Conimbriga
The Largest And Best Preserved Roman Town Excavated In Portugal, Known For Its Mosaic Floors; National Monument With A Site Museum · Condeixa-a-Nova, Coimbra
Conimbriga, about 16 km south-west of Coimbra, is the largest and best-preserved Roman town excavated in Portugal. An Iron Age settlement grew into a prosperous Roman town from the first century BC, with a forum, baths, an aqueduct and rich houses floored with mosaics. In the late Roman period a defensive wall was thrown hastily across the town, cutting it in two, and after Suevi raids in the 460s the bishop moved to nearby Aeminium, which took the old name and became Coimbra. People come for the mosaic floors, above all in the House of the Fountains, now under a protective roof, for the sprawling House of Cantaber, the wall itself and the site museum that explains it all. It is an easy half-day trip from Coimbra and is rarely crowded. The honest caveats: only part of the town has been excavated, the site is mostly open-air with very little shade and gets hot in summer, and public transport from Coimbra is sparse.
Ruinas de Conimbriga and the Monographic Museum, Condeixa-a-Velha, about 16 km south-west of Coimbra, Condeixa-a-Nova, Coimbra, Portugal
Open daily, roughly 10:00 to 19:00 in summer and to about 18:00 in winter, with last entry before closing; closed on a few public holidays such as 1 January, Easter Sunday, 1 May and 25 December - confirm all hours, and confirm whether the museum keeps a Monday closure. One ticket covers the ruins and the Monographic Museum, bought on arrival. From Coimbra it is about 20 minutes by car or taxi; buses to Condeixa are infrequent and leave a walk of about 2 km - confirm times. No booking is usually needed.