptied out, and the whole thing starts again the other way. The heavier the passengers going up, the more water goes into the car coming down. There’s no engine pulling the cable at all.

The track is about 270 metres long and climbs 116 metres at a steep angle, with the two cars passing each other halfway. Each car seats 30 people on six wooden benches, with room for a few more standing. A trip takes a few minutes, and children who sit facing downhill get the best view over Braga.

Next to the funicular runs the staircase, a Way of the Cross that zigzags up the hill in stone. An independent guide counts 573 steps in three parts. The lowest and longest section (about 376 steps) climbs through shady woodland past small chapels with terracotta scenes from the story of Jesus’s last days. Then comes the famous Stairway of the Five Senses, a double zigzag with a granite fountain on each landing. Each fountain stands for one of the five senses, and children can try to work out which is which on the way up. The top section is the Stairway of the Three Virtues.

Energetic children love racing up and counting. Younger ones can ride up and walk down, which is easier on small legs and lets you see the fountains face on.

Behind the basilica is a 19th-century park of woods, paths and water. Things to find:

• The lake, with rowing boats for hire at €3 a person for 15 minutes (minimum two per boat) when checked in September 2026.
• The grottoes, artificial caves in the park that are fun to explore.
• Bandstands, the Jupiter fountain and a statue of Moses.
• A telescope on the list of park features, for looking out over Braga.
• A tea room (Salão de Chá) and other cafés around the top.

The basilica itself is free and open daily. For €1 a person you can climb to the choir loft and bell tower, which older children may enjoy; it closes during services.

• Toddlers enjoy the funicular ride and watching the boats on the lake. The staircase is too much for a buggy.
• Ages 4 to 7 like the ride, the grottoes and guessing the senses on the fountains.
• Ages 8 to 12 can understand the water counterweight and time the trip, and the staircase is a good challenge.
• Teenagers interested in engineering or history get the full story of a 19th-century machine still at work.

The grounds, staircase and basilica are free. When checked in September 2026 the funicular cost €2.50 one way or €4 return. It runs from 08:55 to 19:55 in summer, and in winter from 08:55 to 12:55 and 13:55 to 17:55. While works on the stops continue, regular trips leave at quarter past and quarter to each hour, so check the timetable at the bottom station.

Braga’s city bus, TUB route 2, runs up to the sanctuary. Drivers can use the car park at the top for €1.

The staircase is long and steep in the sun, with a lot of up and down. Take water in summer and plan a rest halfway. A buggy will not manage the stairs, so ride the funicular with it instead. Weekends and sunny afternoons are busiest; early mornings are quieter. Remember it’s a working place of worship, so keep voices down in the basilica and chapels.

Braga’s old centre is a short bus ride away. Guimarães is a short drive away, and there you can see the castle and Ducal Palace and ride the Penha cable car. Funicular fans can compare it with the Elevador de Santa Luzia in Viana do Castelo, the longest funicular in Portugal, or the one at Nazaré.

How does the Bom Jesus funicular work?

Water in a tank under the top car makes it heavier than the bottom car. It rolls down and pulls the other car up on the same cable. At the bottom the water is let out.

How much is the Bom Jesus funicular?

€2.50 one way or €4 return when checked in September 2026. The grounds and staircase are free.

How many steps are there at Bom Jesus?

An independent guide counts 573 steps from the bottom to the basilica, in three sections.

Can you take a buggy?

Not up the staircase. Take the funicular with the buggy and use the paths in the park at the top.

How long do you need?

Allow half a day to ride up, walk down, row on the lake and explore the park.