Barcelos

Barcelos is one of the most visited towns in northern Portugal and a key stop on the Central Portuguese Way to Santiago de Compostela. It sits on the bank of the River Cávado and has been a market town since the medieval period, with its weekly Thursday market still drawing traders and visitors from across the Minho region. That market, held in the large Campo da República square, is one of the largest in Portugal and particularly known for its ceramics, linen, and embroidery.

The town is the origin of one of Portugal's most enduring symbols: the Galo de Barcelos, the rooster. According to legend, a pilgrim passing through on his way to Santiago was falsely accused of theft and condemned to hang. As a last plea of innocence, he pointed to a roasted cockerel on the judge's table and declared it would crow when he was hanged. It did, the pilgrim was spared, and he later returned to carve a stone cross in gratitude. Whether the story is true or not, the black rooster decorated with colourful polka dots has since become an icon of Portuguese folk culture and good luck, and you will find it in shops and workshops throughout the town.

The Campo da República is also home to the ruins of the Paço dos Condes, a 15th-century ducal palace, and the adjacent Archaeological Museum, which contains the famous Cruzeiro do Senhor do Galo, the stone cross said to have been erected by the pardoned pilgrim. The 15th-century Cathedral of Barcelos and the Church of Bom Jesus da Cruz, with its striking Baroque chapel set in a garden of fountains, are also worth a visit. The medieval bridge crossing the Cávado offers one of the better views of the old town and is a natural gathering point for pilgrims arriving or departing on the route.