Castelo de Chaves

Above the Tâmega river, in the old town of Chaves, the granite keep of the castle rises over the roofs of the border city — the last great piece of the medieval walls that guarded this gateway between Portugal and Galicia, a few steps from the Termas de Chaves and the Roman bridge.

A fortress of the frontier

Chaves was fortified from early medieval times, and its castle took the form that survives under the kings of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, when the frontier with the neighbouring kingdom was drawn and defended. The walls wrapped the town; the keep — a tall Gothic tower with battlements and machicolations — anchored the defence and is classed as a National Monument.

The keep today

The tower now serves as the city’s belvedere: from the top, the view runs over the tiled roofs of the old town, the river and the hills towards the Spanish border. Around it, the old quarter keeps its squares and the spa quarter keeps its Roman memory, making the castle the natural starting point of any walk through Chaves.

What to see

• The Gothic keep with its battlements
• The remaining stretches of medieval wall
• The view over the Tâmega and the border hills
• The Roman bridge and old quarter nearby
• The thermal quarter of the city

Practical information

The castle stands in the historic centre of Chaves, in the district of Vila Real in northern Portugal, reached by road from Porto or from the Spanish border. The climb to the keep is by stairs; opening hours vary — check official information before visiting.

Image credit: Torre de Menagem, Castelo de Chaves by Joseolgon — CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.