That's great!!!!!
Coimbra was the old capital before Lisbon. It has the historical and cultural significance of Lisbon but its small enough to see on foot - at least the historical sections. Coimbra on a steep valley on the Mondego. There will be a lot of uphill climbing. This will give you a good excuse to bring a monopod as it can double as a walking stick and is handy to have in the dark cathedrals. Note that you will find signs in almost every historical building prohibiting the use of flash and tripods. This city was meant for rangefinders.
🙂 Monopods are usually allowed.
Here's my recommendation for a crazy one day tour of Coimbra:
For reference here's a map of the city:
It's a bit old but all the important stuff is there.
http://www.coimbra.lip.pt/~rpc2001/coimbra map.html
If travelling by car from Lisbon, come up the IC2 or A1. The IC2 will take you straight into Coimbra. If you come up on the A1 (faster but not as scenic), I recommend you take the exit at Condeixa - just before Coimbra. If travelling via the IC2, you'll go through Condeixa and there is an exit there pointing to Conimbriga too.
Near Condeixa is the Roman ruins of Conimbriga. Its worth a visit. (Admission is free on Sundays). This is 16km south of Coimbra.
http://www.conimbriga.pt/
Join the IC2 and continue North to Coimbra. Pass the brand new Europa Bridge and keep going. (The Europe Bridge takes you to the new parts of the city.) The IC2 becomes the Avenida Inês de Castro as you head into the older part of the city. At the end of the street, turn right towards the Ponte de Santa Clara but turn left right before the bridge. You will see a parking lot there. This is the best place for parking near the historical city. There is always enough room in there and there are some (poorer) men there that will direct you to a spot if its too crowded. In return, you should give them a tip. 1 Euro makes them very happy. If you venture off with your car and come back a second time, you don't have to tip him again (unless its a different guy).
Here's the parking spot:
http://www.coimbra.lip.pt/~rpc2001/images/mapa-q3.jpg
From here, you can venture out into the city. Its also a good spot to take a good photograph of the historical city with the University's tower high on top of the hill. You are currently on the Santa Clara side of the bridge. The other side is Coimbra. At this time, you might want too see some of the important historical sights on this side of the city.
Here's a map.
http://www.coimbra.lip.pt/~rpc2001/images/a2_c.jpg
Nearby is the Convento de Santa Clara-a-Velha (or Antiga). The last time I was there, it was being restored. Half of it was underwater for centuries but there was a tremendous engineering effort in the restoration of the convent to provide proper water drainage. This is one of the most important buildings in Portugal.
The Saint-Queen - D. Isabel de Aragão, Reinha Santa spent much of her life there. She's was the Portuguese equivalent of Robin Hood but the difference was that she was a real historical person and she became a Saint.
Here's her story:
http://www.portcult.com/OPS_11.htm
Here's a website with photos from before the restoration as I remember it. It was a unique place - it was great for photography. Those arches going into the water are actually two stories high. The water was murky but sometimes you could see the floor underneath. You may find a photography book locally with spectacular underwater shots from this place. Now the water is completely gone - I'm still unsure if this was good or bad personally. It was flooded for many centuries and it had a unique aura. I don't know if its open to the public yet.
http://lrm.isr.ist.utl.pt/jsgm/albuns/santa-clara/index.html
Here's more current photos during the massive restoration project:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=9336741#post9336741
Down the road from Santa Clara-a-Velha is the Quinta das Lagrimas (Estate of Tears) has a beautiful has palace and beautiful gardens. The palace and gardens are new. The Palace is now a hotel. Unfortunately a bit of has been turned into a mini-golf course and driving range. The Quinta das Lagrimas is associated with a tragic love story of King D. Pedro and Inês de Castro. Basically, King Pedro, then a prince, fell in love with this maiden that accompanied his bride from Castela (Spain). After his first wife died during child birth, he wanted to marry Inês de Castro but his father, King D. Afonso IV, didn't allow him. He lived and had children with her anyway at this Quinta. The King then had Inês assassinated. The tormented Pedro went to war against his father. Eventually his father died and Pedro became King. He then revealed that he had in fact married Inês. He ordered Inês to be take out of her grave and seated with him on the throne proclaiming her the Queen. People in his father's court had to kiss her decomposed hands and the hearts of the assassins were taken out of them (while they were alive) and given to Pedro to eat. Hey, he really loved this girl - I'm surprised that Mel Gibson hasn't made a movie about this yet.
