Coimbra

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.

Understand


Coimbra (koo-EEM-bruh, ) was settled by the Romans as Aeminium in the 1st century CE.

By plane
The most convenient airports for Coimbra are (in order of distance):
 * Francisco Sa Carneiro Airport - Porto
 * Portela Airport - Lisbon

By train
Coimbra has two main train stations:

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. Driving from Porto takes about 1 hr, and Lisbon is about 2 hr away.

The A13 motorway (Autoestrada do Pinhal Interior) provides a link from Entroncamento and Tomar.

The A14 motorway (Autoestrada do Baixo Mondego) provides access from the coastal city of Figueira da Foz.

The IP3 road serves Chaves and Viseu.

By bus


Some buses (e.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. Halfway between the bus station and Coimbra-B railway station. No ticket office. No benches. There is a bar just across the road and a 24 hour hamburger place 2 minutes away towards the town centre.

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. You can get to Coimbra from your hotel in Lisbon or Porto with shared shuttle, and get off by the square Largo da Portagem, which is the area visitors ususally start their touring. If you are coming from airports, you can go with Coimbra airport shuttle. It is recommended to book ticket in advance to guarantee a seat.

By foot
Most of the things to see and do in Coimbra and most of the places to eat, drink, and sleep are within reasonable walking distance of each other and of the rail station in Baixa. There are several hotels, restaurants, cafés, pastry shops, and nightclubs.

Most monuments are in Baixa and Santa Clara (across the Mondego river). Smaller shops, restaurants, and hotels are mostly in Baixa and Santa Clara. Major shopping malls are in Alta, by Solum, and near the municipal stadium/pool.

By bus
The SMTUC (Serviços Municipalizados de Transportes Urbanos de Coimbra) operates several bus routes in and around Coimbra.

The "Pantufinhas" or Linha Azul (Blue Line) provides transport in the historical city centre, and a link between the lower and upper town.

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). A valid SMTUC ticket is necessary to gain access.

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. The best option for visiting Coimbra is to find a hotel with parking or to park near the city centre and then walk around. The main attractions are in the city centre and within walking distance of each other.

Coimbra Baixa is the lower city (downtown). Alta is the highest part of the city, which is also difficult to drive around.

Do
Have a walk up to the top of University Hill from the Mondego river (one of the three great rivers of Portugal), a gorgeous view.

Fado
There are two kinds of fado in Portugal: fado from Lisbon and fado from Coimbra, neither should be missed (fados are nostalgic songs accompanied by Portuguese guitar).
 * Coimbra Fado group Verdes Anos

Student life
There is always a lot going on in the student community, go and find out what's up. There are two student festivals held every year:
 * Festa das Latas
 * Queima das Fitas

Get lost
The centre of Coimbra is a great place to get lost, Coimbra is a small city but it is full of interesting spots, such as museums (Machado de Castro), Torre d'Anto, etc.

Buy
The mediaeval centre of Coimbra is unusual in retaining a number of independent bookshops, boutiques, toy shops, galleries, antique and food shops. There are several bookstores, cafes, restaurants, esplanadas. If you are even just a bit into pottery, the traditional pottery is a must.

Eat
Having a meal is not really a problem in Coimbra, since the city has a lots of restaurants, some featuring regional cuisine, in the old city (Baixa). Rua de Azeiteiras, a street in Baixa, has lots of nice traditional restaurants.

Budget
Three reasonably big shopping centres serve the standard fast food meals you can find everywhere. They are located in key places in the city, but not necessarily close to the tourist attractions of the city.

Drink

 * There is a lot of quality wine production in the regions surrounding Coimbra, try some Bairrada wine.
 * Don't miss the licor beirão, a national sweet liquor drink created and made in the region.
 * Try the different varieties of aguardente (firewater). One is made only from grapes while the other is made from mixed fruit. Each have a unique and different after taste.

Cafés

 * The bars in the City Park are open all day long.
 * The bars in the City Park are open all day long.

Night out
The bars in the Parque Verde do Mondego are a good place to go for a drink during spring and summer. The bars around the Praça da República are full of the spirit of the students of the University, mainly during weekdays in autumn, winter and spring.

A warning: the students in this town seem to prefer Tuesday or Thursday night to go out. On weekends, this city is sleepy as many students go home to their families.



Budget
There are several cheap hostels around the city centre.

Go next



 * Aveiro — city with canals, often compared with Venice
 * Condeixa-a-Nova — ruins of the ancient Roman settlement of Conímbriga
 * Fátima — major pilgrimage destination where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to three children in 1917
 * Figueira da Foz — beaches and a casino about away
 * Leiria — city settled since ancient times, with a Medieval castle
 * Lousã — a mountain town
 * Mealhada — famous for its Leitão, roast suckling pig
 * Pombal — city with a 12th-century Romanesque castle
 * Tomar — city with several Knights Templar sights
 * Viseu — important Beira Alta city, a good base from which to explore that region