Location: Coimbra
Top Things to do in Coimbra
What to do and see in Coimbra, Central Portugal: The Best Sights & Landmarks
Coimbra (Portuguese pronunciation: [kuˈĩbɾɐ, ˈkwĩbɾɐ]; Proto-Celtic: *Corumbriga)) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population at the 2011 census was 143,397, in an area of 319.40 square kilometres (123.3 sq mi). The fourth-largest urban centre in Portugal (after Lisbon, Porto, Braga), it is the largest city of the district of Coimbra, the Centro region and the Baixo Mondego subregion. About 460,000 people live in the Região de Coimbra, comprising 19 municipalities and extending into an area 4,336 square kilometres (1,674 sq mi).
Restaurants in Coimbra
1. Igreja e Mosteiro da Santa Cruz
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 673 reviews
Reviewed By Margo7850p
The Church of Santa Cruz is located in the center of Coimbra, the historic center, in a very charming place. A very nice church. It was erected in the first half of the XII century. Lots to see, lots of history. The heart of the Romanesque church is an unusual altar without a statue, and two amazing tombs of Portugal's first rulers: Alphonsus I the Conqueror and Sancho I. The blue azulejos tiles are a characteristic feature of the church. The interior of the temple is decorated with a huge organ with fantastic Japanese works of art. A monastery is a real gem. A must visit if you are in Coimbra. Next to it is a square with a number of cafes.
2. University of Coimbra
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,454 reviews
The Tourism Circuit of the University of Coimbra unfolds in different centers: - The Palace of Schools where you can visit the Royal Palace that includes the Grand Hall of Acts, the Private Exam Room and the Armillary Room; The Royal Chapel of Saint Michael and the Joanine Library where you can visit the Noble Floor, the Middle Floor and the Academic Prison (with limited access for the preservation of the building). - The Science Museum where you can visit the 18 th and 19 th Century Physics Cabinets, the Natural History Galleries and the Chemistry Laboratory. - The Botanic Garden where you can travel around the world through botanic.
Reviewed By Wortleberry
I think we paid 12.5 Euros to visit a fascinating science museum in the old science faculty, the amazing gilded library, historic lecture theatres and other stunning university buildings. This is the cultural highlight of Coimbra.
3. Old Cathedral of Coimbra (Se Velha de Coimbra)
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,092 reviews
Reviewed By Margo7850p
Old Cathedral of Coimbra was built in 1162 and is one of the most characteristic monuments of Romanesque architecture in Portugal. From the outside, it looks like a fortress. The cathedral has been preserved almost intact to this day. On the other hand, the beautiful renaissance gate added to the northern wall of the temple is rather heavily damaged. A gem of architecture. It's definitely worth seeing while in Coimbra.
4. Ponte Pedro e Ines
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 305 reviews
Reviewed By VadimM67 - Murmansk, Russia
A spectacular multicolored bridge provoked us to cross the Mondego River and walk along the other bank to the Santa Clara Bridge to return to the center of Coimbra. It can be seen that the bridge is relatively new. It was built in 2006 by engineer Antonio Adam da Fonseca (several bridges in Portugal) and cool Sri Lankan-British architect and designer Cecil Balmond (Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Casa da Musica, Porto, CCTV building in Beijing). The bridge cost almost 5 million euros and was built with the money of one of the programs of the European Union. The main feature of the bridge is its bend. in the middle part. The idea is not new, Santiago Calatrava likes to exploit it. The bridge is named after King Pedro I the Hard and Ines de Castro, his favorite, who became his posthumous wife. Ines was killed here in Coimbra. It's funny, but a day ago we were standing near their sarcophagi in the monastery of Alcobaca. And now on this colorful bridge. Perhaps their love had the same bright colors.
5. Mosteiro de Santa Clara-a-Velha
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 656 reviews
Reviewed By john8tea - Fukuoka, Japan
We stumbled on the ruined Convent of Santa Clara-a-Velha late on our first afternoon in Coimbra, after walking along the Mondego river and visiting the gardens of the Quinta das Lágrimas. This 13th-century convent was strongly associated with Portugal's saintly queen, Santa Isabel, and was an important pilgrimage site during the medieval period and beyond, until it had to be abandoned in 1677 due to the river's constantly rising floodwaters. After painstaking archeological and restoration work, the ruins can now be visited. You first make your way through the small museum/information centre, with many interesting artifacts and a great deal of information (unfortunately, the explanatory notes are only in Portuguese at the moment, but if you persevere you can understand enough to get the gist). There is an absorbing documentary video shown in the auditorium and if you can catch one with English subtitles (ours was at 5.30pm) it is well worth watching, as it sets everything in a richer historical context. Then you make your way out into the ruins of the convent church and cloisters, where the explanatory notices, though few in number, are in both Portuguese and English. It is a quiet, contemplative and evocative sacred space.
6. Igreja de Santo Antonio dos Olivais
7. Penedo da Saudade
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 213 reviews
Reviewed By joaob205
Hard to translate it's name, you will find yourself involved in huge roots and tablets written by old students of the city,shwing their love for her and the will to one day return
8. Praca Oito de Maio
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 309 reviews
Reviewed By Abrandao - San Francisco, United States
Beautiful public square with Santa Cruz church and Café Santa Cruz where you can relax and have a drink and eat a cruzadito (traditional cake) surrounded with beauty.
9. Universidade de Coimbra Alta & Sofia
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 545 reviews
Reviewed By vitora197 - Lisbon, Portugal
This is a strategic point to understand Coimbra’s geographical reality. Looking inland one gets the notion that the territory is marked by mountains; looking the coastal side one sees that the plains are predominant in the landscape. The river Mondego is the element bringing those two realities together and also, along the centuries, the fluvial road for the products exchange of those two different regions. All around the square the old interesting university buildings façades. Enjoy!
10. Capela de Sao Miguel
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 310 reviews
Reviewed By LuizDutraNeto - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Sided by the "Biblioteca Joanina" and by the "Torre da Cabra", in the "Paço das Escolas" of the "Universidade de Coimbra", stands the absolutely beautiful "Capela de São Miguel". The actual chapel, dating from the 16th century, replaces a collapsed chapel from the 12th century. Its construction was commissioned by King Dom Manuel I and characteristics of the Manueline, Mannerist and Baroque styles are present at its portal, windows, central nave, ceilings and arches. Check its main altar, paintings, gilded sculptureworks, tiles, carpets and the famous ancient organ! If you miss it, you will regret forever! Enjoy!
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