Côa Museum

The Côa Museum (Museu do Côa) sits in Vila Nova de Foz Côa in northeastern Portugal, overlooking the Côa river valley. It is the main gateway to one of Europe's most significant collections of Ice Age rock art, and it opened on 30 July 2010.

What can you see at the Côa Museum?

The displays explain the prehistoric engravings of the Côa Valley, made during the Palaeolithic roughly 25,000 to 12,000 years ago. Along a gorge stretching about 30 km, thousands of individual figures are carved into schist cliffs, mostly horses, aurochs and ibex. The museum uses modern multimedia to present these images, including motifs that are hard to reach or difficult to see in bright sunlight out in the field.

What does the building look like?

Portuguese architects Pedro Tiago Pimentel and Camilo Rebelo designed it. From a distance it reads as a huge block of rock rising out of the hillside above the valley. The effect comes from concrete tinted with mineral pigments and a surface treatment that echoes the irregular texture of the local metamorphic rock. Inside are four floors, with a permanent exhibition and rooms for temporary shows.

Why visit before heading into the valley?

The engraved sites themselves are spread across the landscape and are visited on guided tours run by the Côa Archaeological Park. The museum supplies the context: who made the carvings and when, which animals they chose to depict, and how the discovery changed the region. The Côa Valley is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed together with Siega Verde in Spain. Starting here helps you pick a route and know what you are looking at when you see the originals.

Practical information

• Opening hours: October to April 9:00-17:30; May to September 9:00-18:00.
• Closed: 25 December, 1 January and 1 May, plus every Monday from November to March.
• Location: Vila Nova de Foz Côa, Douro region, close to where the Côa meets the Douro.
• Schedules can change, so check the Côa Park website before you travel.

Frequently asked questions

When did the Côa Museum open? On 30 July 2010.

How old is the art it presents? The oldest engravings date to the Palaeolithic, about 25,000 to 12,000 years ago.

Which animals are depicted? Mainly horses, aurochs and ibex.

Who designed the building? Pedro Tiago Pimentel and Camilo Rebelo.

Is the museum open on Mondays? It is closed on Mondays from November to March; in other months it follows the regular schedule.

Does the museum replace a trip to the valley? No. It is an excellent introduction, but the engravings in the landscape are seen on separate guided visits.

Allow at least one to two hours for the museum, and a full day if you also want to visit the sites in the valley. The area is known for Douro vineyards and for almond blossom in late winter, so the museum fits easily into a longer trip through the region.