Coimbra and Oporto Tour, why not visit two of the most emblematic Portuguese cities in a single day ??? Being in Lisbon, we can arrange a visit to two other important cities; with our Coimbra and Oporto Tour its possible, starting and ending in Lisbon.

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Coimbra and Oporto Tour

The City of Oporto proudly known as “Invicta” by there inhabitants, was born on the hills of the Douro River, a millennial urban landscape, with diversity of civil and religious architecture witness the route of a Historic center dating back to Romans, Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassical times .

Oporto historical center on rugged terrain and articulated with the organic layout of its streets, the Historical Center acquires a singular panoramic value, reinforced in the profusion of monuments like the “Se”, the Church of Santa Clara or the Palacio da Bolsa.

World Heritage Site Since 1996, its historic center with an invaluable wealth and landscape grandeur, captures the diversity of urban design solutions from the cities of Western Europe and Atlantic-Mediterranean from the medieval era to the beginnings of modernity.

The history of the University of Coimbra dates even back to the century subsequent to the very foundation of the Portuguese nation, Coimbra was the setting for the forbidden love of Dom Pedro I and Dona Inês, a lady at court a real love story …Inês was executed at the orders of the king Dom Afonso IV, who saw in this romance the danger of Portugal being submitted to the rule of Castile. An inspiration to poets and writers, their story still forms a major part of the city”s rich heritage.

Coimbra – University

In this tour we should leave Lisbon early in the morning arriving in Coimbra ( two hours driving ), in time to visit the University, dated from 1290 when the Portuguese king Dinis order it’s construction.

Here you will be able to visit the Joanina Library cited by the renowned british newspaper The Telegraph “the most spectacular library in the world”, a jewel of the baroque in Portugal, carrying over 70.000 books in its shelves. 

From the University’s upper ground, the view over Coimbra is simply spectacular, with the Mondego river (the largest Portuguese river), dividing the city in two main areas. 

IMPORTANT – If the interior visit to the University is essential for you, let us know when booking your Coimbra and Oporto Tour, soo then we can book the tickets in advance  (not included in the price), as the visit to the Joanina Library it is numbered and otherwise it will be practically impossible to make the visit at the moment, after the reservation made, the customer will be charged the same amount at the end of the tour (11.5 € / person), even if the visit is not made due to the client’s withdrawal or delay of the same.

Coimbra Downtown

The Baixa de Coimbra or Coimbra Historic Center  is the name given to the central area of Coimbra.

The designation was developed with the separation between the “High”, where the nobility, the clergy lived and later the students, and the “Baixa”, the city civic center where the great commercial streets are Ferreira Borges street, the D.Pedro V Municipal Market and Coimbra train station as well as and important monuments such as; the Santa Cruz Monastery.

An area with lots of national and international shops, with restaurants and bars where you can get to know some of the regional Coimbra pastry like the Pastel de Santa Clara or the Pasteis de Tentugal.

Lunch

Lunch can be done in Coimbra, where the Suckling pig of Bairrada, rules as king of the region’s gastronomic offer, or maybe you will want to try the “chanfana”, another Coimbra typica dish. According with our schedule Oporto can be another great option.

Gaia

Our Coimbra and Oporto Tour will take us to Oporto where we will start our tour with the best view of the city more precisely in Gaia at the Serra do Pilar Monastery. In Gaia we will visit one of the Port Wine cellars, to understand whole Port winemaking process ending in a wine tasting.

Downtown

Then we will cross the D. Luis I Bridge to Oporto river side, to visit its downtown, the renowned Avenida dos Aliados, the city focal point, where everything happens, from the festivities to the strikes, at one end the beautiful Oporto City Hall and on the other end Praca da Liberdade, where a statue of a Pedro IV, Brazilian emperor and king of Portugal stands, a great defender of the liberalism movement. 

Visit Sao Bento train station, where 20 thousand tiles of the Portuguese artist Jorge Colaco will take us on a journey through Portuguese history and the Douro and Minho traditions, a true open book that awaits us to show the life of this beautiful city.

Cathedral – Bolsa Palace

The Oporto Cathedral where we find vestiges of its first architecture, Romanesque architecture a church-fortress with two towers and the fantastic rosacea on the main facade.

Descending the merchants street (oldest Oporto street) towards the riverside area of the city to visit the San Francisco Church built in the 12th century in Romanesque architecture, later transformed into Gothic and later baroque, three naves full of golden carvings, in which is estimated to have been used over 300 kilos of gold, the tree of Jesse is another of the great attractions, a polychrome wood sculpture considered one of the best in the world.

The Bolsa Palace built in the 19th century, a neoclassical style and classified World Heritage Site by the UNESCO, where the Patio das Nacoes or the Arab Hall is the main attraction, with decorative stucco with marquetry floors and inlaid coats and heraldic representations with sculptures and screens of oils.

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Clergies Tower and Lello Library

The Clerigos Tower, watching us from the top of its 76 meters, and more than 200 steps hi with a fantastic view of the city and the river, its 49 bells that form a great chime that can frighten you when they start to play, but will be worth visiting.

The fantastic Lello Bookstore (considered by CNN to be the most beautiful in the world) and where JK Rowling, who was married to a Portuguese and lived in the city, was inspired to write Harry Potter nobel, her staircase is the main attraction, people from all over the world come to visit the bookstore looking for books but also to know the universe that inspired the creator of the history of the world’s best known magician, very close theres Carmo and Carmelites churches.

Reviews Tripadvisor

  Experiência maravilhosa - Só tenho elogios a equipe é maravilhosa, todos muito educados e prestativos, hoje o Sr. José nos acompanhou até a entrada do embarque. Carlos nos proporcionou dias maravilhosos de... read more passeios, sempre pontual, atencioso, com um conhecimento imenso da história de toda a região é muito cuidado no volante. Eu e minha mãe amamos. Sempre que viermos a Portugal utilizaremos o serviço.

386alessandrac
16 de April, 2023

  Fizemos dois tours maravilhosos. Em especial destaque , nosso guia Bruno, que foi muito atencioso ,prestativo e com um ótimo conhecimento histórico que nos proporcionou aprendizado com... read more " aulas de história" junto aos passeios. Sem dúvida, super recomendo , pois se voltar, com certeza terei ele como guia.

33dirceb
21 de October, 2022