Foz Côa is the area around the Coa River valley in which there is a large concentration of Upper Palaeolithic “rock art”, glacier-washed “panels” containing zoomorphic engravings (depictions of ibex, horses, aurochs and deer) or Etched symbols such as spirals and zigzag lines. Foz Coa has more than 100 panels containing 5,000 animal engravings and was awarded UNESCO World Heritage status for the 30 rock art sites discovered, halting the development of a dam that was being built near the confluence of the Coa and Duoro rivers.
The rock carvings at Foz Côa and Siega Verde date from the Upper Paleolithic to the late Magdalenian / Epipalaeolithic eras (22,000 – 8,000 BCE).
Today, Foz Coa’s rock art sites are considered some of the most important in the world.
Where is Foz Côa?
Foz Côa is located in the eastern part of the Northern Portugal region, near the border with Spain. The main city is Vila Nova de Foz Coa, in which the main park office for the archaeological park resides.
Get there
It’s best to get to one of the three cities with access to the three open rock art sites by car: Vila Nova de Foz Coa, Muxagata, and Castelo Melhor. The closest train station is Pocinho in the Douro Valley.
Are there other rock art sites like Foz Coa in Europe?
Another UNESCO World Heritage rock art site is located in Valcamonica, Italy, near Lake Orta in northern Italy. More than 140,000 engravings have been registered.
These are petroglyph sites. Cave painting sites or pictograms are found in numerous caves in northern Spain (Asturias) and southern France in the Dordogne region.
Where to stay
There are many small places to stay near the main city, Vila Nova de Foz Côa.
Visiting the rock art sites of Foz Coa
You cannot visit the rock art sites on your own. You must show up at one of the three visitor centers of the Archaeological Park with a reservation made at least one week in advance to obtain passage on a four-wheel tour to one of the sites. These guided tours can be booked online.
From the city of Vila Nova de Foz Coa , you can visit the cave art site called Canada do Infemo . From Muxagata you can visit Ribeira de Piscos, and from Castelo Melhor , you can visit Penascosa.
The Coa Valley Archaeological Park website has an English section where you will find information about the park and contact information for current tours.
