What to see in Coimbra, one-day itinerary including the main monuments and places of interest, including the ancient university, the two cathedrals in the upper part and the labyrinth of streets in the lower part, famous for the presence of places where it is still sung fado.
Tourist information
Third in the country in order of importance, after Lisbon and Porto, Coimbra was the first capital of the Portuguese kingdom as soon as it achieved independence.
Located on the right bank of the Mondego River, Coimbra is located halfway between the two cities mentioned above.
For almost three hundred years it shared the headquarters of the University of Portugal with Lisbon, one of the oldest in Europe, since it dates back to 1537.
The city, whose initial foundation dates back to 1290, was definitively created in 1537, in the ancient Aeminium of the Roman era, at the request of King John III.
After the destruction in 468 by the Swabians of the nearby center of Conimbriga, the largest Roman settlement in the Lusitanian land, its original name was changed, replacing it with that of Coimbra.
The remains of Conimbriga, which are located about fifteen kilometers from Coimbra, are worth visiting, as it is the most important archaeological site in the nation.
In fact, magnificent mosaics and spas, as well as houses, remains of an aqueduct and forum have been brought to light.
In the adjacent museum are preserved ceramic objects, sculptures, coins and other interesting objects.
Coimbra is divided into two areas, the upper part, inhabited in the past by the clergy and the nobility, with a marked medieval air, and the lower part, a place populated by artisans, merchants and the rest of the people.
In the upper city there are two cathedrals, the Old Sé, built in the twelfth century with a square plan and in Romanesque style, characterized by an appearance similar to that of a fortress and the simplicity of its interior.
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In 1772, the episcopal see was moved to the New Cathedral, built by the Jesuits in the sixteenth century in Baroque style.
In the University stand out the Sala dos Capelos, a large room used for meetings or academic events, the Iron Gate, through which you access the Mannerist enclosure, and the Library, where tens of thousands of works and manuscripts of great historical value are kept.
From its courtyard, called delle Scuole, you can enjoy an excellent view of the Mondego river and the adjacent neighborhoods.
What see
A short distance from the university precinct, there are the Botanical Gardens, famous for the many tropical flowers present.
The origin of this park dates back to the eighteenth century and its construction is due to the Marquis of Pombal.
Another interesting place in this area of the city is the Machado de Castro Museum, housed in the ancient seat of the Episcopal Palace.
In addition to the many medieval objects preserved inside, this building also allows the possibility to explore a particular network of Roman galleries present in the subsoil.
Outside the historic center of Coimbra is the Santa Cruz Monastery, a work begun in the twelfth century by order of King Alfonso Henriques and renovated four centuries later.
In the Convent lie the remains of this ruler and his son and successor, Sancho I.
The Manueline is the predominant architectural style, found mainly in the Church, in the choir and cloister of Silence.
Also worth seeing is the magnificent pulpit of the temple, the work of the French sculptor Nicolas Chanterene, built in 1552.
In the lower area of the city there are two convents dedicated to Santa Clara, of which the oldest, with a Gothic plan, was abandoned at the beginning of the seventeenth century, for fear of the unexpected floods of the Mondego river.
A few meters away, but in a much safer place, the new Convent of Santa Clara was built at the same time, which preserves in its church the sepulcher of Queen Isabella of Aragon, patron saint of Coimbra, made of solid silver.
The Portugal dos Pequeninos is a park, created near the two convents, which allows you to quickly know the most important things in the nation, thanks to its scale reproductions, which represent a broad example of the Portuguese architectural heritage.
Among the civil constructions, the Quinta das Lagrimas stands out, a place linked to the sentimental drama experienced by Ines de Castro, lover of the one who in the following years became King Peter I, a relationship never accepted by his father King Alfonso IV.
Ines de Castro was assassinated, probably precisely at the instigation of the king.
The lower Coimbra also manages to fascinate tourists with its labyrinth of streets, which have perfectly preserved the atmosphere of the past, helping to keep the traditional song of fado alive, which represents the most representative musical expression of Portugal.
In various places these songs are sung with deep feeling every day.
