Last Updated on 2025-03-20 by Jorge Bastos
Foz Coa is a small city in Portugal’s interior, where the Coa River merges into the Douro. In fact, “Foz Coa” in Portuguese means Coa mouth. Although the scenery in Foz Coa is astonishing, the biggest attraction is clearly the Coa Archeological Park and Museum.
Here, we will explain how to visit the Paleolithic engravings and everything you need to know about them.
What are the Foz Coa engravings?
The Coa Valley is an incredible open-air Paleolithic archaeological site with hundreds of panels containing thousands of figures carved into the rocks over several millennia.
The engravings, dating from 22,000 to 10,000 years B.C., depict mainly horses and bovines but also a few other animals(caprines and fishes), humans, and even abstract figures. They were typically engraved on vertical shale surfaces facing east, with sizes varying from 15 to 180 cm. They were carved, incised, and picked, sometimes using several techniques.
The Prehistoric Rock-Art Site of the Côa Valley is a huge open-air museum spread over more than 17 km along the Coa River. Only three sites are open to the public:
- Canada do Inferno
- Ribeira de Piscos
- Panascosa.
It is considered the world’s largest open-air site of Paleolithic art, a ray of light into the obscure Paleolithic age, and a key to understanding the beginning of civilization.
We need to note that the rock art of Foz Coa is impressive for its rareness, age, extension, and variety, but they are not “spectacular.” You will be amazed by how old rock art is and what it has endured, though probably not with how genius most of the drawings are. Others are even difficult to see if you don’t know they are there.
The Foz Coa dam and the discovery of the engravings
The discovery of the engravings is very curious and one of the most memorable stories of the 90s in Portugal.
It is true that the local shepherds and millers knew about the engravings’ existence and would even draw along them. There’s also evidence of a 1930s newspaper article discussing these engravings. Nevertheless, the engravings were “officially” discovered in the 1990s during a mandatory archeological prospection for constructing an enormous dam.
The dam’s construction and associated reservoir would have immersed and destroyed the rock cliff drawings. Thus, the archeologists who discovered the engravings started a movement to save them, while the company in charge of building the dam wanted to continue.
This resulted in months of news, lobbying from both sides and a battle between people who wanted the Dam and those who wanted to save the engravings. In the end, after huge pressure from the international community, the dam project was halted, and the archeologists continued to discover more engravings.
In 1998, UNESCO declared the Coa Valley a UNESCO heritage site, which helped consolidate its status. It’s said to be the fastest process of classification ever done by UNESCO. As per UNESCO:
“The Upper Paleolithic rock art of the Côa Valley is an exceptional illustration of the sudden development of our creative genius during the dawn of human cultural development”
“The rock art of the Côa Valley exceptionally demonstrates the social, economic and spiritual life of our prehistoric ancestors”
The process helped change how Portugal sees and manages its heritage and culture.
Is it possible to visit the engravings independently?
No. You are not allowed to visit the Coa engravings by yourself. You need to take a tour with an official guide.
It can be a guide from the museum or a private (authorized one). We have always scheduled the visit with the Coa Museum but ended up using a private guide as the Museum tours were full.
How do you visit the engravings of the Coa Valley?
As we said above, you need to go on a tour, there are guards close to engravings, and you’ll only be allowed to enter the areas with a guide. This is mostly to protect the engravings from being destroyed or damaged, but you should also note that it would be very difficult to see the rock art without the guide, and you wouldn’t understand much of it. There are rocks with several layers of drawings, sometimes several animals, other times the same animal drawn to convey movement.
Out of the 80 different rock art sites, only three areas are open to the public: Canada do Inferno, the first group of engravings discovered, is very close to Vila Nova de Foz Côa; Ribeira de Piscos is at Muxagata; and Penascosa is close to the village of Castelo Melhor.
The Coa Valley became very popular, both among Portuguese and foreigners. The tours are usually full, and the tickets sell out quickly. We suggest you call (or e-mail) the Coa Museum and schedule your visit as soon as you know when you want to visit.
What can you expect during the Coa rock art tours?
During the tours, you’ll be taken to one of the three significant rock art sites and shown the rocks with the engravings. The tour guide will explain their relevance, artistic, and archeological value. There’s a lot of information in the Coa Museum, but seeing the originals live and having someone explain the techniques, significance, certainties, and doubts of the archeologists has a much bigger impact.
We visited the rock art in Foz Coa twice and went to Canada do Inferno and Panascosa and enjoyed them both. The groups are always small, usually eight or fewer people. You’ll possibly encounter other groups during the tour, but there’s no need to worry—it never gets crowded.
The guided tours cost 18 Euros per person (in 2025) and take place daily, during mornings or afternoons, depending on the site. Canada do Inferno, and Ribeira de Piscos are during the morning, while Panascosa is in the afternoon.
Canada do Inferno tour
The tour to Canada do Inferno starts in the Coa Museum. During this tour, you’ll pass through the area where the Coa Dam was being built. We still see that a lot of the work was already being done. The drive here is longer but faster, as it’s always tarmac or cobblestones.
