There are 577 steps up to Bom Jesus do Monte, and a good many pilgrims still climb them on their knees. The sanctuary hangs on a wooded hillside above Braga, in the green Minho of northern Portugal, and what makes it extraordinary is the staircase. It zigzags up the slope in a series of baroque landings, each with its own fountain, chapel or statues, and each telling a different part of the story, from the five senses to the three virtues. Work began in the early eighteenth century and went on for decades, and the white church at the top, with its twin towers, was finished later, in neoclassical style. UNESCO listed the whole ensemble in 2019.
You can cheat. A funicular, built in 1882 and driven by water ballast, still runs up beside the stairs, and it is said to be the oldest of its kind on the Iberian Peninsula. Two cabins balance each other, and water pumped into the upper one makes it heavier so it pulls the lower one up. The ride is slow and utterly charming, and it is a good way to see the staircase from the side.
Braga itself is one of the oldest Christian cities in Portugal, with a cathedral that was begun in the eleventh century and a long reputation as the country's religious capital, and Holy Week brings processions that fill the streets. With around a hundred and twenty thousand people it has fuel, parking and plenty of restaurants, though the narrow centre is better walked. The nearby village of Adaúfe is a quiet spot to eat lunch.
For a rider, Braga is the gateway to the hills. East of the city the roads climb through chestnut and oak woods, small farms and granite villages with stone granaries on stilts, and then up to the Peneda-Gerês National Park, where bends tighten and wild Garrano ponies stand in the road. Surfaces are generally good, but they can be wet and slippery with leaf litter, and mist is common in the morning. The best months are May, June and September, when the hillsides are green and the roads are not packed. Take a glass of vinho verde with grilled sardines or a plate of bacalhau, and stay for the sunset from the top of the stairs.