The Praça da República is the heart of Viana do Castelo's old town — a rectangular medieval square lined with the city's finest buildings. On one side stands the Cathedral of St. Mary the Great, on another the Renaissance facade of the Misericórdia church, and at the end the old town hall with its Gothic arcade. Together they make a set piece that is difficult to beat anywhere in northern Portugal.
At the centre of the square sits the Chafariz fountain, a 16th-century stone structure that once served as the main water source for the city. The square is always active — café tables spread under the arcades, the food market spills nearby on Tuesday and Friday mornings, and the festivals of Our Lady of Agony in August fill it with processions and revellers. Even on an ordinary afternoon the scale and architecture make it worth sitting for a while.