Fodor's Expert Review Citânia de Briteiros
About 10 km (6 miles) northwest of Guimarães you'll find these fascinating remains of a Celtic citânia (hill settlement). It dates to around 300 BC and was probably not abandoned until AD 300, making it one of the last Celtic strongholds against the Romans in Portugal, although its residents are now thought to have become gradually romanized. The walls and foundations of 150 huts and a meeting house have been excavated (two of the huts have been reconstructed to show their original size). The site was excavated in the late 19th century by Dr. Martins Sarmento, namesake of a must-see museum in Guimarães where most of the finds from Briteiros were transferred. You can also visit the smaller Museu da Cultura Castreja, housed in Sarmento's 19th-century family home, in the village of São Salvador de Briteiros, down below the Citânia. Local bus company Guimabus serves Briteiros several times daily from downtown Guimaraes, then it's less than 10 minutes on foot to the museum or... READ MORE
About 10 km (6 miles) northwest of Guimarães you'll find these fascinating remains of a Celtic citânia (hill settlement). It dates to around 300 BC and was probably not abandoned until AD 300, making it one of the last Celtic strongholds against the Romans in Portugal, although its residents are now thought to have become gradually romanized. The walls and foundations of 150 huts and a meeting house have been excavated (two of the huts have been reconstructed to show their original size). The site was excavated in the late 19th century by Dr. Martins Sarmento, namesake of a must-see museum in Guimarães where most of the finds from Briteiros were transferred. You can also visit the smaller Museu da Cultura Castreja, housed in Sarmento's 19th-century family home, in the village of São Salvador de Briteiros, down below the Citânia. Local bus company Guimabus serves Briteiros several times daily from downtown Guimaraes, then it's less than 10 minutes on foot to the museum or a 2.5 km (1.5 miles) hike up to the Citânia.
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