The crown jewel of the three Beiras, Coimbra is a rollicking city of 200,000, but it possesses the vibe of a metropolis many times its size. Backpackers and local college students roam graffiti-lined streets, providing a youthful exuberance rare in the Portuguese interior. For centuries, the Universidade de Coimbra was the only university in Portugal, attracting young men from the country’s elite. Though universities now abound in Portugal, Coimbra’s university district maintains its historical appeal. Visitors may be surprised to see the outer facade of the university in a state of disrepair; the city’s preservation efforts are aimed at the buildings’ interior, so be sure to see the indoor splendor.
Coimbra’s steep, cobbled streets rise in tiers above the Río Mondego. The main pedestrian thoroughfare runs from Praça 8 de Maio to Largo da Portagem by the river and the tourist office. It starts as Rua Visconde da Luz and becomes Rua Ferreira Borges as it nears the water. This road forms a triangle region with the Rio Mondego called Baixa, which is the most central of the three major parts of town and the location of the Coimbra-A train station, as well as dozens of great restaurants and accommodations. The historic university district looms atop the steep hill overlooking Baixa. On the other side of the university, the Praça da República area is home to cafes, a shopping district, and the youth hostel.
Accommodations are packed on Av. Fernão de Magalhães. Their bright flashing signs make the area between the Largo das Olarias and the Coimbra-A train station seem like a mini Vegas strip. The youth hostel is a 20min. walk or short bus ride away from the city center.
The side streets below Pr. do Comércio, the areas around R. Direita off Pr. 8 de Maio, and the university side of Pr. da República are a good bet for bargain eats. Restaurants offer local favorites: steamy portions of arroz de lampreia (rice with eel) and cabrito (young goat). The cheapest meals are at the UC Cantinas (full meal for under €2), the university student cafeterias, on the right side of R. Oliveiro Matos and up the stairs near Lg. Dom Dinis. You’ll need an ISIC card, and you may want to leave your backpack at home. For groceries, stock up at Mercado Dom Pedro V on R. Olímpio Nicolau Rui Fernandes (open M-Sa 8am-1pm). The supermarket Pingo Doce, is on R. João de Ruão, 14, a 3min. walk up R. da Sofia from Pr. 8 de Maio (☎239 85 29 30; open daily 8:30am-9pm).
Old Town. Take in Coimbra’s old town sights by making the steep 15min. climb from the river up to the university. Begin at Pr. 8 de Maio, often a scene for folk music and dance, and the Igreja de Santa Cruz. The 16th-century church boasts an enormous center dome and azulejo -lined walls, though the centerpiece is the tomb of Dom Afonso Henriques, Portugal’s first king. (☎239 82 29 41. Open M-F 7:30am 6:30pm, Sa 7:30am-12:30pm and 2pm-7:30pm, Su 8:30am-12:30pm and 4pm-7:30pm. Check the schedule at the main door for mass times. Sacristia with royal tombs €2.50, students and seniors €1.50.) The ascent continues to the ancient Arco de Almedina, a remnant of the Moorish town wall, one block uphill from Lg. da Portagem. The gate leads past several university bookstores to the steep, twisted, and aptly named R. Quebra-Costas (Back-Breaker Street). Up a narrow stone stairway looms the 12th-century Romanesque Sé Velha (Old Cathedral). (☎239 82 52 73. Open M-Th 10am-1pm and 2pm-6pm, F 10am-1pm, Sa 10am-5pm. Cathedral free. Cloister €1, students €0.80). Follow the signs to the 16th-century Sé Nova (New Cathedral), whose mixed classical- and Baroque-style exterior was finished for the resident Jesuit community. Bring sunglasses: the gilded main altar can be blinding at certain times of day. (☎239 82 31 38. Open Tu-Sa 8:30am-noon and 2pm-6pm. Free.)
