Alfândega Régia

Alfândega Régia - Vila do Conde
© Jose Goncalves / CC BY-SA 3.0
Alfândega Régia Museu
© Jose Goncalves / CC BY-SA 3.0
Vila do Conde riverside
© Hermann jorge tschopp / CC BY-SA 3.0

Royal Customs House Museum

Vila do Conde has been one of Portugal's foremost ship-building ports since the 1200s, when a powerful navy was arguably even more important than it is today. This heritage eventually led to Portuguese sailors making some of the most important discoveries of the era, marking out routes to Brazil, Africa and India. This intriguing history is told through the three main exhibition spaces within the Museum of Naval Construction, also known as the Alfândega Régia.

Situated on the banks of the River Ave in a former customs house, the museum is a treasure trove of objects that together unravel the importance of sailing the seven seas in years gone by. But not to be missed by wannabe sailors big and small is the full-size replicate sixteenth-century trading vessel known as a nau which is moored opposite the museum and can be explored as part of the wider museum experience.

Other attractions near Alfândega Régia

Vila do Conde

Vila do Conde travel guide »

The coastal town of Vila do Conde lies at the mouth of the River Ave around 30 km north of Porto. This is a town with two contrasting characters; there is the modern beach town with its apartment blocks and vilas that merges into...