Coimbra or the history of the first capital of Portugal.

Coimbra was the first capital of the Kingdom of Portugal. It is now the third city after Lisbon and Porto, from which Coimbra lies at the same distance, on the right bank of the Mondegu River.

For about three centuries, the city shared with Lisbon the right to host the University of Portugal, one of the oldest in Europe. Finally, in 1537, at the request of King João III, the university was transferred and finally settled in Coimbra, a city founded in 1290 but already existing in Roman times. The latter gave it the name Eminemum. This ancient name of Coimbra was changed after the neighboring village of Conimbriga, the largest settlement of Lusitania, was destroyed. In 468, the Suevs leveled it to the surface of the earth, and the inhabitants of Eminium took its name and remade it in their own way.

You should definitely visit the ruins of Conimbriga, located 15 kilometers from Coimbra. During archaeological excavations on this site, magnificent samples of mosaics, baths, houses, fragments of an aqueduct and the remains of a forum were discovered. A small local museum exhibits statues, coins, ceramics and other interesting finds. It is the largest archaeological site in Portugal.

Coimbra is clearly divided into two social zones. The upper part of the city, where the clergy and nobles used to live, retains its medieval appearance. Quite different looks the lower part of the city, a place of concentration of artisans, traders and ordinary citizens.

At the top of the city are the Old Se Cathedral and the New Cathedral.

The easiest and fastest way to get acquainted with the main attractions of the country is to visit the park of Portugal in miniature.

If desired, a visit to Coimbra can be combined with other attractions of Portugal.