Our Tomar and Coimbra Tour, a special tour for special people, visiting Portuguese Templars home town as well as the oldest European University. From the ancient Portuguese legends to the pioneers of the education in Europe, Coimbra.

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Tomar and Coimbra Tour

Tomar had “witnessed” the struggles of the Christian Reconquest, preserves an important testimony of the Hebrew religion, the ancient synagogue of the 16th century, the Luso-Hebrew Museum of Abraham Zacuto, dedicated to the distinguished this astronomer and mathematician of the fifteenth century. Located in ancient “Judiaria” has a valuable documentary collection.

Tomar the Portuguese Templar´s home town, known as warrior monks, the templars settled in Portugal and were very important for the construction of Portugal as an independent country,  helping to conquer numerous villages to the Moors, the Order of the Templars, known allover the world as knights of the Temple, founded in 1119 by Hugo de Payens and eight more Knights.

Coimbra, a city of Celtic origin, followed by different civilizations such as; Romans, Vesigodos and later the Moors, the first Portuguese king Afonso Henriques, placed it as the capital of the kingdom, also linked to the precious love story between D.Pedro I and D. Inês, where the Portuguese King Alfonso IV, had condemned to dead is soon “lover”…

Coimbra highlight, the Joanine library was built in the XVIII century on the former University prison, its considered by many one of the most beautiful libraries in the world, its lovely  decoration only was finished on the XVIII century in its ceilings  lovely frescoes executed by Antonio Ribeiro and Vicente Nunes, as well portrait of the Portuguese king Joao V done by the Italian Domenico Dupra.

Tomar and Coimbra Tour a great tour for those who have no time to waste, visiting two of the most important places in Portugal in just one day from Lisbon.

The Templars

Templars Castle

Visiting the Templars Castle/ Convent of Christ is traveling into time and understand the power and prestige of this military order in Portugal. With the extinction of the Order of the Templars in 1311, the Portuguese King Dinis delivered the castle and all there patrimony to the Order of Christ.

Latter the earthquake of 1755 in Portugal, caused several damages in its structure and during the following century was altered, which adulterated the austerity of its initial architecture.

Tomar

The oldest part of the city (Medieval) orientated in cardinal points in cross, with a convent in each of its extremes, in the center the Republic Square, with the Mother Church, to the west the hill of the Castle and the Convent of Christ.

Numerous shops of traditional commerce here we can also find the oldest coffee known for its almond and chila Cheesecakes and the traditional Tomar slices, made with egg yolks and boiled in a special saucepan, the legend says that has invented by a person from Tomar in the mid-twentieth century.

Santa Maria do Olival

Another importance place to visit will be the church of Santa Maria do Olival, built in the 12th century and was the headquarter of the Order of the Templars, classified as National Monument in 1910 and is one of the most emblematic examples of Gothic art in Portugal. Here the city funder Gualdim Pais is buried as well as other Grand Masters of the Order, a Church that seems smaller than in reality is once buried two meters below the ground.

Coimbra – University – Library Joanina

The construction of the Biblioteca Joanina began in the year 1717, over the old prison of the Royal Palace, with the purpose of hosting the university library of Coimbra and was completed in 1728.

Although it was built following the royal project of reforming university studies (as a result of the diffusion of the Enlightenment currents in Portugal), the Joanine Library is recognized as one of the most original and spectacular European baroque libraries, Joao Ferreira was the master of works the decoration ( painted ) was only realized some years later.

During  the Pombaline Reformation: the frescoes of the ceilings and cimalhas were executed by António Simões Ribeiro, painter, and Vicente Nunes gilder. The celebrated portrait of  Portuguese King João V is attributed to the Italian Domenico Duprà and the painting and gilding of the shelves was carried out by Manuel da Silva.

IMPORTANT – If the visit to the University interior is essential for you, let us know during the booking to purchase 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,  (11.5 € / person), even if the visit is not made due to the client’s withdrawal or delay of the same.

Coimbra – DownTown

The Coimbra downtown or Historic Center  is the denomination given to the central zone of the city, this designation was developed with the separation of the “High”, where lived the nobility, the clergy and later the students, and the “Baixa”, dominated by commerce, crafts and neighborhoods.

Today, both are privileged places of the city, where services (banking, insurance, commerce), centuries of history, housing, culture, green spaces and leisure are mixed. It is here that you can find a part of the civic center of the city, the big shopping streets (such as Rua Ferreira Borges), the traditional Municipal Market D.Pedro V, Coimbra train station and important monuments such as the Santa Cruz Monastery.

Reviews Tripadvisor

  Excelente passeio - O primeiro um excelente tour pela cidade de Lisboa com o apoio do guia Carlos Rodrigues, bastante atencioso e agradável em um veículo muito confortável.

EvandroCesar
11 de November, 2022

  Gostaríamos de deixar registrado o excelente passeio que fizemos a Sintra e Cascais durante nossa viagem a Portugal. Tomei conhecimento da empresa pela internet e os comentários aqui foram essenciais... read more para eu contratá-los. Assim, endosso e indico muito o passeio guiado. O guia Carlos que nos acompanhou na visita foi fantástico, formado em História, nos acompanhou em toda visita aos palácios da Pena e Queluz, nos proporcionando uma aula riquíssima. Vale muitíssimo o passeio. Super indicamos.

tehanefenner
12 de February, 2022