Palace of the Dukes of Braganza

The Paço dos Duques de Bragança is a stone palace in northern Portugal with French design elements like cylindrical chimneys and steep rooflines. The building contains multiple rooms with residential spaces, weapons storage areas, and galleries for art collections.

The palace was built in the early 15th century under Afonso de Barcelos, the first Duke of Braganza and illegitimate son of King João I of Portugal. The family used the building as their regional seat of power for centuries afterward.

The palace displays medieval tapestries and 17th-century furnishings in its rooms that visitors can see today. These collections give a sense of how noble families once lived and displayed their power.

The palace offers wheelchair-accessible routes throughout the building and specialized reception areas for visitors with mobility needs. Multilingual information displays are provided in the rooms to help you navigate.

The building was one of the few examples of French architecture directly copied on the Iberian Peninsula. Its stone walls and roof shapes stand out clearly from other Portuguese noble residences of that era.