Guimaraes city guide

PREPPING AND PACKING

1. Book your travel and accommodation as early as possible – prices rise quickly!

2. Ensure your arrival time in Porto leaves you with enough time to get to the stadium if you're travelling on the day of the match.

3. Make sure your passport is valid for at least six months from the date of travel. You may also need to check if you require a visa.

4. Local time is the same as the UK, an hour behind the Netherlands and Switzerland.

5. EU residents enjoy free roaming charges in Portugal. Fans from elsewhere, including Switzerland, should check charges with their service provider.

6. Travel light: large bags are not permitted in the stadium (see Guimaraes stadium guide for more).

Stadium plan©Getty Images

7. Start planning your host city and matchday travel – use our Volkswagen Mobility Companion for help!

8. Pack your football shirt and other matchday essentials but be sure you also check the stadium regulations to avoid disappointment.

9. Finally, if you've been provided with a paper ticket, remember to store it in a safe place before you travel.

TRAVELLING TO GUIMARAES

By air: Porto's Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport is a 45–60 minute journey by train, bus or car from Guimaraes; visit their website for more information. The smaller Braga Airport is also close.

Information for official fan groups: If you are travelling by charter flight, coaches will take you directly from the airport to your designated fan meeting point on arrival – check with your national association for further details.

ACCOMMODATION

Think carefully about where you want to stay – near the stadium, the airport or right in the heart of the city centre? You may wish to stay in Porto, which is close to Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport and has good transport links to Guimaraes.

An aerial view of Guimaraes©Getty Images

To score the perfect accommodation for the UEFA Nations League finals, visit booking.com.

GETTING AROUND

TRANSPORT FROM AIRPORT

By bus: You can take the GetBus directly from Franciso Sà Carnerio Airport to Guimaraes (see timetable). From Porto there are bus services to Guimaraes with Arriva (timetable), Transdev (timetable) and Rede Expressos (timetable).

By car: The 60km journey from Francisco Sà Carnerio Airport to the centre of Guimaraes takes around 45–60 minutes by car.

By train: From Francisco Sà Carnerio Airport take blue line A to Campanha. From Campanha you can get a direct train to Guimaraes. The trip takes 45–80 minutes (timetable).

For more information, check out the Volkswagen Mobility Companion in our national team competitions app.

TRAVELLING IN GUIMARAES

Walk:The centre of Guimaraes is easy to navigate by foot, with all the major attractions within walking distance of the train station and stadium.

Public transport: A tourist bus service provides a useful way of looking around the city centre, but most prefer to walk. To go up Penha Mountain, the best solution is the cable car, Teleférico da Penha.

Bike: Bicycles can be hired easily from a number of locations in the city centre. There are a couple of interesting routes within the city, while a 15km ride out to Fafe represents a great way to take in the local countryside.

WHAT TO SEE

For culture: The imposing Guimarães Castle is an architectural treasure that attracts a large number of visitors each year. A military fortification, parts of which date back to the tenth century, it became an official royal residence in 1139, when Portugal broke away from the Kingdom of León.

Largo da Oliveira in Guimaraes©Getty Images

For atmosphere: Named after a centuries-old olive tree that was planted here, Largo da Oliveira square is one of the city's focal points, along with the nearby Largo de São Tiago. At its heart is a gothic shrine, built in the reign of Afonso IV to commemorate the 1340 Battle of Río Salado.

For fresh air: A 600m-high granite mountain, the Serra da Penha towers over Guimaraes. It can be reached by road, but the best way up is the ten-minute cable-car ride. The views from the top are fantastic, and there is plenty more to enjoy on the mountain, including a campsite, equestrian centre and mini-golf.

USEFUL LINKS

Visit Guimaraes: https://www.guimaraesturismo.com/
Lonely Planet: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/portugal/guimaraes
Guimaraes portal: https://www.cm-guimaraes.pt/pages/685
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guimar%C3%A3es

PHRASEBOOK

Hello – Olá (oh-LAH)
How are you? – Como vai? (KOH-moh VIGH?)
Please – Por favor (poor fah-VOHR)
Thank you – Obrigado/a (oh-bree-GAH-doh/oh-bree-GAH-da)
Goodbye – Adeus (ah-DEH-oosh)