Official Link to the Quinta das Lagrimas
D. Pedro I
Ines de Castro
Santa Clara-a-Nova, that was built to replace Santa Clara-a-Velha. The tomb of the Saint-Queen Isabel is there. If you visit this place, I suggest you take the car as it is very high on a hill. There is a military museum there too. It also has an excellent view of Coimbra across the Mondego.
Ok, go back toward the parking lot and cross the Santa Clara bridge. You will arrive at the Portagem. Here's a map.
http://www.coimbra.lip.pt/~rpc2001/images/mapa-q3.jpg
There used to be a toll-station here, hence the name. If you look to your right, you will find the Tourism office. You can go there and get yourself a map and information about current events. There are fado concerts every night. They'll know where they are. Coimbra fado is different from Lisbon fado - its more formal and its sung by University students in their traditional black capes. The music is about lost loves, homesickness, the spirit of Coimbra, etc. Concerts are at night - traditionally on the streets. Most of the time its in reasonably well-lit area. but on rare occasions it can be in a dark corner. Its a photographic opportunity that can't be missed. Here's a website of a good group, if they are playing that night - don't miss it!!
http://www.aeminium.cc
From the Portagem. To the left is the Hotel Astoria and the old Bank of Portugal building. Both very nice for photos.
http://www.almeidahotels.com/astoria_eng.htm
Get a coffee at Cafe Toledo. The pastries are really good if you can get there before noon. Good place for people watching if you sit outside or inside. Sometimes, there is a young, charismatic Roma (Gypsy) boy that plays an old accordian as a street performer. If you take a photo of him, he will ask for a tip but its worth it. It's been over a year since I've been there so I'm not sure if he's still around.
Head up the Rua Ferreira Borges. There are some fashionable boutiques here.
Here's the map:
http://www.coimbra.lip.pt/~rpc2001/images/mapa-q2.jpg
Turn right to the Arco de Almedina. You'll actually see a small arch first, the Porta da Barbaca, on top of a few steps. Then the imposing Arco de Almedina will appear. This is the old city gate. You will want a wide-angle for this one. This used to be a walled city. Inside the walls is called the Alta; outside, the Baixa. The gate has been in this state since the mid 16th century I believe but it dates all the way back to the 9th century - originally built by the Moors. The name is derived from an Arabic language. There is a small museum near the Arco de Almedina - exposition varies - it could be art, it could be historical artifacts, it depends.
Here's a photo:
http://www.pbase.com/diasdosreis/image/45155536
Ok, heres the hardest part of the walk. Continue through the gate. Turn left and you are now at the Rua do Quebra Costas (Road of Broken Backs). It is named this because it was once so steep that it was common for people to fall backwards and break their backs. Stairs were installed as a result. There are two very good azulejo shops here. Azulejos are traditional portuguese tiles that are usually painted blue and white to make impressive murals or patterns. Sometimes you can see the artisans painting the tiles inside the shop called MF Miranda... good photo opportunity there. Continue climbing up, watching your step, and you will cross the former house of Artur Paredes. He was a great fado guitarist. His son, Carlos Paredes, is a Portuguese legend and hero. He is known as the man with 1000 fingers for his guitar work but he was also a political activist who was jailed by the fascist government for many years. Continue and you will reach Se Velha.
