Museu de Portimão

About the museum

The Museu de Portimão occupies the former fish-canning factory “São Francisco”, an industrial building from the late 19th century on the city's riverside front. The municipality bought the factory in 1996 to preserve the memory of the fishing and canning industry that shaped the banks of the Arade, and the museum opened on 17 May 2008.

The flagship exhibition, “Portimão, Território e Identidade” (Portimão, Territory and Identity), fills the industrial halls over an area of about 1,000 m². It presents a summary of the local communities' history from prehistory to the present, in eight units: Alcalar and the age-old occupation of the territory, the Roman presence, the Islamic presence, the Arade river, timber felling, the Portimão shipyards, the rural world and the processing of figs, and the path of Manuel Teixeira Gomes.

The museum is multi-site, with units across the municipality: the Megalithic Monuments of Alcalar, the Casa Manuel Teixeira Gomes, the Centro Interpretativo do Salva-vidas de Alvor (Alvor lifeboat interpretation centre), the Lota de Alvor (fish auction hall) and a collection of boats. The building also houses an educational workshop, the documentation centre and historical archive, the FAINA restaurant and café, and rooms for events.

Highlights

• “Portimão, Território e Identidade” exhibition over about 1,000 m², from prehistory to the present
• Former “São Francisco” canning factory of the 19th century, on the riverside front
• Units on Alcalar, the Roman and Islamic presence, the Arade river and the shipyards
• Route dedicated to the writer and President of the Republic Manuel Teixeira Gomes
• FAINA restaurant and café, educational workshop and documentation centre

Permanent exhibition

• Portimão, Território e Identidade – Flagship exhibition over about 1,000 m², in eight units, from prehistory to the present: Alcalar, the Roman and Islamic presence, the Arade river, the shipyards, dried fruit and Manuel Teixeira Gomes.

Founded

2008

Operated by

Município de Portimão

Admission & discounts

Free admission: On Sundays, free admission for residents of the national territory.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant

FAINA restaurant and café, with terrace, offering a menu centred on regional seasonal products.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

Up to 171 guests.

Space hire: auditorium (171 seats plus 4 places for reduced mobility), meeting room, rehearsal room, two temporary exhibition rooms and the entrance hall of the main entrance.

Plan your visit