Chaves

Chaves was Aquae Flaviae under Rome - the name says what it was for - and the hot springs are still there, emerging at around seventy-three degrees, the hottest in the Iberian peninsula, and still used in a thermal spa. The Roman bridge over the Tâmega was completed under Trajan around 104 AD and still carries traffic, with two original milestone columns standing on it. Above the town is the fourteenth-century keep of the castle, holding a military museum, with gardens and a wall stretch. Excavation in the 2000s during building work uncovered a large Roman bath complex, now conserved and displayed under a modern structure as a museum. Chaves is close to the Spanish border, was fortified against it repeatedly, and is known for its smoked ham and for pastéis de Chaves, a puff-pastry veal pasty with protected status.

History

People have lived in the area since the Palaeolithic, and the Roman town of Aquae Flaviae grew up around the hot springs after the legions occupied the Tâmega valley; in later centuries its name gave way to Aquae Calidae, "hot waters". The town surrendered to Islamic forces around 714-716, was taken by Alfonso I of Asturias in 773 and repopulated in 868 by Alfonso III (Wikipedia, Chaves, Portugal).

What you'll find

• The Roman bridge - completed around 104 AD, still carrying traffic, with milestones.
• The springs - water emerging at about seventy-three degrees, the hottest in Iberia.
• The excavated baths - a Roman complex found in the 2000s and conserved under cover.
• The keep - a fourteenth-century tower with a military museum and gardens.

When to go

April to October. Half a day. The thermal spa operates year-round; the Roman baths museum closes on some days.

Before you go

Chaves is remote - three hours from Porto. The keep museum is dated. Thermal treatments require booking and are medical in orientation, not leisure spa. Summers on the plateau are hot and winters cold.

Nearby

The Spanish border is a few kilometres north; Vila Real and the Douro are south.

Key facts