North Portugal Tourism Guide - Foz Coa Archaeological Park

Vila Nova de Foz Coa, Douro

The town of Vila Nova de Foz Coa is still very much a small, friendly, laid back place, and has few other attractions than the Igreja Matriz with an impressive Manueline doorway, leaning walls and painted wooden ceiling.

There is a Tourist Information Office at Avenida Cidade Nova - Centro Cultural Tel: 351 279 760 329. Open daily: 9 am-12:30 pm 2-17.30 pm and the main Park Office for the Archaeological Park is in the town centre.

Many archaeological artefacts have been found around this area dating from the Stone Age right through to the 18th century. At Freixo de Numao nearby the Museo da Casa Grande has a display of some of these finds from the different archaeological sites. It is also an attractive baroque townhouse with Roman foundations. Museu da Casa Grande, tel: 351 279 789 117. Fax: 351 279 789 573. Open Tues-Sun 9 am-12 pm and 2-6 pm.

This area is rich in archaeological discoveries and there are several other archaeological sites in the area such as the Bronze Age Castelo Velho in Freixo de Numao, the roman temple of Almofala at Castelo Rodrigo and a complex of stone architecture that was built between the Chalcolithic to the Bronze Age at Castanheiro do Vento. Check the links opposite for more information.

Portugal Tourism Attractions: Coa Valley Archaeological Park

One of the best in the list of attractions of Portugal is The Parque Arqueologico do Vale do Coa (PAVC). It was designated to protect a series of Paleolithic rock engravings. The protection of these engravings had a troubled and contentious history. There were plans to flood the whole valley by building a dam, but in 1989 after an Environmental Impact Study archaeologists found the first of the rock engravings and four rock shelters. Once these findings were made public there was a huge local, national and international protest against the dam and the flooding of the valley that would have meant the drawings would have been submerged. Construction, however, began but in 1995 the Portuguese Government stopped the construction of the dam and formed the Coa Valley Archaeological Park. If you visit one of the sites, Canada do Inferno, you can still see the partially constructed dam and the spoil that was brought into the valley to start filling it up. Even though construction was stopped there appears to have been no effort on the part of the developers to put the site back to how it was before construction began. As a consequence the river is around 12 metres higher than it was before they started constructing the dam. In 1998 the rock art sites in the Coa Valley were made a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

There are over 30 sites where rock engravings have been found, most are Palaeolithic but there are some that date from the 18th century where someone must have decided to add their own art to the prehistoric collection. Visits to the sites are highly restricted and can only be undertaken in the company of guides from the Archaeological Park. Three sites are open to the public: Canada do Inferno, Penascosa and Ribeira de Piscos. All three sites have a series of different rock engravings. Site visits are organised by the Park Offices at these locations, the main one being at Vila Nova de Foz Coa.

Visits are made by being transported to the sites by four wheel drive vehicle in groups of a maximum of eight Groups are accompanied by a guide who describe the history and the detail of the engravings using interpretation pictures to help you identify individual drawings. Visits take between one and a half hours to two and a half hours depending on which site you visit. As spaces are limited you need to book places in advance. You can either do this by email or by contacting the Park Offices direct, details below. The staff are very helpful and are keen to make sure you get the most out of your trip. However, not all guides are English speaking, but what English they do know is usually far superior to most of our Portuguese! There is a leaflet in English describing the sites and its history.

This is a magical tourist attraction that helps you understand the nomadic culture of Palaeolithic man.

Coa Valley Archaeological Park Offices

Visits take place daily except Mondays when the offices are closed.

The main Park Office is at Av. Gago Coutinho, 19 A, 5150-610 Vila Nova de Foz Coa. Tel: 351 279 768 260/1. Fax: 351 279 768 270. Email for booking visits: visitas.pavc@ipa.min-cultura.pt.

Visitor Centre of Muxagata Tel: 351 279 764 298. Visitor Centre of Castelo Melhor Tel: 351 279 713 344.

Check the website for full information on visits and the sites. There's even an interactive interpretation of the drawings. You'll need to open it in Internet Explorer for it to work fully.