Kings, Scholars and Rebels Self Guided Tour of Coimbra

Portugal's first capital has a habit of giving old buildings new jobs. A royal throne room is now where doctoral students defend their theses. A parish church is now a café. A Moorish gate still guards the hill. This self-guided audio walking tour, on the Tourific app, stitches it all together. Follow a route from the Monastery of Santa Cruz, where Portugal's first two kings lie buried, up cobblestone backstreets to Europe's oldest surviving university, where bats work the night shift in the Joanina Library. Hear how a student serenade became the secret signal that toppled a dictatorship, and trace the doomed love of Pedro and Inês. Walk at your own pace, pause when you want, restart when you're ready. No fixed meeting time, no group to keep up with, full offline access. Over 20,000 travelers have used our self-guided walking tours, and this Coimbra audio tour comes with a full refund guarantee. If you'd rather wander and listen than follow a raised umbrella, this one's for you.

1. 1

   8 de Agosto

   Pass by

   Stand at the triumphal arch that a Portuguese king built to rewrite his own dynasty's burial ground.

2. 2

   8 de Agosto

   Pass by

   Order coffee beneath the soaring vaults of a church that once served as a hardware store.

3. 3

   Coimbra

   Pass by

   Climb the stair locals call the Backbreaker and meet the bronze woman who once kept this city drinking.

4. 4

   Coimbra District

   Pass by

   Step inside a medieval watchtower where a doomed poet scrawled his name and a fado museum now whispers.

5. 5

   Se Velha De Coimbra

   Pass by

   Look up at the crenellated parapets of the only Portuguese cathedral still dressed for battle.

6. 6

   Museu Nacional de Machado de Castro

   Pass by

   Descend beneath a bishop's palace to the largest Roman structure in Portugal, built to flatten a hilltop

7. 7

   Portugal

   Pass by

   Cross the stairs Salazar built as a showcase and students turned into the stage of a national protest.

8. 8

   Coimbra District

   Pass by

   Pause under the iron gate every Coimbra student passes through twice, once to begin and once to burn.

9. 9

   Coimbra

   Pass by

   Enter the courtyard where Portugal's first dynasty of kings was born and where rectors are still crowned.

10. 10

    Coimbra

    Pass by

    Meet the two bat species who have worked the night shift among sixty thousand rare books for centuries.

11. 11

    Coimbra District

    Pass by

    Notice the armillary sphere above a chapel door that hides one of Europe's loudest Baroque organs.

12. 12

    Coimbra

    Pass by

    Duck through the last surviving Moorish gate in Coimbra and find the legend of a princess carved above

13. 13

    Portugal

    Pass by

    Spot the Friar Killer whose statue rules the square where medieval traders paid their toll to enter Coimbra.

14. 14

    Ponte Santa Clara

    Pass by

    Linger on the bridge that has joined the two sides of Coimbra in three forms across five centuries.

15. 15

    Santa Iria de Azoia

    Pass by

    Explore the ruins of a monastery the river swallowed, founded by a queen who turned bread to roses.

16. 16

    Jardim Urbano da Costa de Caparica

    Pass by

    Wander the gardens where a royal romance ended in murder and a fountain still holds her tears.

• Service animals allowed
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.