After leaving the car, you’ll have to walk almost 500 meters to the first rocks, but it’s a fairly easy hike. During the tour, you’ll have to climb a few stairs to see some of the rocks—nothing too difficult. This tour should take about 2 hours.
Besides the dam, the highlight of this tour is what they call Rock 1. The rock that originated all of this is the first rock to be discovered and recognized for its value.
Panascosa
The Panascosa tour starts in Castelo Melhor, at the park’s reception center. You’ll travel about 6 km on dirt roads in an all-terrain vehicle before reaching a large beach on the Coa Banks. The ride is beautiful, with olive and almond trees.
After arriving at the beach, you’ll barely have to hike, as the engravings are very close. This is the best site if you don’t want to walk much (500 to 600 meters) and it’s flat. We rate it very easy. It’s usually in the afternoon, and it takes about 1h30 to 2 hours.
Note: If you take this tour, you should also visit Castelo Melhor’s castle. It’s one of those old, wonderful, ruined places with one hell of a view!
Ribeira de Piscos
As we said, we haven’t visited Ribeira de Piscos yet, but it’s a more challenging tour, with more than 2km of hiking, so it’s possibly a good fit if you enjoy hiking. It starts and finishes in the Coa Museum and takes about 2h30.
Is it worth visiting the Coa Museum?
The Coa Museum is located about 3 km outside the city of Foz Coa. It’s far enough that walking is not recommended. It’s a modern, beautiful building located on the edge of the mountain by the mouth of the River Coa.
The view is fantastic, and it would be worth going there just for the views and the nice buildings. The museum is huge (one of the biggest in Portugal), but it was built to integrate itself into the scenery. From there, you can see two of the Portuguese world heritages: the Douro wine landscape and the Prehistoric Art of the Côa Valley.
We strongly suggest you visit this museum, but it isn’t a substitute for taking a tour. It only complements it. After all, the actual museum is outdoors, by the river. We believe the best thing to do is to visit both, as the museum is a great way to discover the richness of the Coa and Douro valleys.
A ticket to the museum costs 6 Euros, and you should reserve at least an hour to visit it.
Where to stay in Foz Coa?
It’s possible to take a day trip from Porto to Foz Coa by car; however, it will be a long, long day. If you have the time, we suggest you stay one day in Foz Coa (or close) and enjoy the surroundings, besides the Rock Art. The Douro Valley vineyards are beautiful, while the Douro Valley Natural Park is one of Portugal’s most stunning natural regions. Yet, it’s very little known.
HI Vila Nova de Foz Coa
Hi Foz Coa is a youth hostel in excellent condition. It’s close to Foz Coa but not in the city’s center. You’ll need to walk for about 5 minutes. The hostel has private and dorm rooms, which are very budget-friendly options in Foz Coa. Perfect for backpackers and budget travelers.
Hotel Vale do Coa
Hotel Vale do Coa is in the center of the city, but it’s a little more expensive. We suggest this if you don’t want to stay in a hostel and don’t mind paying a little more. The rooms are good, but nothing fancy.
Casa do Tablado – Foz Côa
Casa do Tablado is our suggestion if you prefer to book a house instead of a hotel or hostel. It’s great for a family or a couple who wants to be in a private place. Other visitors’ extraordinarily high ratings confirm the quality and comfort of this place!
Booking.comThe best time to visit Foz Coa
Foz Coa is located in interior central Portugal, a region notoriously hot and dry in Summer and cold and rainy in Winter. This region doesn’t receive too many tourists, so you shouldn’t be too worried about the places being crowded. However, you need to book your tour beforehand. You can’t just appear and go along with a guide. Also, during peak season, try to book the tour as soon as possible because they sell out!
We believe the best time to go to Foz Coa is spring or early autumn. Winter is the worst time, as it will likely rain and surely be cold. During Summer, it’s usually too hot to enjoy the tours, but it’s doable if you book it with plenty of time.
How to go to Foz Coa
Foz Coa is far from the main tourist trail in Portugal, and most tourists don’t visit it. Yet, there are a few options for getting there: car, train, and long-haul bus.
Car to Foz Coa
This is the easiest and fastest way to get to Foz Coa. There are good highways to the interior, and the roads around Foz Coa are good. It should take you about 2 hours to get from Porto to Foz Coa. With a car, it’s possible to do it as a day trip from Porto, but it will take you the full day. You may take the opportunity to visit the Douro Valley.
If you are driving to Foz Coa, we suggest you take road 222. It has been considered one of the world’s most beautiful roads, though it will take much more than the two hours we mentioned above.
Train to Foz Coa
The train is an excellent possibility if you have time and/or don’t want to drive. The main problem is that the train only goes to Pocinho, about 8km from Foz Coa. You’ll need to take a cab to reach Foz Coa. Plus, you’ll need to get a way to go to the museum and other places you may want to visit.
The biggest advantage of the train is that it goes right through the Douro Valley. It’s easily one of the most beautiful train trips in Portugal, and it’s a very pleasant trip. You can check out our post about the Douro Valley train.
Bus to Foz Coa
The Bus is another public transportation possibility. It won’t be as wonderful as the train from Porto, but it will take you directly to Foz Coa instead of Pocinho. Check the bus company site and rede expresso.
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