10 unmissable sights in Coimbra

10 must-see attractions in Coimbra.

The Paço das Escolas and the imposing Baroque Library, the National Pantheon – Santa Cruz Monastery, the Machado de Castro National Museum, The Santa Clara-a-Velha Monastery, Portugal for the little ones for kids and adults, the beautiful Botanical Garden, the Ruins of Conímbriga, the Arch that leads to Torre da Almedina, the streets of Baixa de Coimbra and Alta, ending at the Pedro and Inês Pedestrian Bridge over the Mondego River.

Paço das Escolas (Old University Campus)

The Baroque Library is located in the central space of the Paço das Escolas (School Court). It’s the place where one can find the buildings and monuments that constitute the core of the University of Coimbra and an important part of the area recently considered World Heritage by UNESCO.­

Santa Cruz Church: National Pantheon

The Monastery of Santa Cruz, located in the historical center of Coimbra was foundedin 1131 and is one of the best examples of 12th century Romanesque architecture in Portugal. The church has several titles: local icon, National Monument, but, above all, National Pantheon for the presence of the tombs of the first two Kings of Portugal, D. Afonso Henriques and D. Sancho I.

Machado de Castro National Museum

The “Museu Nacional Machado de Castro”, integrated in the area selected by UNESCO as World Heritage of the University of Coimbra, Alta and Sofia, is an icon of the city. The Museum also features the Restaurant Loggia, featuring a terrace with stunning views of Coimbra, the University and the Mondego River.

The Santa Clara-a-Velha Monastery

The Santa Clara-a-Velha Monastery was built in 1314 at the request of Rainha Santa Isabel, patron saint of Coimbra. Santa Clara-a-Velha was thus abandoned to the river’s will and progressively went into ruins.  It was at the end of the XX century that, due to the museologic works, the Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha gained a new life. In 2010, the Santa Clara-a-Velha Monastery was awarded the Europa Nostra 2010 prize.

Portugal dos Pequenitos – “Portugal of the little ones”

Portugal dos Pequenitos (Portugal of the Little Ones), a special place in Coimbra created to teach the world history to children, adapted to their size. Despite being a ludic-pedagogical park for children, enchants kids but also the adults.

Botanical Garden

Jardim Botânico – Botanical Garden of the University of Coimbra, located in the heart of the city, the garden was created in 1772 by the famous Marquês de Pombal. In addition to the hundreds of natural species that inhabit the Botanical Garden, the area is also home to a rich fauna composed of several species of birds and brown squirrels.

Conímbriga Roman Ruins

Conímbriga, placed just in 16 km km from Coimbra, in parish of Condeixa-a-Velha, is classified as Nacional Monument and it´s kown as the best national aqueologic station .To get to know better the history of our country, Conimbriga is the best place since in the past, it was one of the biggest roman villages of Portugal.

Almedina Arch and Tower

Cross the arch and climb the tower and make a trip to the middle ages. From the eleventh century, the “Torre de Almedina” built on the “Arco de Almedina”, had as function to watch and defend the main access door to the interior of the city wall.

Downtown and Uptown Streets

The narrow streets, alleys and medieval stairs full of small traditional shops make “Baixa de Coimbra” unique and full of life. Crossing the “Arco da Almedina” and going up to the Old Town of Alta de Coimbra, this labyrinth of streets and stairs constitute the interior of the old wall of Coimbra. Later, with the growth of the university, student republics began to emerge and it was still this area that many Portuguese personalities chose to settle.

Pedro and Inês Bridge over the Mondego River

The Pedro and Inês Bridge, is a pedestrian and bicycle path over the Mondego River, located between the Ponte Santa Clara and the Rainha Santa Isabel Bridge. Inaugurated in 2016, the walkway is made of wood and is four meters wide, creating a square eight meters wide in the middle. It is 5m tall.