Museu Mineiro (Gasómetro) and crystal shop, Panasqueira

The Museu Mineiro is in Barroca Grande, a village in the parish of Aldeia de São Francisco de Assis, in the municipality of Covilhã. The building is the first thing children notice. It’s a huge old fuel tank, which the Covilhã council’s page calls “the largest gasometer in the world”.

The museum exists because of one man. José Luiz Campos, who worked at the Panasqueira mines and was a local councillor, spent years collecting mining equipment, photographs and documents, along with objects from the village’s social life and traditions. He then built the museum to hold them. The mining company, Sojitz Beralt Tin and Wolfram Portugal, which runs the Panasqueira mine, donated much of the material.

The collection is spread over three floors. Expect the kind of things miners used every day: tools, lamps, safety gear and machinery parts, plus photographs of the mine and the people who worked in it. The museum’s own Facebook page describes the visit as a journey into more than a century of tungsten and tin mining, the industry that shaped the economy and daily life of the Beira Interior.

The best moment comes on the top floor. A small door there opens onto a view over much of the mine’s industrial plant, which is still working. Few museums let children see the real thing in action from the exhibition itself.

This is a small, personal museum rather than a hands-on science centre, and visits are by appointment, so it works best for children who already like mines or rocks, or as part of a day exploring the area.

In the same village, the mine has its own shop, the Loja de Cristais das Minas da Panasqueira. The government’s mining heritage guide lists it selling minerals from the mine, including arsenopyrite, galena, calcite and siderite, along with mineral cards, pieces of drill core mounted with minerals, clocks and wooden bases with miniatures. For a child who collects stones, buying a crystal that came out of the mine they’ve just learned about is a good souvenir.

When we checked, the listing gave weekday hours of 13:00 to 18:00, free entry, no booking and no guided tour. Weekend hours weren’t shown, so plan on a weekday or phone 275 659 100 first.

The Panasqueira mine is one of the most important tungsten mines in the world, according to the museum. Tungsten, called volfrâmio (wolfram) in Portuguese, is a very hard, heat-resistant metal used in tools, electronics and, in the past, light bulb filaments. The large crystals from Panasqueira are famous among collectors: Lisbon’s Museu Geológico picks them out as one of the highlights of its mineral room. If your child enjoys the shop, the Lisbon museum is a good follow-up.

Children of about 5 and up who like rocks, lamps and machines will enjoy the building and the view over the mine; the shop works for any age. Younger children may lose interest in display cases quickly. Teens studying the 20th century, metals or industry get more from the photos and documents. Ask when you book whether the stairs between floors suit a buggy or wheelchair, as this isn’t published.

Visits are arranged in advance. The museum’s Facebook page said in 2026 that, because too many people booked by phone and didn’t turn up, it now only accepts bookings by SMS (966 271 101) or by email. The Covilhã council’s page gives the parish council (275 657 325, jfadsfassis@gmail.com) as the contact for visits. Send your preferred date and time and the number of adults and children.

Barroca Grande is a working mining village in the hills, so you’ll need a car. The shop listing says there is parking.

In Covilhã itself, children can ride the town’s public lifts and funicular up the steep hillside. In winter, the Serra da Estrela snow season is listed on What’s on. For more underground mining, head north to the Roman gold mines of Tresminas or south to the Loulé salt mine.

Do you need to book the Panasqueira mining museum?

Yes. Book by SMS to 966 271 101 or by email, or through the parish council on 275 657 325.

Can children buy crystals at the Panasqueira mine?

Yes. The mine’s crystal shop in Barroca Grande sells minerals from the mine and was listed as open weekdays 13:00 to 18:00.

How long does a visit take?

It’s a small museum on three floors, so it’s a short visit. Add time for the crystal shop.

Can you go down the Panasqueira mine?

The mine is a working industrial site. What visitors see is the museum and the view over the plant from its top floor.