Take a Coimbra self-guided walk to see all the city highlights plus many local gems.
This self-guided tour takes you from the old town up to the University of Coimbra, and then downhill again through beautiful gardens.
The walk is pretty comprehensive. You’ll see all the classic city highlights, plus some hidden gems along the route.
The main thing you don’t want to miss in Coimbra is the University of Coimbra, and I recommend seeing it on a guided tour for a more meaningful visit.
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Quick orientation in Coimbra
A beautiful river called Mondego runs through the city of Coimbra, dividing it into two parts connected by bridges.
On one side of the river is the old town, in the flat part of the city called Baixa (low).
The old University of Coimbra is also on the same side of the river. It sits on a hilltop, in a part of the city called Alta (high).
On this side you’ll find Largo da Portagem, the main square in the historic centre, which is the starting point of this tour.
The bridge closest to the main square is called Santa Clara Bridge.
It leads to the other side of the river where you’ll see Santa Clara Monastery on the top of another hill.
Coimbra self-guided walk overview
This Coimbra self-guided walk starts in the flat part of the city by the river.
It then takes you uphill to the university, Coimbra’s most famous place to visit. It’s worth seeing inside the old buildings.
Other than that, depending on how much time you have, choose if you want to enter the churches, galleries, cafes, etc. mentioned in this walk.
If you enter many of these, the walk would be a bit intense for one day, but you can easily spread this walk over two days.
After seeing the university, the walk takes you back downhill with more points of interest along the way.
The second part of this Coimbra self-guided walk takes you to the other bank of the river.
Start in the Old Town
We’ll start the walk at the old town square, Largo da Portagem.
Look up to see the unique buildings around the square, especially Hotel Astória and the Bank of Portugal.
The Monument to Joaquim António de Aguiar stands in the middle of the square. It’s somewhat controversial as it honours a 19th-century liberal politician.
From there you can reach the main shopping streets of the old town that are worth visiting even if you’re not into shopping, because this is the charming historic centre of the city.
These streets are mostly pedestrian, but some cars do appear occasionally, so pay attention.
First go down the stairs to Praça do Comércio, a wide street with cafes, restaurants and small shops.
If you continue past the old church (Igreja de São Tiago), you’ll find yourself in a labyrinth of narrow alleys with many small, traditional shops.
This is where the old town really lives up to its name and you can feel its old school vibe.
Before moving on to the next shopping street, go inside Santa Cruz Church. It’s beautiful and has painted tiles on its walls that are worth seeing.
Right next to it is the Santa Cruz Cafe that runs fado concerts. You may want to come back there in the evening for a drink and a show.
The second main shopping street – Rua Visconde da Luz, which later connects with Rua Ferreira Borges – is just a few steps from there.
There are some nice souvenir shops on Rua Ferreira Borges if you’re after anything with a print of Portuguese tiles on it.
I was a bit surprised to see that the shops, cafes, restaurants, and other businesses were all local. I spotted only one chain there.
That was refreshing. In Coimbra all the big chains seem to be kept away from the old town and inside the city’s big shopping malls, like Forum and Alma.
There are many restaurants and cafes on this street if you’d like to stop for brunch / lunch. If not, there are more restaurants later.
The city museum, Edifício Chiado, is on the same street, with a nice statue of Fado musicians right in front of it. I enjoyed visiting it. Exhibitions change from time to time.
Climb up to the University of Coimbra
To start going up to the university, you have to pass through the gate called Arco de Almedina.
Right before the gate there’s a contemporary art gallery called Centro de Arte Contemporânea de Coimbra worth checking out.
After the gate, you can enter the Porta e Torre de Almedina for a free exhibition on the history of the city.
From there, keep climbing up towards the university.
There are many places to stop along the way. As you climb up you’ll see more local shops, small restaurants, and another Fado venue called Fado ao Centro (which I can recommend after seeing a wonderful show there, but this can wait till the evening).
This is also a good place to stop for lunch if you’d like. Go into the narrow street called Fernandes Thomas to find more local restaurants and bars.
As you continue going up the stairs towards the university, you’ll pass more of Coimbra’s points of interest, including the Old Cathedral and the National Museum Machado de Castro.
Tip: If you choose to visit this museum, plan to spend quite a bit of time inside, about 2 hours. If you want to tour the university on the same day (which can also take about 2 hours), plan ahead so you can make it to both. Otherwise it’s best to spread this over two days.
Another tip: There are other routes to the university which are not quite as steep, but take longer. You can also take a bus or a taxi to go up there.
Visit inside the University of Coimbra and see the famous library
Once you reach the University of Coimbra, you’ll notice it’s made up of several different buildings.
You can see inside the university complex with or without a guided tour. I opted for a guided tour for a more structured visit and deeper experience.
Our guide was excellent and answered all of my curious questions.
The main highlight of the university and the most famous attraction in Coimbra is the Baroque Library (Biblioteca Joanina). This is a truly stunning interior.
The other parts of the complex you can see with the same ticket or tour are the beautiful chapel called Capela Universitária de São Miguel, the Science Museum, and the Paço das Escolas (Palace of Schools).
Chill in the gardens
Right next to the university, walking downhill, the Botanic Garden – Jardim Botânico – is a lovely place to visit and chill for a bit.
If you like historic houses, I recommend a visit to the Casa-Museu Bissaya Barreto. It’s right across the street from the Botanic Garden.
From now on we’re walking downhill.
If you feel like seeing another garden at this point, the magical Sereia Garden (Jardim da Sereia) is a short walk from there. It also has an interesting contemporary art gallery called Círculo Sereia.
When you exit Sereia Garden, you’ll see another main square – Praça da República.
Around the square and along the Av. Sá da Bandeira there are many places to eat and drink.
If you walk all the way along that avenue, you’ll reach the city market (Mercado Municipal D. Pedro V), which is a covered market inside a big, modern hall, where you can also find some places to eat.
From there you can easily walk back to Santa Cruz Cafe for the evening fado show or go back to Fado ao Centro, for a more accessible fado show with explanations in English.
The other bank of the river – Santa Clara
The self-guided tour so far focused on one side of the river. If you have some extra time in Coimbra, visit the other side of the river too.
To reach the second bank of the river, cross the Santa Clara Bride (Ponte de Santa Clara), right next to the main square (Largo da Portagem).
Portugal dos Pequenitos or “Portugal for the little ones” is an incredible park of small scale versions of Portuguese architectural landmarks.
It’s not a tiny miniature park though. You can enter into the buildings. Inside each building there’s a small exhibition. You can learn about the history and culture of Portugal and its former colonies.
I found it both educational and entertaining.
Jardins da Quinta das Lágrimas or “Gardens of the Estate of Tears” are just a short walk from the miniature park.
These magical gardens were the meeting point for the forbidden romance of Pedro and Inês, a famous Portuguese legend.
Santa Clara Monastery is about 15 minutes from there, or a bit longer, as it’s an uphill climb.
This is the newer monastery built after the old one was flooded repeatedly by the river.
Visit inside the church with an audio guide, and enjoy panoramic views of the city from the courtyard.
You can also see the ruins of the old Santa Clara Monastery when you head back towards the river.
Plan your trip to Coimbra
I’ve created more resources to help you plan your trip to Coimbra.
- How to visit Coimbra from other cities in Portugal
- Where to see fado shows in Coimbra
- 2 days in Coimbra itinerary
- What to see in Coimbra in one day
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