Côa Valley
Portugal · Europe · ✦ UNESCO World Heritage Site
The largest open-air gallery of Ice Age art on Earth, saved from drowning by public outcry
Age
~22,000 yrs
Period
Gravettian–Magdalenian
Setting
Open-air
Art form
Petroglyphs
Discovered
1991
Status
Open (Guided Tours from Côa Museum)
The largest known concentration of open-air Paleolithic art in the world: thousands of engraved horses, aurochs, ibex and deer along the schist cliffs of the Côa river in northeast Portugal. Discovered during dam construction in the 1990s, the art was saved when Portugal famously halted the dam; guided jeep tours from the Côa Museum visit the engraved panels.
Gallery
Notable Features
- ◦ Thousands of open-air engravings
- ◦ Dam halted to save the art
- ◦ Côa Museum jeep tours
Depicted Subjects
HorsesAurochsIbexDeerFish
Plan a Visit
AccessThis cave can be visited.
BookingAdvance booking required — places are limited
Sources & Further Reading
Hours & prices change — always confirm on the official site before travelling.
Photographs via Wikimedia Commons — image credits. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.