La Coimbra city It is located in the center of the country and it is a city that in its time was the capital of Portugal. This is an old university city that stands out for its university atmosphere, but also for its gastronomy and its narrow streets with tradition.
En Coimbra you can enjoy a great weekend, since all its corners are discovered in a couple of days. We are going to see which are the most interesting corners to see in the city of Coimbra. Without a doubt it is one of the essential destinations in Portugal.
University of Coimbra
This university started in the XNUMXth century in the city of Lisbon and was later transferred to Coimbra, which would become the Portuguese university city par excellence. This university has been declared a World Heritage Site. Everyone should visit this wonderful university, with its large courtyard, the tower with the bells and its views of the Mondego River. To enter the university we must acquire our ticket, which gives us access to different points, such as the old Royal Palace or the Chapel of San Miguel. There are different types of entrances with differentiated accesses.
Biblioteca Joanina
This beautiful library is one of the places that can be seen in the university when purchasing our ticket. Photographs cannot be taken in this library to keep old books in good condition. Access is restricted to small groups, so it is common to have to wait in queues. Is library dates from the XNUMXth century and it was built by order of Don Joao V the Magnanimous. It has a large number of books that were published from the XNUMXth to the XNUMXth century and has the peculiarity that it has three floors and two of them are underground. In addition, a colony of bats lives in the library that keeps the books in good condition, since they are in charge of eating the insects that could spoil them.
La Sé Velha and Sé Nova
The cathedrals in the city of Coimbra are known by these names, which means Old Cathedral and New Cathedral. La Vieja was built in the Romanesque style and is preserved in very good condition, being the only one of this type that is preserved in Portugal. A beautiful cloister and the Porta Especiosa on the north façade in Renaissance style stand out.
La Cathedral Nueva It is less interesting, but you can visit it to see the facade in Baroque and Mannerist style. It is right next to the University of Coimbra, so it is a visit that is done at the same time.
Santa Clara Monastery
This monastery is not in the city center, so you have to take a car to get to it, which is also located on a hill. That is why it is a visit that can be left for last. The monastery dates from the seventeenth century and has a Baroque church in which its richly detailed altarpiece and the tomb of Santa Isabel de Portugal stand out. You can also visit the beautiful Baroque cloister with the entrance. There is an old Santa Clara Monastery, which is on the other side of the Mondego River, built in the XNUMXth century. The new monastery was created because due to its proximity to the river it was constantly flooded.
Portugal of the little children
This was one of the most interesting points when visiting Coimbra. Nowadays it has been losing weight in front of great attractions that are in other places, but it is still a point of interest, especially if we go to the city with small children. In this fun park there are replicas in small size of the main monuments and buildings of the city and of Portugal, so it can be a leisure visit for the whole family.
Monastery of Santa Cruz
In the city center and in the May 8 square is this beautiful monastery that stands out for its facade. It is possible to enter it and inside it houses the typical Portuguese tiles that are so famous. Behind this monastery is the Jardim da Manga, with a beautiful old fountain that represents the rivers of paradise.
Rua Ferreira Borges
This is one of the liveliest streets of the city. It is undoubtedly its commercial street par excellence, so it is a place that we can visit in search of some shopping or an entertaining afternoon. In this street there are small shops and you can also find patisseries to try the most delicious Portuguese sweets. It is also possible that in the street we can see the groups of the tunas playing the wonderful fados, a show that enchants visitors to the city.