Chaves travel guide

Chaves (pron. 'ʃavɨʃ) is a town and seat of municipality in the far North of Portugal, 10 km south of the Spanish border and 22 km south of Verín, Spain. The town is the most populous of the district of Vila Real and the municipality is the second most populous of the district. The district capital, Vila Real, is 60 km south on the A24 toll-free motorway. Aquæ Flaviæ was the Roman name for this town.
The population of the municipality was 44,186 in 2004, of which 17,535 in the town. The area of the municipality is 591.3 km². The elevation is 460 meters.
The town has always had great historical importance, being the site of an important Roman garrison and later being in the forefront of resistance during the Napoleonic invasions of the early nineteenth century. In Portuguese military history Chaves is especially famous for two battles: the siege of Chaves by French forces in 1807 and the Royalist attack on Chaves led by Henrique Paiva Couceiro in 1912.
Chaves is a town of fortifications. There is a medieval castle and two forts, Forte São Francisco and Forte São Neutel, both built in the 17th century. Nearby, two medieval fortifications still exist - the Santo Estêvão Tower, in the plain, and the Monforte Castle, in the mountains. The original Roman bridge in Chaves crossing the Tâmega still stands with its stone arches and is the most important tourist site of Chaves. The hot thermal water (73 degrees Celsius) of Chaves have been famous since Roman times and today many people come to the town (health tourism) to take the water cure in a renewed bathhouse and modern thermal complex. (...) more....

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