Portugal has a vast collection of museums. Here, we focus on museums that have prehistoric collections or which are focused on prehistory.
You can use the map at the right to search for specific museums (highlighted map markers indicate museums that are described on this website), or browse through the entries below. More posts are added as sites get visited.
(NOTE: the national museum of archaeology has been closed for renovations and won’t reopen until 2025. When it does, we’ll be sure to visit and include it here.)
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Museum of Vila do Bispo
In Portuguese: Museu de Vila do Bispo, also known as: Celeiro da História (“The Granary of History”) Come into this restored granary, and walk through the history of the region. From dinosaurs to the modern day, a carefully and artistically designed space guides you through the huge spaces of the old warehouses, teaching you and…
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Menir de Vale da França
This little stone stands peacefully in an urban environment. Having been moved from its original location, it now serves as an enigmatic reminder to passers-by that people had lived here and built markers like this many thousands of years ago. (photographs graciously provided by one of our readers) This was apparently found in the area…
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Archaeological Museum of São Miguel de Odrinhas (MASMO)
Name in Portuguese: Museu Arqueológico de São Miguel de Odrinhas (MASMO) A beautiful museum, built around the ruins of a Roman villa, which houses a vast collection of artefacts. There are inscriptions and relics from the Roman period, as well as relics from more recent eras and others dating back through the prehistoric eras to…