Plan a trip to Viseu

It is home to outstanding religious architecture and sacred art and is characterized by charming cobbled streets, winding alleys, public gardens, and a famous central square, Praca da Republica, which is adorned with flowers and fountains. 

Legend has it that, before the Romans captured Viriathus, the Lusitanian warrior and national hero who fought against the Roman conquest in 139 BC, he hid in a cave in Viseu. Several Visigoth nobles established the city as their court during the Middle Ages, but it is best known as the birthplace of one of the greatest painters of the Portuguese Renaissance, Vasco Fernandez.

In the 15th century, Alfonso V completed the construction of the city walls, and, as the city prospered from agriculture and trade, it expanded beyond the walls.

Construction of the majestic Cathedral of Viseu was started in the 12th century, and it features a mixture of classic Renaissance, Manueline, and Mannerist architectural influences. It has two beautiful bell towers and a stunning interior with a vaulted ceiling and golden altar. It stands in all its glory on a rock towering high above the city.

From the square in front of the cathedral there is a spectacular view of the surrounding plains. In front of the cathedral is the 18th century Igreja Da Misericordia, with a rococo facade, which houses the Misericordia Museum with an impressive collection of sacred art and paintings from the 17th-19th centuries.

The Grao Vasco Museum is named after Vasco Fernandez, and it contains a unique collection of outstanding Renaissance art, including altarpieces from the Viseu Cathedral, which are, at least in part, attributed to the famous painter.

Viseu is home to several universities and is an economic, cultural, and agricultural center of the region. It is famous for its wine, the "Burgundy of Portugal," which is produced from the vineyards in the Regiao do Dao region that have been growing this special variety of red velvet grapes for over 2000 years.