Universidade De Coimbra. Though many buildings have since been constructed from reinforced concrete, the original law school retains its spot on the architectural dean’s list. Enter through the Porta Férrea (Iron Gate), off R. São Pedro, to the Pátio das Escolas, which sports an excellent view of the city. The staircase to the right leads up to the Sala Grande dos Actos or Sala dos Capelos (Graduates’ Hall), where portraits of Portugal’s kings (6 of whom were born in Coimbra) hang below a 17th-century ceiling; this is where graduates receive their diplomas. The magnificent Capela de São Miguel, adorned with intricate talha dourada carvings (especially the organ), is a sight to behold. Azulejos, gold, silver, paintings, or carved wood line every surface; almost no floor, wall, or ceiling space is left uncovered. At the end of the row of buildings is the oldest library in Portugal, the Biblioteca Joanina, which overwhelms visitors with gold-trimmed extravagance. The portrait of Louis XV stares at viewers from every angle, making sure they don’t snatch any of the library’s 300,000 ancient books. A small army of bats keeps the books bug free. The library’s oldest book, a marriage guide for young men, dates back to 1523. (☎239 85 98 84. www.uc.pt. Open daily Mar. 13-Oct. 8:30am-7pm; Nov.-Mar. M-F 9am-5pm, Sa-Su 10am-4pm. Tickets to all of the university sights can be purchased outside the Porta Férrea, in the Biblioteca Dom João V. General ticket €6, seniors and students €4.20. The Sala dos Capelos and Biblioteca Joanina are each €3.50, seniors and students €2.45. There is a limit to how many people can be in the library at a time, so expect a 15-20min. wait.)
After dinner, the outdoor cafes surrounding Praça da República buzz until 2am, after which crowds move on to the bars and clubs farther afield. The scene is best October through July, when the students are around Figueira da Foz, an hour away, which offers more options and makes a popular night trip. Many take the train, party all night, and return in the morning.
Students run wild during the Queima das Fitas (Burning of the Ribbons), Coimbra’s infamous week-long festival in the first or second week of May. The festivities begin when graduating seniors set fire to narrow ribbons, gifts from friends and family to commemorate their graduation; they then receive wide, ornamental replacement ribbons. The fun continues with nights of music and food in the streets of Coimbra. The Festas da Rainha Santa, in the first week of July, brings live choral music to the streets and the city’s largest fireworks display to the sky. During even-numbered years, there are two processions of the statue of Rainha Santa (one at the beginning, one at the end), which reflect the festival’s religious roots. Elderly ladies line the streets hours before the event to claim their spot on the sidewalk. During this time, folklore dance groups sometimes organize shows in front of Igreja de Santa Cruz, where participants are dressed in traditional costumes that remember the city’s rural past. The firework-punctuated Feira Popular in the second week of July involves a giant fair full of games and carnival rides that keep the people across the river laughing and screaming all night. (€1, rides €2.)
Joalto buses (marked Joalto or AVIC. ☎239 23 87 69) run from Coimbra (30min.; M-F 9:05 and 9:35am, Sa-Su 9:35am; €2.10; return M-F 1 and 6pm, Sa-Su 6pm). The buses from Coimbra leave from the first bus stop on the left when facing the train station. The buses going to Conímbriga are often marked as Condeixa, so be sure to confirm the destination with the bus driver. Buses run more frequently to Condeixa, 2km from Conímbriga (25min.; M-F every 30min. 6:30am-8:30pm, Sa noon, 1pm; €1.79). Come on a weekday morning and leave at 1pm, or trek 25-30min. to Condeixa. The bus stop is across from the church tower. Taxis (☎239 94 12 43, about €5) are more expensive but a secure bet.
