Coimbra is Portugal's most important academic center. The oldest university in the country operates here, the buildings of which are an important part of the Old Town are inscribed on the UNESCO list. Picturesquely located on the hill, the city is also famous for the local fado variety, which many consider to be the most beautiful in Portugal.
Coimbra was founded in Roman times and in the 7th century it came under the Moorish rule. They created a thriving cultural and scientific center here, and after reconstruction King Alfonso I the Conqueror moved the capital of the country here. Another stimulus for the city's development was the transfer of Lisbon's oldest Portuguese university here in 1308. Its buildings expanded for centuries cover a large part of the hill on which the Old Town stands. To this day, you can visit the extensive university courtyard with the monument of King Henry the Sailor and the monumental library in buildings still used by students, with 300,000 antique prints and the unusual chapel of Saint Michael decorated with azulejos, whose floors look like large, woven carpets.
The university district, which is closely connected to the Old Town, is perfect for walking. Narrow, winding streets, picturesque tenement houses, viewpoints from which you can see the surrounding hills, and a lot of restaurants and cafes as well as the student city atmosphere, all this makes Coimbra recognized by the readers of The Guardian as the best city in Portugal for family sightseeing . There is also a miniature park in the city, in which models of the most important buildings from all over Portugal were assembled.