Se Velha is the oldest monastery in the city. It was founded in 1162, about 100 years after the Portuguese Christian forces conquered the city from the Muslim Moors. It was actually a Mosque founded in the early 8th century that was destroyed during the invasion. It was rebuilt as a fortified Christian church. Apparently, some of the stones used to rebuild the church were reused and had Arabic writing on them. If you search hard enough you may find some but the writing would have been weathered to the point of being unreadable. A person showed me one of these once, but to me it just looked like a bunch of small holes where the writing should be. Go inside. The interior is spectacular. The altar is exquisitely carved. There is a door on the right that will lead you to the cloister. The cloister is very beautiful and there is a good view of the university tower from there. It costs a bit of money to get into the cloister - 1.50 Euro, I think. Its worth it, and you'll get a fact-sheet that will guide you through the building.
Click here for Photos - the first building is Se Nova - scroll down a bit for Se Velha
To the left of Se Velha follow the Rua dos Coutinhos and you will find the museum - Museu Nacional Machado de Castro. It has spectacular historical artifacts there from all periods of Portuguese history. Its built on top of ruins of an old Roman forum. You can still visit the lower levels of the Roman forum underneath. Here's some photos:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=308592
I would then head back to Se Velha and then turn left to Rua Borges Carneiro. On this road, to the left of monestary of Se Velha there is a really good restaurant called 'O Trovador'. They have fado almost every night. So if there is no concerts, you can go there. The food is really good too. The prices on the menu are reasonable but it could get expensive because (like most places in Portugal) the bread, butter, drinks, cheeses etc. are all extra. When the fado starts playing, you tend to drink a bit more too. My favourite dish of theirs is 'Ricois da Avozinha' - its basically pork roasted drowned in wine with bits of fried morcela (blood sausage - this is really good stuff) served with boiled potatoes, carrots. Its sounds basic but its great.
After visiting Se Velha, continue down the Rua Borges Carneiro. You'll eventually get to steps that will lead you to the University.
Here's a map:
http://www.coimbra.lip.pt/~rpc2001/images/mapa-q0.gif
The University is the life of this city. It is spectacular. It was founded in 1290 making it one of the oldest in the world that is still in operation. But even before then, Coimbra was a great academic centre especially for studies in theology. The University of Coimbra is still the most prestigious university in the country. Make sure you visit the library and the chapel. The library is absolutely spectacular. One unique feature, that not very many tourists see is the prison. Yes, this University had a prison. I don't know what went on in there and I don't really want to know either. There is also a veranda that you can access with spectacular views of the city.
Here's some photos.
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=390776
http://www.flickr.com/search/?sourceid=mozilla-search"&q=coimbra+university
From here, you can visit Se Nova, which is near by. Pass the Largo de D. Dinis, that has a big statue of the King, you'll arrive at the Aqueduto de Sao Sabastiao. Great photo opportunity there of this aqueduct. Follow the aqueduct to the Jardim Botanico.
Map:
http://www.coimbra.lip.pt/~rpc2001/images/mapa-q4.jpg
This is an old and beautiful garden set up by the University long ago to study pants from all over the world. Its not to be missed.
Photos:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=8211367#post8211367
Go back up underneath the arches of the aqueduct and continue down the Rua Alexandre Herculano and you'll get to the Praca da Republica. To your right, you'll find the Parque de Santa Cruz or Jardim da Sereia - a very nice park.
Photos:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=9411960#post9411960
To your left is the Avenida Sa Da Bandeira. A very nice avenue made in the Pombaline style found in Lisbon. Immediately near the Praca da Republica is the University theatre - there are murals depicting the students over the centuries. Continue on and you'll find the Praca - the city market. Its a very colourful place and provides good opportunities for photographs. Immediately after the market is the Jardim da Manga. It used to be a cloister of the Monestary of Santa Cruz but the wall and tower that surrounded it had to be taken down because it was unsafe quite a few decades ago It revealed a beautiful artificial garden inside and now its open to the public.
Map:
http://www.coimbra.lip.pt/~rpc2001/images/mapa-q2.jpg
I'll continue tomorrow starting with a place dear to my heart, Santa Cruz, after I get home from work (around 5:00 EST) as it is getting a bit late here.
PS: Sorry about the lack of accents - Since I live in Canada, I have a English language keyboard and I got tired of using the Charmap to put in all the accented letters.
