Coimbra, Portugal

Coimbra is the capital of the Coimbra district and a municipality of central Portugal (140 816 inhabitants · 319 km²), on a hill above the Mondego, about halfway between Lisbon and Porto. It was the first capital of the Kingdom of Portugal, and its University, settled in the Royal Palace of Alcáçova since 1537, forms the University of Coimbra, Alta and Sofia, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2013.

The history of Coimbra has its own page.

Beaches in Coimbra

Coimbra has two river beaches on the national bathing-water register.

Monuments in Coimbra

• Santa Cruz Monastery: a monastery founded in 1131, where the first two kings of Portugal are buried, a National Pantheon since 2003.
• Old Cathedral: the Romanesque cathedral of the Alta, where Sancho I was crowned in 1185.
• Santa Clara-a-Velha Monastery: a Gothic monastery on the south bank, refounded by Queen Isabel and abandoned after centuries of floods.
• Sé Nova: the former Jesuit church of the Alta, now the cathedral of Coimbra.

Museums and culture in Coimbra

• Museu Nacional Machado de Castro: the national museum of the city, in the former bishops' palace in the Alta.
• Academic traditions: the black academic gown, Coimbra fado and the Queima das Fitas in May.

Nature in Coimbra

• Botanical Garden: the garden of the University, created in the 18th century.
• Mondego: the river below the city, with parks along both banks.

Golf in Coimbra

Leisure in Coimbra

• Portugal dos Pequenitos: a park of buildings at child scale on the south bank, opened in 1940.
• City visits: Visiting Coimbra covers trains, the areas of the city, Conímbriga and the food.
• Nearby: the schist village of Piódão is in the Coimbra district, and the Buçaco Forest and Palace is north of Coimbra, in the Aveiro district.

Parishes of Coimbra

• Coimbra (Sé Nova, Santa Cruz, Almedina e São Bartolomeu) (13 880 inhabitants · 8 km²): the parish of the historic centre, with the Alta, the University and the Baixa.
• Almalaguês (2 853 inhabitants · 23 km²)
• Antuzede e Vil de Matos (2 842 inhabitants · 18 km²)
• Assafarge e Antanhol (4 993 inhabitants · 20 km²)
• Brasfemes (1 932 inhabitants · 9 km²)
• Ceira (3 244 inhabitants · 12 km²)
• Cernache (3 962 inhabitants · 19 km²)
• Eiras e São Paulo de Frades (17 574 inhabitants · 25 km²)
• Santa Clara e Castelo Viegas (11 858 inhabitants · 18 km²): the parish of the south bank of the Mondego, with Santa Clara-a-Velha.
• Santo António dos Olivais (41 150 inhabitants · 19 km²): the most populous parish of the municipality.
• São João do Campo (1 825 inhabitants · 8 km²)
• São Martinho de Árvore e Lamarosa (2 716 inhabitants · 21 km²)
• São Martinho do Bispo e Ribeira de Frades (15 315 inhabitants · 25 km²)
• São Silvestre (2 794 inhabitants · 10 km²)
• Souselas e Botão (4 188 inhabitants · 33 km²): the largest parish of the municipality by area.
• Taveiro, Ameal e Arzila (3 997 inhabitants · 24 km²)
• Torres do Mondego (2 034 inhabitants · 17 km²)
• Trouxemil e Torre de Vilela (3 659 inhabitants · 11 km²)

Healthcare in Coimbra

Guides to Coimbra