Portugal has a vast collection of museums, including many fascinating local museums. (I was never a “museum person” but I find myself fascinated and delighted every time I visit a small local museum!) On this website, I focus on museums that have prehistoric collections or which are focused on prehistory.
Use the map below to browse or search among the various museums. Clicking on a cluster (a coloured circle with a number in it) will zoom in and disperse the cluster. Highlighted map markers indicate sites that are described on this website. More posts are added as sites get visited. (If you know of a museum that should be added to the map, please let me know!)
Below the map is a list of all the museums on our website …so far!
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Portimão Museum
An excellent museum with much fascinating information about both prehistory and history.
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Núcleo Museológico de São Pedro
Also known as: Núcleo Museológico da Igreja de São Pedro e Reservas An old church has been repurposed for the municipal archaeological museum, with information and exhibits detailing the occupation of the area from Paleolithic times to the 20th century. This museum was formed in 2021, using the building of a church that had been…
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Centro de Interpretação dos Concheiros de Muge
English name: Interpretation Centre of the Muge Shell Middens A museum about the “Concheiros de Muge,” or the Shell Middens of Muge: a group of mesolithic shell middens that are one of the most famous and important archaeological sites for the Mesolithic period. The middens themselves are not generally visitable, so this interpretation centre is…
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Núcleo Museológico de Arqueologia de Afife
English name: Afife Archaeology Museum Tucked away beside the Afife Casino (not a gambling hall, but the town’s social centre), is a small but fascinating archaeological museum. There are artefacts from the Paleolithic up through the Roman period, and information about the rich ancient history of the town and the area. The museum is laid…
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Casa dos Nichos
This ancient building holds even more ancient contents inside. It’s the archaeological museum of Viana do Castelo, with information about the prehistory of the area from the Stone Age to the Roman era. Viana do Castelo’s archaeological museum (Núcleo de Arqueologia) has a small but impressive exhibit telling the story of the area’s ancient past,…