"Citânia de Briteiros" Top 5 Page for this destination Braga Off The Beaten Path Tip by micas_pt

Citânia de Briteiros is an archaeological site situated about 15km outside Braga. This site consists of ruins of a Celtic settlement. The settlement was walled, with walls about 5m high and 2m thick. It is said that on the 1st century it was the political capital of the Callaeci Bracari (pre-roman people with Celtic origins that inhabited the North of Portugal), but by the 3rd century it was abandoned. The ruins show signs of roman influence (1st century BC), such as Latin inscriptions, coins, glass and terracotta pieces.

One of the interesting buildings of this settlement is a public bathroom, with 2 rooms: one for a steam bath and another for cold water bath.

These ruins were discovered in 1875 by an archaeologist, being that they are classified as National Monument since 1910. The entrance fee (August 2011) is 4 Euro per person. Ruins close about 6pm, but their visit lasts at least 45m, so plan your visit with time. Bring comfortable walking shoes as the path is unpaved and uneven.

For a virtual tour of the ruins, visit their website: http://citania.csarmento.uminho.pt/default.asp?language=1