Hotels in Coimbra, Portugal

Another symbol of Coimbra are the repúblicas, the students' homes. Of ancient origins, they are known to be affordable rental houses. The repúblicas are managed directly by students and are a sort of free zone humming with cultural and social activities, coexistence and freedom of movement. Deference to these houses is such that during the period of the dictatorship in Portugal (lasted 50 years and over in 1975) the police could not enter the repúblicas, so they were used as shelter by the dissidents.

Coimbra is a city where you can breathe culture. In addition to the university, there are so many monuments, cathedrals and churches, as well as the historical collections kept in the Museu Nacional of Machado de Castro. In Coimbra, also the Arabs left a mark of their passage, while during the Christian Reconquest and the Renaissance have been erected buildings as the Mosteiro de Santa Cruz and the Royal Palace, the Joanina Library and the Capela de S. Miguel with Manueline portals.

In the Baixa of Coimbra, the historic and commercial center, on the streets of Rua da Sofia and Rua Ferreira Borges, you can admire great monuments as the Edifício do Chiado and the Arc de Almedina of the Arab era, but also the countless ancient and modern libraries , stores, crafts and ceramic shops. You cannot miss a stop at the Cafè de Santa Cruz, attended by students and bohémien.

It is worth visiting also the Cathedral, or Sé Velha, a Romanesque building dating back to the 1162, with its ornate portals, the nave, the cloister. Outside the Sé Velha there are narrow streets where you can enjoy pleasant walks. The evenings and night life in Coimbra is particularly lively between April and September, when the weather is milder. The most popular venues are around Praca da Republica, the central square, behind the university.