"Portugal's City of Knowledge" a Coimbra Travel Page by SonOfLusus

I was lucky enough to be in Coimbra at the end of May when the students of its ancient university were celebrating the end of the academic year. The city's streets were one big party filled with wild celebrations. When I later returned during the long summer break, it was now a different city, peaceful and quiet with very little youth. It had become the provincial city that it is, although it likes to see itself as a big city. It is big on history, however, having briefly been the country's capital in the 12th century, with one of the world's oldest and most impressive universities, and the site of some of the country's best-known legends.
Crowning a hill overlooking the Mondego River and divided into two districts (the Upper Town and the Lower Town), it is a very atmospheric city, making it an enjoyable and interesting stop when in the center of Portugal or on the way from Lisbon to Porto.
If you want to know more about Coimbra, an excellent webpage is http://www.golisbon.com/portugal/cities/coimbra.html

My Top 10 Personal Favorite Coimbra Experiences

1. Climbing up from under the medieval gateway to the city, Arco de Almedina, through the old cobbled quarter all the way to the ancient university, stopping at the Old Cathedral on the way.

2. Visiting the impressive 16th century buildings of the university, especially its splendid library.

3. Walking through downtown's pedestrian streets and squares to Santa Cruz Monastery, visiting its interior and cloisters, followed by a break at the magnificent Santa Cruz Café next door.

4. Discovering the outstanding treasures housed in the Machado de Castro Museum inside the old Episcopal Palace, one of the country's best museums with fine sculptures by Jean de Rouen and Master Pero and well-preserved Roman passageways in the basement that were once part of a forum that stood on the site.

5. Taking a daytrip out to Conimbriga for its impressive Roman ruins, including some of the best-preserved Roman mosaics anywhere.

6. Crossing the Mondego River looking back at the old city standing before it, to visit the baroque Santa Clara-a-Nova Convent, resting place of Queen Saint Isabel.

7. Taking a guided tour of the ruins of Santa Clara-a-Velha Convent and visiting Quinta das Lágrimas to learn about Portugal's real life Romeo and Juliet, the tragic love story of Pedro and Inês.

8. Learning about the university students' lifestyle and traditions at the interesting Academic Museum, and joining the students at their bars and restaurants, where it is also possible to listen to their own version of Fado (slightly different from Lisbon), especially at O Trovador by the old cathedral.

9. Eating at Ze Manel dos Ossos . Entering this hole-in-the-wall restaurant in a back alley close to landmark Astoria Hotel feels like invading someone's home. The walls are plastered with the odd and eccentric, there are just a few simple wooden tables and chairs, but the food is great, it's inexpensive, and there's an amazing choice of dishes. There are messages written in different languages all over the walls, and a poster with the message "Eat sh!*. 487 billion flies can't be wrong!" makes this place an even more memorable experience you'll be telling your friends back home about.

10. Being a kid again in the small theme park Portugal dos Pequenitos, with scale models of the greatest monuments from around Portugal and some of its former colonies.