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City in Portugal
Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Coimbra is the traditional capital city of Central Portugal's historic Beira Litoral region. With over 140,000 inhabitants (2021), it is the largest municipality there and one of Portugal's four largest metropolises. An important urban and administrative centre since the birth of the Portuguese nation, the city has amassed vast cultural and architectural heritage and is the seat of one of world's oldest universities, a .
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Founded in Lisbon in 1290, the second oldest university on the Iberian peninsula eventually found a permanent home in Coimbra in 1537. Among the beautiful buildings on the campus is the Biblioteca Joanina library. The university enrolls over 20,000 students, and famous alumni include national poet Luís de Camões and Portuguese dictator António de Oliveira Salazar. It's been a since 2013.
Sao Tiago, Sao Bartolomeu
Estate of Tears
It has a tragic story of love.
Eurostadium Cidade de Coimbra
One of the Euro 2004 sites.
Sé Velha de Coimbra
A 12th-century Romanesque cathedral. In the 16th century, many Renaissance features were added.
Sé Nova
A late-16th- and 17th-century Mannerist and Baroque cathedral.
Mosteiro de Santa Cruz
Founded in 1131, this church is a national monument where Portugal's first two kings, Afonso Henriques and Sancho I, are buried. It was built in Romanesque style, and became Manueline over the centuries through renovations.
Mosteiro de Santa Clara-a-Velha
13th-century Gothic monastery/convent on the bank of the River Mondego. It's a national monument.
Sister Lúcia's Memorial
Dedicated to Sister Lúcia, one of three shepherd children who the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to at Fátima in 1917. She later became a Carmelite sister.
Jardim Botânico da Universidade de Coimbra
Parque da Cidade, Dr. Manuel Braga Park
City park on the Mondego River. Formerly property of the Benedictine monks. The park includes the Water Museum and several monuments.
City park by the Mondego River.
Mermaid's Garden aka Jardim de Santa Cruz
A beautiful garden.
Museu Nacional de Machado de Castro
Museum housing the sculpture of Joaquim Machado de Castro (1731–1822), among numerous other artworks. Collections include archaeology, sculpture, precious metals, jewellery, paintings, textiles, ceramics, furniture, and drawings. From the 12th century to 1910, the building served as the palace of the bishop of Coimbra.
Museu da Ciência da Universidade de Coimbra
Scientific collections from the fields of botany, zoology, anthropology, mineralogy, astronomy, geophysics, physic, chemistry, and natural history. Some items date back to 1772 when reforms by the Marquis of Pombal lent importance to the study of sciences.
Portugal for the Little Ones
A theme park containing child-sized recreations of Portuguese monuments and villages, including pieces from the islands and from Coimbra itself, as well as models of sights from former colonies. There's also a museum showing 300 scaled-down recreations of historical clothing.
Organic vegan food. Location isn't great tucked away at the back of the 2nd floor of a slightly run-down shopping centre, but the food and the staff totally make up for it.
Small but tasty dishes, rich in flavour mainly because they use local products, good vegetarian even vegan choice, nice selection of Portuguese wines, surprising(ly good) desserts.
The Italian restaurant in the city park and over the river, very close to the Santa Clara bridge (very popular with tourists). You have a lot of outside tables, if the weather permits, and the food is prepared by Italian cooks. It's not very expensive either.
A unique atmosphere inside the restaurant is responsible for this fame, but the food is good too. The walls of the restaurant are filled with small pieces of paper, with writings from clients. Be aware that it is quite a small space, so there's a big probability that you won't find a table. Generous portions and a charcoal grill that makes a big difference compared with the electric ones. Try the bone marrow stew (from which the restaurant takes its name) or the grilled seabass or a great dish of stewed octopus and potatoes.
Restaurante Vitória is in the city centre and has traditional dishes suchs as "cozido à portuguesa", "bacalhau assado na brasa", "chafana". Nice and quiet restaurant.
In the "baixinha" (downtown) centre. A unique room, with huge windows and very spacious, invites for a relaxed meal. The food is great with some unique dishes from around the country - like "Vitela Maronesa" and "Secretos de Porco preto". Vegetarian meals. During the weekends there is jazz, folk and fado concerts - most of them for free. It's great to finish your meal - you have plenty of time, Portuguese are always late - and get a concert right there. Sometimes they get very crowded.
If you want to try chanfana, one of the most famous dishes of the region, you should definitely go to this restaurant, close to the football stadium. This restaurant is specialized in a limited amount of dishes, but the quality of the food is just amazing. Go there at night, and try the chanfana, even though you may not have a clue about what this is. This is the place for those who really appreciate good food. Don't go too late at night, because it can be a little crowded. The restaurant is very good, and it's located in the most densely populated area of the city.
Another very popular Italian restaurant, close to the new bridge. The decoration is great, with a lot of pictures from Florence, Venice, Rome. The quality of the food is quite high. It's definitely not your standard pizza.
On the downside, it is very hard to get a table (but you will get one if you wait) and it is out of the centre of Coimbra (approx. 5 min from Coimbra B train station).
One of the most typical restaurants of the city. Its main dish is a roasted piglet served whole with potatoes and salad.
A historical cafe next to the "Igreja de Santa Cruz" (Holy Cross Church).
A bar where you can find yourself surrounded by Portuguese guitar tunes and Fado de Coimbra. Get a grip of this so traditional local culture.
The oldest Fado House in Coimbra. Typical night bar where you'll find Fado de Coimbra and all kinds of Portuguese traditional music.
A restaurant but also a bar, most worthy during weekends, with - mostly - free jazz, folk and fado concerts.
Bar Associação Académica de Coimbra
Coimbra University academic association bar. Entrance sometimes limited to University students.
Bar Quebra Costas
Nice location on the stairs leading to Se Velha. Open air concerts.
Disco near Praça da República.
Disco near Praça da República, alternative sounding (metal, rock).
Youth hostel.
It is an excellent compromise between comfortable and economical price. It offers rooms with free Wi-Fi and air conditioning (optional) and allows you to make reservations at the official site. It does not include meals.
They have cheaper rooms in another building just opposite.
Great location near transportations and all main attractions. Good alternative to hotels or hostels with a good quality-price ratio.
It's a modern looking hotel with amazing features.
Near the train station and all main attractions. The staff are helpful and the view is nice.
Hotel rooms, spread out across various buildings on a narrow street, incorporate original stone foundations.
The best and most expensive hotel in Coimbra. The hotel itself is a historical site. The hotel's restaurant may be the best restaurant in the city. It's the most expensive place in the city though... Be sure to wear your best clothes if you go there. It's a very fancy place.
By train
By car
The principal motorway serving Coimbra is the A1 (Autoestrada do Norte), with several exits that will be put you about 10 min away from the city centre.
By bus
g. Flixbus) don't use the bus station, but leave from a parking lot further up the same road, underneath the flyover, opposite the Audi car showroom by the roundabout.
By shared shuttle
There are a few companies providing door-to-door shared shuttle service to Coimbra from either Lisbon or Porto. It is a budget option with more personal service than the bus.
By bus
The SMTUC (Serviços Municipalizados de Transportes Urbanos de Coimbra) operates several bus routes in and around Coimbra.
By elevator
There's an elevator (Elevador do Mercado) that connects Rua Padre António Vieira with Rua Olímpio Nicolau Rui Fernandes (next to Mercado Municipal D Pedro V).
By car
Coimbra is a hard city to drive in as it was built around medieval structures. Also, finding a parking spot can be difficult.
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Viseu · Regional · VSE
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