A TOWN OF LETTERS, FADO, LOVE AND STUDENTS, THERE IS NO LACK OF CHARMS NOR OF WILL TO ASTONISH WHOEVER COMES TO VISIT.
Coimbra has a strong historic relevance and is very connected to the country’s foundation, having served as the kingdom’s capital during the reign of Afonso Henriques, Portugal’s first king, whose tomb can be visited at Santa Cruz church. Coimbra has thus a vast architectonic patrimony, including some of the oldest and most beautiful Portuguese monuments.
Coimbra University was recognized in 2013 by UNESCO as a World Heritage site, along with the Baixa (downtown) and Rua da Sofia. As the first university in Portugal and the oldest in Europe, it surely deserves a guided visit, particularly to the Paço das Escolas (Colleges Palace) and the Biblioteca Joanina (Library).
Coimbra University
Largo da Portagem
Academic traditions are the essence of this town, that lives them wholeheartedly and all year round, but specially in May, during the Queima das Fitas (Burning of the Ribbons), an event that ought to be seen and experienced.
It is normal to hear students singing fado around the streets, in what may be its most sensitive form of expression; it can also be heard at taverns and fado houses. Let yourself be sentimentally carried away at Quinta das Lágrimas, stage for the forbidden romance between King Pedro I and Inês de Castro. Strolling around the gardens and parks is also not to be missed, just as the walks along the Mondego riverbanks.
Quinta das Lágrimas
Bothanical Garden
Mondego river
VISIT
DO
EAT
SLEEP
