Tourist attractions Coimbra

King Afonso Henriques decided to build this former cathedral at a time when Coimbra was situated on the border between the Christian and Muslim world. This explains its fortress-like appearance, crowned with merlons. This, Portugal's first cathedral,..

This museum occupying the former Episcopal palace (modified in the 16C) is named after the sculptor Machado de Castro, who was born in Coimbra in 1731. The Renaissance porch opens onto a patio-courtyard, and on the west side, a loggia by Philippe Ter..

Built by Juan V in 1724, and composed of three huge rooms, with furniture in rare woods and sumptuous giltwood Baroque decoration. Chinoiserie mtifs are painted onto the surfaces, the colour different for each room: green, red or gold. The trompe-l’œ..

The old university occupies the buildings of the former royal palace that were restored and appointed to become the "Paço dos Estudos" in 1540. It has a superb library containing 30 000 books and 5 000 manuscripts referenced by subject...

This villa was the property of a certain Rufus and dates from the mid-2C. Its room layout is clearly discernible from the column bases and flooring, much of which incorporates splendid mosaics. Around its central areas were sleeping quarters and rece..

La Cruz Alta, at a height of 545m, provides a marvellous panoramic view. The edge of the Serra do Caramulo on the right ; opposite, a multitude of white villages on the coastal plain; below, the hotel emerging from a sea of green; on the left, in the..

This is a walking trip of about one hour in which you will see the Via Sacra , with its stations of the cross consisting of chapels and the Cruz Alta at a height of 545m. The panoramic view is exceptional. The return route will take you along pa..

Situated north of Coïmbra, near the Luso spa, surrounded by a stone wall with several doors set in to it, the forested park of Buçaco crowns the northern edge of the Serra do Buçaco. In the centre of this 105 ha forest, home to a most incredible va..

This excursion will let you discover the beauty of the forest of Buçaco. There you will see the Ermida da Nossa Senhora de Assunção , which is one of the isolated hermitages in the forest where the monks used to retire and the Fonte Fia , the cold..

The cold fountain comes out of a cave from which its waters tumble in a waterfall down a staircase of 144 steps into a basin surrounded by hydrangea and magnolia in which some majestic conifers are reflected. The path runs alongside some magnificen..

Built in the 16C on the site of a 12C convent, this monastery is preceded by an imposing Renaissance portal by Nicolas Chanterene and Diogo de Castilho (1520). The church has a Manueline ceiling and walls decorated with azulejos representing the li..

Inaugurated in the year 2000 to mark 500 years of the Santa Casa Miseicordia (a charitable religious institution), objects relating to the confraternity are displayed in the entrance lobby and first two rooms. Note the Renaissance and 18C majolica ti..

Sited on a triangular spur defined by two steep-sided rocky valleys, the Roman site of Conímbriga with its well-preserved mosaics is among the finest in the Iberian peninsula. Especially worthy of note is the House of Cantaber (the owner’s name), o..

The stations of the cross, built at the end of 17C in the Baroque style is made up of several chapels standing alongside the road. In these chapels, the various stations on the ascent of Calvary are represented by terracotta figure of great natural g..

This hunting pavilion which seems to have the decor of a theatre, was commissioned by King Carlos and carried out by the Italian architect, Luigi Manini. Built between 1888 and 1907, it is a pastiche of Manueline art. You will find the profile of the..

This is a Manueline style townhouse, built in the early 16C. The road crosses beneath a wing of the Casa do Arco .

This tower of the medieval surrounding wall accommodates the Coimbra regional craft centre.

This small Romanesque church looks onto the centre of the lower town's shopping district - the large praça do Comercio... note the beautiful capitals decorating its portals.

This town's port, which has an Arabic name ( medina in Arabic means town), is surmounted by a tower which is decorated with a Virgin and Child between two coats of arms. This is one of the last relics of the medieval surrounding wall.

The old town is situated on the hill of the Alcaçova. Access to the town is gained via a maze of narrow picturesque streets - some of which are punctuated with aptly named staircases such as Quebra-Costas.