Discover cities near Porto with us! This week: Vila Nova de Foz Côa.
Popularly called only Foz Côa, this city is located in the Guarda region in Northern Portugal and has little more than 7 thousand inhabitants. Famous for its archeological park, considered the biggest open-air museum of prehistoric rock art, Foz Côa is located 200 km away from Porto (a 2-hour drive).
The Vale do Côa archaeological park alone would be a great reason to visit this city, but there’s more! Check here our suggestions of what to visit in Vila Nova de Foz Côa:
The road that leads to Vila Nova de Foz Côa is surrounded of natural beauty, and when you can see the most typical regional goods, like olive trees and vineyards. If you can, make a visit between February and March, when it’s the season of the blossom of the almond trees! The region gets very colorful with the white and pink of the flowers. And don’t forget to enjoy the local olive oil and wines, of course!
Foz Côa also has three beautiful monuments considered of National importance: the Numão Castle, the city’s Pelourinho and the main Church. You should also pay a visit to the historical villages near Foz Côa, like Freixo de Numão, Almendra e Castelo Melhor.
And, of course, you have to visit the Côa Museum and the Archaeological Park. First check the museum, where you can learn all about the Paleolithic and its secrets. The working hours are Tuesdays to Sundays, from 9am to 12:30pm and 2pm to 5:30pm. Tickets costs 5€.
The archaeological park has rock paintings from around 25.000 years ago! You can visit three locations (Canada do Inferno, Penascosa and Ribeira de Piscos) in visits guided by experts. They also have night tours! Regular visits cost 10€ per person and per location. Ticket for one visit plus museum entrance is available for 12€.
We hope you liked our suggestions and go visit Vila Nova de Foz Côa after exploring Porto with us! Click here to see our other suggestions on the section Outside Porto.
