Having been to the above mentioned plases several times I would never denigrate their attractiveness. Braga did not give me any sense of being religously oriented as did Fatima. Porto is in a class by itself and well worth a visit. Look at the Pousadas for places to stay. they are offering specials and are well worth the look see. Portugal is a magical place.

Braga stands out as an architecturally beautiful city. It isn't particularly scenic like Lisbon or Porto. Aveiro is nice but very small with no major attractions and better as a summer destination for the coast nearby. Coimbra doesn't rank high on my list either, although the university is impressive.
I'd stick to Lisbon, Sintra, Evora, Obidos, Porto, Guimaraes and Viana do Castelo. If you make it far south to the Algarve, there are many beautiful coastal towns like Lagos and Tavira.

I share many of the opinions expressed above. I thought Braga was nice, had some nice old pedestrian streets, some historic areas, some nice squares. But I don't think it's a must-stop place. Porto is, of course. I think Porto deserves at least two or three full days. And Aveiro, well, it's a nice place, has a very high quality of life it seemed to me, but I think its self-promotion as the "Venice of portugal" is way hyperbolic. But Guimaraes, now there is a place for a wonderful day. It's got all this historic bells and whistles -- castle, palace, old walls, beautiful plaza, nice churches. I think Aveiro may be just as nice a place to live in terms of amenities and community, but Guimaraes is really exceptional in terms of its historic charm.

Guimares has a lot to offer, a castle, a nice medieval quarter, a museum or two. We stopped for lunch in Aviero and enjoyed seeing the town and it's boats as well, but didn't want to spend more time there.
Porto should be included with it's rich history,tiled buildings , Port shops and pretty river front location.

Are you confusing Braga with Fatima?

I do not recall Braga being a more religious town that any other. To me one of the small pretty towns that few visit is Amarante. TAP used to a picture of it in their ads.

Amarante!!!...Good point..There are so many towns to see and each will have it's own charm and manbe special events going on. Just turn into any and/or all of them and enjoy the ambiance or Portugal.

Maybe the OP has this impression of Braga because of its proximity to Bom Jesus. I agree that I don't find it especially religious, though it does have a cathedral and a number of churches.

Amarante is a great choice, I have a wonderful memory sitting in one of the pastelarias that look out over the river and eating some amazing special Christmas baked goods. It's a small but very pretty town.

So overall are you saying that Braga is among the country's most beautiful destinations to visit?