Braga is one of Portugal's oldest cities but also one of its youngest in spirit, thanks to the University of Minho filling it with students. It's cheaper and more relaxed than Lisbon or Porto, walkable and safe, with baroque churches, the hilltop sanctuary of Bom Jesus and the lush Minho region on the doorstep. Porto is only an hour away by train when you want a bigger city.

• Home to the University of Minho, giving a small city a big, lively student population.
• Cheaper and calmer than Lisbon or Porto, walkable and easy to settle into.
• Bom Jesus, Guimarães and the Peneda-Gerês national park are all close by.

For its size, Braga has a spirited scene, powered by Minho students and their praxe traditions and the huge Enterro da Gata festival each May. Nightlife concentrates in the historic centre, around the bars near Praça da República and the cathedral, and it's cheap and friendly. The São João festival in June turns the whole city into a street party.

• Bars cluster in the historic centre around Praça da República (the Arcada) and the cathedral.
• Time your term for Enterro da Gata (May) or the São João festival (June).
• Ask the Braga group on Studcasa about Minho student nights and trips to Gerês.

Braga is one of the most affordable student cities in Portugal, so budget about 600 to 850 euros a month, with rooms often 250 to 380. Everything from eating out to nightlife costs less than the coast, and the compact, walkable city keeps transport spending minimal. It's a genuinely easy place to live on a student budget.

• A room in a shared flat runs about 250 to 380 euros a month.
• Lunch menus do a full meal for 7 to 9 euros; a coffee is well under a euro.
• The city is walkable, so many students skip transport passes altogether.

Rooms are affordable and easier to find than on the coast, clustered in the historic centre and near the Gualtar campus east of the city. The University of Minho offers some residences worth applying for early. Use Uniplaces, Idealista and Facebook groups, view before paying, and decide whether you want the walkable centre or the quieter campus side.

• Choose between the walkable historic centre and the quieter area near Gualtar campus.
• Search Uniplaces, Idealista and Quartos Braga Facebook groups for rooms.
• Ask the Studcasa Braga group for leads and flatmates before you arrive.

Braga is small and flat enough that most students walk everywhere in the centre. TUB city buses cover the rest, including the run out to the Gualtar campus, on a cheap rechargeable card. The train station links to Porto in about an hour, and the Bom Jesus funicular, Portugal's oldest, hauls you up to the sanctuary.

• Get a TUB bus card for the Gualtar campus run and outlying trips; the centre is walkable.
• Take the CP urban train to Porto (about 1 hour) for cheap city weekends.
• Ride the water-powered Bom Jesus funicular up to the sanctuary, a local classic.

The University of Minho is the heart of student Braga: a young, well-regarded institution strong in engineering, science, economics and the humanities, split between the Gualtar campus here and a second campus in Guimarães. It runs a large Erasmus programme with English-taught courses and an experienced international office, making it an easy exchange despite the city's size.

• The University of Minho runs a big Erasmus intake with English-taught courses.
• Its main Braga campus is at Gualtar, with a second campus in nearby Guimarães.

It depends on your nationality. EU, EEA, and Swiss students need no visa and simply register for a residence certificate at the local council if staying beyond three months. Non-EU students staying over 90 days need a national student visa from a Portuguese consulate before arrival, then a residence permit through AIMA (the immigration agency) once in the country.

Budget plenty of time: consular processing is slow and AIMA appointments have been badly backlogged. You'll typically need proof of enrolment, sufficient funds, accommodation, and health insurance. Get a NIF (tax number) early too, you'll need it to rent, open a bank account, or sign almost anything.

• EU/EEA/Swiss, no visa; register locally after 3 months
• Non-EU over 90 days, student visa before you travel
• Get a NIF (tax number) early; it's needed for everything
• AIMA appointments are backlogged, so book the moment you can

Braga and the wider Minho eat generously. Local specialities include bacalhau à Braga, frigideiras (baked meat pastries) from the historic Frigideiras do Cantinho, rojões (fried pork) and the famous pudim Abade de Priscos. It's vinho verde country too, the crisp, slightly fizzy young wine of the north, best enjoyed on a café terrace in the old centre.

• Try a frigideira at Frigideiras do Cantinho, a café serving them since the 18th century.
• Order bacalhau à Braga and finish with pudim Abade de Priscos.
• Drink the local vinho verde, light, fresh and made all around the Minho.

The historic centre, around the Sé, the Arcada and Praça da República, is where the life, cafés and cheaper student rooms are; São Vítor sits just east and central; and Gualtar, out by the campus, is quieter and modern. Most students pick between the buzzy centre and the calmer campus side depending on their timetable.

• Historic centre: cafés, nightlife and student rooms, all walkable.
• São Vítor: central and residential, a short walk from the old town.
• Gualtar: quiet and modern, right by the university campus.

Braga sits perfectly for the green north. Guimarães, the birthplace of Portugal with its castle and old town, is 25 minutes away; Porto an hour by train; and the mountains, waterfalls and wild ponies of the Peneda-Gerês national park about an hour by road. Viana do Castelo's coast and Santiago de Compostela in Spain are both easy weekends.

• Guimarães (about 25 minutes) for the castle and the birthplace-of-Portugal old town.
• Peneda-Gerês national park (about 1 hour) for hiking, waterfalls and swimming.
• Santiago de Compostela, Spain (about 2 hours) for a cross-border weekend.

Braga rewards students who embrace its size: it's small, so you'll see familiar faces fast and the community feels close, but you'll lean on Porto for the occasional big-city fix. Learn some Portuguese, as English is a little less universal than on the tourist coast. And say yes to the festivals; São João and Enterro da Gata are the year's highlights.

• Use the one-hour train to Porto whenever you want a bigger-city day out.
• Learn a little Portuguese; it's appreciated and useful off the tourist track.
• Don't miss São João (June) and Enterro da Gata (May), Braga's best nights.