The Ruínas de Conímbriga is Portugal’s largest preserved Roman site, and it was already a prosperous village prior to the arrival of the Romans in the second half of the first century BC. Unfortunately, the enormous town wall wasn’t enough to protect the city from barbarian invasion after the fall of the Empire, and by the end of the AD fifth century, Conímbriga was abandoned. What remains are intricate floor mosaics and crumbling walls in the shape of the rooms they once divided. (Open daily Oct-May 10am-6pm, June-Sept. 9am-8pm. Ticket office closes 30min. before the ruins. €3; seniors, students under 25, and all under 14 free. Su before 2pm free.) The ticket for the ruins includes the Museu Monográfico de Conímbriga, which displays ancient weapons, coins and pottery, the oldest dating back to the Bronze Age in the 10th century BC. (☎239 94 91 10; www.conimbriga.pt. Open Tu-Su Oct-May 10am-6pm, June-Sept. 9am- 8pm.)
Buses run from Coimbra to Luso (45min.; M-F 7:35am, 12:30, 3:30, 5:30, 7:30pm, Sa 9am; €2.90) and continue to Buçaco. Buses to Coimbra depart a few blocks from the Luso tourist office, by the fountain in front of the bathrooms. (45min.; M-F 7:28, 8:53, am, 2:20, 6:28 pm, Sa 10:28; €2.90.) To get to the palace and convent, walk straight up the hill from the bus stop, past the souvenir stands. At the end, a green national park sign will direct you up the stone steps to a dirt trail, which eventually runs into the road. Stay on the road until you reach a pond on the right and a stairway with a stream down its center. Take the steps up and turn left at the top. You’ll reach a small parking lot; the road on the left goes to the hotel. It’s a 25min. uphill climb from the bus stop to the palace. (☎231 93 92 26; fax 231 93 90 06. Open M-F 9am-7pm, Sa-Su 10am-1pm and 3-5pm.)
Nature lovers have never had it so good. Buçaco is home to Portugal’s most revered forest, a 105 hectare hiking wonderland, and national monument since 1943. Portuguese have escaped to this forest for centuries: Benedictine monks settled the Buçaco area in the 6th century, established a monastery, and remained in control until the 1834 disestablishment of all religious orders. The forest owes its fame to the Carmelites, who arrived here, barefoot and set on a life of seclusion, nearly 400 years ago. Selecting the forest for their desertos (isolated dwellings for penitence), the Carmelites planted over 700 exotic types of trees and plants brought from around the world by missionaries. In the center of the forest, adjoining the old Carmelite convent, is Dom Carlos’s exuberant Palácio de Buçaco. Now a luxury hotel, the building is an attention-grabbing display of neo-Manueline architecture. The azulejos depict scenes from Camões’ Os Lusíadas, the great Portuguese epic about the Age of Discovery (see Literature, ). (☎231 93 92 26. Palace interior open to guests only. Convent open Tu-Sa 9am-12:30pm and 2-5:30pm, €0.60) In the forest itself, landmarks include the lovely Fonte Fria (Cold Fountain), the Vale dos Fetos (Fern Valley), and the Porta de Rainha (Queen’s Gate). A 1hr. hike along the Via Sacra leads past 17th-century chapels and the Obelisco á Batalha do Buçaco (Battle of Buçaco Monument) to a sweeping panorama from the Cruz Alta. If you find yourself addicted to the natural beauty of Luso, Pensão Astória , down the street from the tourist office, has sparkling, modest rooms. (R. Emidio Navarro. ☎231 93 91 82. High season singles €25; doubles €40. Low season €20/30.)
Stop at Luso’s tourist office, R. Emidio Navarro, 136, downhill from the bus stop, to pick up detailed maps outlining the different hikes and routes, ranging from a 1hr. nature walks to a 3hr. historical hike. Free internet access available. (☎231 93 91 33. Open July 1-Sept. 15 M-F 9:30am-12:30pm and 2-6pm, Sa-Su 10am-1pm and 3pm-5pm; Sept. 16- June 30 daily from 9:30am-12:30pm and 2-6pm.) Relax at Termas do Luso, a spa situated over natural hot springs in Luso. The spa offers reasonably priced massages (€17 for 30min.) and a wide variety of other services. (R. Apartado, 1. ☎231 93 79 10. www.termasdoluso.com. Open M-Sa 8am-noon and 4-7pm.) Fill your bottle with free natural spring water near the spa entrance.
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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