Coimbra

Portugal's former capital

City Overview

The historical importance of Coimbra is as one of Portugal’s oldest cities, since Roman times.

It is located in the centre of Portugal and Coimbra is often called the City of Knowledge since its home to the oldest University in Portugal.

Although it ceased serving as the capital of Portugal in the 13th century, Coimbra retains considerable importance as the centre of the former Beira province, now designated the Centro region. It is considered alongside Braga one of the two most important regional centres in Portugal outside the Lisbon and Porto metropoles.

Nearest Airport

Coimbra is the halfway point between Lisbon and Porto.

The distance from Lisbon Airport to Coimbra is almost 200 kilometres. There are shuttle services with buses and trains with journey times of both forms of transport being around 2 hours and 20 minutes.

Getting Around

The best way to explore Coimbra is on foot because the city has two zones, the upper section (Alta), where you can find the University, Joanina Library, and Sé Velha, and the lower section area (Baixa), the old part of the town which is more commercial with restaurants, and tiny tascas (budget eateries).

Places to stay

Visitors will be spoilt for choice when choosing accommodation in Coimbra. There are many hotels to choose from, to suit every taste and budget, from luxurious hotels to smaller, family-run hotels that offer a real home-from-home welcome.

Book a hotel in the city centre so you can walk and enjoy your few days which enough time to explore the city.

Sightseeing

Visiting Coimbra and not visiting the University is like going to Rome and not seeing the Pope. To get to the university, start from the Almedina Tower, the entrance gate forming part of the wall that surrounded the old city situated in the lower section of the city. Here, you can explore the alleys that date back to the 8th century.

Keep on walking and from here you will have to “climb the mountain” through a staircase from Rua de Quebra Costas (built to get from downtown to uptown) to the Sé Velha square.

Here, you can visit The Sé Velha (Old Cathedral), a church that resembles a fortress financed by the first king of Portugal, Afonso Henriques.

Bars, Clubs & Parties

Nightlife in Coimbra is lively and varied due to a large student population. Many of the city’s popular nightspots are focused on these students studying at the University of Coimbra.

However, in a city with an emergent commercial centre and a large year-round tourist population, there is plenty to suit every taste.

Cosy restaurants for a romantic meal, intellectuals’ cafés, lively cocktail bars, gastro breweries and Fado venues provide a large choice of nightlife in Coimbra.

Café Santa Cruz offers an outdoor seating area, which is a must in good weather, providing views across the square and the Santa Cruz Church. It is also a great place for people watching, which can become more and more fun as the early hours approach.

Bar Quebra Costas is located between the medieval old town and the newer downtown area. The Quebra Costas is the name of the hill that joins the two areas and Bar Quebra Costas is the perfect spot from which to watch people pull themselves up the steep cobblestoned slope as you sip on a nice cool beer in the early evening sun to the sound of some chilled-out tunes.

If beer drinking is your thing, head to Praxis to taste the delights of Coimbra’s leading independent brewery. Praxis began brewing in 2001 and expanded into a gastro-brewery in 2009, with the opening of its bar and restaurant. This is the perfect spot for an al fresco tipple on a summer’s evening — or in fact all year round, thanks to the covered and heated terrace.

A Capella is another bar and café that was established in a former church that was constructed back in 1364 and specialises in Fado and stages performances nightly with some of the city’s most famous Fado musicians.

Partying is popular in Portugal and, thanks to the student population, most of the clubs in Coimbra are open five nights a week, sometimes even seven. Passerelle is open nightly and tends to get busy after 10.30pm, staying open well into the early hours and, at the weekends, dawn.

Feito Conceito is a hidden gem for music lovers, with regular DJ sets playing their latest mixes. The entrance is via the Tabacaria Pavao downstairs, which opens up into a main bar area with a number of back rooms with high ceilings and funky décor. For great drinks and cocktails at low prices, this is a popular choice.

Cafes & Restaurants

The Baixa (downtown) of Coimbra has many coffeehouses and bakeries, and features several specialty shops selling all kind of products in typical old-fashioned architectural surroundings.

Eating out during your stay in Coimbra is as likely to leave you with as many happy memories as the city’s beautiful architecture, important university complex and ancient Roman ruins.

There are many restaurants in Coimbra to choose from, from small and friendly establishments, where the owner is also the cook and the greeter, laid back snack bars and cafés, to large city-centre eateries and Michelin-starred masterpieces.

Opting for small and friendly may seem daunting if you aren’t confident in your Portuguese, but it is well worth heading to a small local restaurant to get a real feel for the local atmosphere.

There are several restaurants in Coimbra that fit this mould, including the delightful Ze Neto Restaurant, which serves a daily lunch and dinner menu from fresh ingredients purchased at the local market, via a menu freshly typed daily.

Head to the hole-in-the-wall establishment of Ze Manel dos Ossos Restaurant for some gastronomic delights and excellent value for money, or the A Taberna Restaurant, on Rua Combatentes da Grande Guerra, close to the New Cathedral, for traditional cuisine from regional Portugal cooked with unique style and flair.

For a relaxed meal or snack, the Café Santa Cruz has been a favourite since 1929, when it was opened in a former chapel in Praça 8 de Maio.

Beer tasting is the order of the day at Praxis, Coimbra’s leading independent brewery. Established in 2001, Praxis has gone from strength to strength and is now a popular restaurant and bar serving its home-brewed masterpieces to a mixed crowd seven days a week.

Other

Currency - Euro (EUR)

Language - Portuguese

Visas - Not needed for travellers from the US, Canada and Europe

Best Time To Visit - March – October

Timezone - Western European Standard Time (GMT)

Homosexual Activity - Legal