I spent about 24 hours in Coimbra on my way from Lisbon to Porto on the train. Coimbra’s about halfway between them and is often overlooked in favour of those better-known and arguably more glamorous cities.
But Coimbra is more than just a well-placed stopping-off point. It’s well worth visiting in its own right. I’d even go as far as to say that Coimbra is Portugal’s most underrated city.
Read on for five reasons to visit Coimbra.
1. Its history
When you visit Coimbra, you get a sense of timelessness, as though you could be walking around the city at any point in the last seven hundred years.
Although not much has survived from Coimbra’s origins in the Roman period, its medieval and Renaissance spirit is very much alive.
Coimbra’s town centre
In Coimbra’s town centre, narrow cobbled alleyways connect centuries-old squares. Coimbra’s soundtrack is bells clanging from medieval church towers, the splashing of an ancient fountain, and the clattering of restaurant vendors setting out neat rows of tables and chairs in the plazas.
University of Coimbra
The university dates back to the thirteenth century, making it one of the oldest in the world. More on this later!
Aqueduct of São Sebastião
The Aqueduct of São Sebastião near the botanical gardens is a sixteenth-century reconstruction on the site of the Roman aqueduct that served the town. I liked the fact that the Roman connection is specifically maintained here, even though the original aqueduct is long gone.
Museum and Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha
One of my favourite things in Coimbra is the Museum and Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha. The monastery lies in ruins, its nuns having abandoned it centuries ago due to persistent floods from the nearby river. The museum seems to be very sparsely visited, despite holding a wealth of information about the monastery and its community.
2. Its religious buildings
I’ve mentioned Coimbra’s churches above but I’ll gush a bit more about them here. I managed to visit the cathedral and two churches whilst I was in Coimbra and all of them were exquisite.
Sé Velha de Coimbra (Old Cathedral of Coimbra)
I always think a cathedral is a good place to start exploring a city as it will have provided a focal point for hundreds of years. Coimbra is no different.
The Old Cathedral of Coimbra dates back to the twelfth century but it was renovated in the sixteenth. Its style is almost like a military fortress, with an imposing flat frontage and crenellations along the top. This is a visual representation of the situation in Portugal at the time it was built – the Reconquista was ongoing and military readiness was essential.
Igreja de Santa Cruz (Church of Santa Cruz)
After the cathedral, head over to the gothic Igreja de Santa Cruz. This church is famous for its mausoleum for the first king of Portugal. Its important role as a royal tomb makes it a National Monument of Portugal.
Originally built in the twelfth century, the church has intricate stone carvings and some lovely blue and white wall paintings.
Jardim da Manga (Manga Cloisters)
Next to the Igreja de Santa Cruz is an interesting little area: a garden containing a curious yellow structure, of which the centrepiece is a circular cloistered area under a domed roof. This is the Jardim de Manga, often translated as the Manga Cloisters. This is another National Monument of Portugal.
3. Its university
As old as the churches, that brings me on to Coimbra’s university.
Coimbra’s university is the oldest in Portugal. It was founded in Lisbon in 1290 and moved to Coimbra in 1537.
Coimbra reminded me of Cambridge or Oxford, where the university is spread all around the town rather than being confined to a designated campus. In fact, you won’t be able to avoid the university when you visit Coimbra! I think this integration of town and gown shows how inextricable Coimbra’s academic study is with the city’s overall identity. The length of time Coimbra’s students have been crossing the cobbled streets to attend lectures and carry out their research emphasises Coimbra’s place on the academic world map.
4. Its green spaces
Coimbra has several little gardens but the one that is most worth visiting, in my opinion, is the University of Coimbra’s Botanical Gardens. This is a relaxing place to experience the outdoors in Coimbra.
Like many other things in Coimbra, the botanical gardens are old, dating back to 1700. The plants are all informatively labelled with their name and a short explanation. I recommend passing through the bamboo forest – I learnt that bamboo is the fastest-growing plant on earth, gaining up to an inch and a half every hour!
5. It’s comparatively tourist-free
Because tourists in Portugal tend to focus on Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve, mercifully few choose to visit Coimbra. This means that Coimbra has a much more local feel to it than those other places. It doesn’t really have many tourist hotspots that Coimbra residents avoid. They’re all mixed in together.
Should you visit Coimbra?
A resounding yes! I had thought Coimbra would just be a stopping-off point for me to break up a long journey, but I’m so glad I spent some time there!
If you’re sticking around in Portugal and want to explore more of the country, check out my one week in Portugal itinerary.