I have already shown you that Portugal does not only consist of Lisbon and Porto in my article about our road trip in the west of Portugal. I would now like to introduce one of the small towns along the road that inspired us. The city of Coimbra is mainly known for its university, which is the oldest in Portugal and one of the oldest in Europe. I will show you what to see in Coimbra.
Places to see in Coimbra
- University Coimbra
- Monastery Mosteiro de Santa Cruz
- Cathedral Se Velha
- Monastery Santa Clara-a-Velha
- River Mondego
The university is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site and those who visit Coimbra must definitely pay a visit to the university buildings and the tower. In general, it is worth strolling through the streets of the city and exploring the many old buildings that were built on the small hill.
Coimbra offers many historical buildings: the Mosteiro de Santa Cruz monastery, built in the 12th century, is centrally located in Coimbra and is one of the most important historical buildings in the city. The cathedral Sé Velha was also built in the 12th century and still sits beautifully in the old town of Coimbra. The ruins of the Santa Clara-a-Velha monastery on the other side of the river Mondego are also worth seeing – built in the 14th century, it had to be abandoned in the 17th century due to constant flooding.
What I personally extremely loved was the beautiful location of the city. Situated at the river Mondego the university on the hill looks very majestic and like a castle. It is a great place to stroll around and also to explore the other side of the river.
If you’re searching for hotels in Coimbra, find awesome ones here
Places of interest in the surroundings of Coimbra
Around Coimbra there are some cathedrals and monasteries worth seeing, some of which I have listed for you in my blog post about the itinerary in Portugal.
