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 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
WALKING AROUND
Last updated: January 31st, 2001 by João Soares |