Conimbriga: Portugal's Best Roman Ruins

Conímbriga is the best-preserved Roman town in Portugal, with mosaic floors, houses, baths and a long defensive wall, set in the countryside just south of Coimbra. It’s a fascinating half-day for history lovers, and great for families too.

Quick answer: Conímbriga is about 20 minutes’ drive south of Coimbra, near Condeixa-a-Nova. A ticket covers the ruins and the museum. Allow 2 hours. Don’t miss the House of the Fountains, with its mosaics and working fountains. Combine it with Coimbra. See Coimbra tours.

Why go

Most Roman sites in Portugal are a few stones in a field. Conímbriga is a real town you can walk through, with streets, houses, baths and some of the finest mosaics in the Iberian Peninsula. People lived on this hilltop from around the 9th century BC. The Romans arrived in the 2nd century BC, and the town became a Roman municipality under Emperor Vespasian in the 1st century AD. Only a small part of the city has been dug up, so what you see is just a slice of it. It has been a National Monument since 1910.

What to see

• The House of the Fountains (Casa dos Repuxos): a grand villa with beautiful mosaic floors around a garden of fountains, which still spout water. A roof protects the mosaics, and walkways let you look down on them. Allow 20 to 30 minutes.
• The mosaics: hunting scenes, mythological figures and geometric patterns. Look for animals, birds and mythical figures picked out in coloured stone.
• The House of Cantaber (Casa de Cantaber): the largest private house found on the site, with around 40 rooms, its own baths and gardens.
• The town wall: a long defensive wall, hastily built as the empire weakened. It cut straight through older houses, and you can still see where. It did not save the town: the Suevi attacked and took Conímbriga in the 460s.
• The baths, forum and aqueduct remains. The forum was the centre of public life, and the baths show the heating system under the floors.
• The museum: finds from the site, including sculptures, coins and everyday objects. It opened in 1962 and became a National Museum in 2017. Allow 30 to 45 minutes.

Getting there

• By car: the easiest option, from Coimbra or the A1 motorway. It is about 16 km from Coimbra, roughly 20 minutes. From Lisbon, allow about 2 hours, and from Porto about 1.5 hours. There is a car park at the site.
• By bus from Coimbra to Condeixa, then a walk of about 2 km. Transdev also runs a direct bus from Coimbra to the ruins on some days, but there are only one or two a day, so check the timetable before you go.
• On a tour from Coimbra or Lisbon.

Opening times and tickets

The site and museum usually open daily from 10am, closing in the early evening, and close on a few public holidays such as Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Hours and prices can change, so check the official website before you go. Children usually go free.

How long to spend

Two hours is enough for the ruins and museum. Add Coimbra and you have a full day.

A one-day route: arrive at Conímbriga when it opens, before the heat and the coach groups. See the House of the Fountains first, then walk the ruins and the wall. Visit the museum, then have lunch in Condeixa or Coimbra. Spend the afternoon at the old university in Coimbra. See a Coimbra day trip.

Food

• Chanfana: goat slow-cooked in red wine, a speciality of the Coimbra area.
• Leitão: roast suckling pig from nearby Bairrada.
• Pastéis de Tentúgal: thin, flaky pastries filled with egg cream, from a village near Coimbra.

When to go

Spring and autumn are ideal, with mild weather for walking the site. Summer is hot and there is little shade. Winter is quiet and fine on a dry day, as the best mosaics are under cover.

Tips

• Heat and shade: the site is exposed, so visit early in summer.
• Shoes: paths are uneven stone and gravel.
• Kids: the mosaics and fountains are a hit. See Portugal with kids.
• Combine: Coimbra’s university the same day. See the University of Coimbra guide.

More: the Coimbra guide, where to stay in Coimbra and a quick history of Portugal.

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