THE CITY

Coimbra is the third largest city of Portugal and it is located 200 km north of Lisbon and 100 km south of Oporto and 35 km east of the Atlantic coast at Figueira da Foz. The city may be reached by train, or by bus, from the international airports of Lisbon and Oporto. The train takes two hours from Lisbon and one hour fifteen from Oporto. The A1 motorway that connects Lisbon to Oporto passes by Coimbra. There are also good road connections to and from Spain through Salamanca.

Coimbra has a noteworthy national and international projection in health and education. The city has
160 000 inhabitants, of which 30 000 are university students. Coimbra is also part of a rich touristic area, with a unique historical heritage, wonderful beaches, numerous spas, beautiful mountains and landscapes.

The city ex-libris is the seven hundred year university as it was founded in 1290 and it is one of the oldest in  Europe. But, other historical places deserve a visit, like the Igreja de Santa Cruz (Holy Cross Church), the Sé Velha (Old Cathedral, 12th Century) and the Machado de Castro Museum. In the surroundings of Coimbra the roman ruins of  Conimbriga and the Portugal dos Pequenitos (whole Portugal at children's size) also provide cultural end entertaining experiences. Coimbra is also known for the widely acclaimed music style Fado de Coimbra.

HOW TO GET THERE

The international airport of Lisbon serves Coimbra by train or by bus. The railway station is Santa Apolónia or Oriente. You should get a ticket to Coimbra for express trains like Intercidades, Alfa or Alfa Pendular. There are trains to Coimbra every two hours, roughly - you may see the complete train timetable from Lisbon to Coimbra and from Coimbra to Lisbon.  You may see local selection of train schedules. The bus takes two hours to get to Coimbra - you may see the complete bus schedule and a local selection of bus schedules. 

The international airport of Oporto basically serves Coimbra by train.  The railway station is Campanhã. You should get a ticket to Coimbra for express trains like Intercidades, Alfa or Alfa Pendular. There are trains to Coimbra every two hours, roughly - you may see the complete train timetable from Oporto to Coimbra and from Coimbra to Oporto. You may see a local selection of train schedules. The bus takes one hour and a half to get to Coimbra - you may see the complete bus schedule and a local selection of bus schedules. 

If you are travelling by car from Lisbon or Oporto check here.

TOURISM

• A touristic guide of Coimbra may be found here. For information on the central region of Portugal visit here (for portuguese speaking only) and for  information on  Portugal visit here.
• Exchange rates
• The weather in Coimbra and in Portugal.

WALKING AROUND

• The Tourist Office is located downtown in Largo da Portagem. There is another one across the street from Department of Mathematics. There you can get the Agenda Cultural de Coimbra, informing you on Cultural events and containing a list of useful addresses and institutions. 
• Most restaurants and bars are open until 12PM. Pubs usually close at 2AM. Lunchtime goes from 12AM to 3PM and dinnertime goes from 7PM to 10PM.
• Banks are open 8.30AM through 3PM, Monday through Friday
• The public bus service is the least expensive way to move around the city. You may buy in advance a ten-journey ticket in most kiosks.

Last updated: June 14th, 2002 by João Soares