What a spectacular place and a must if you are in town and you like history and beauty. Perched high above the city, Universidade de Coimbra brings its "A game" with views, architecture, and of course, history. Make sure to get a ticket to see the library, royal palace, chapel and so much more. We were in a hurry so we zipped on through but this could take your whole day! Accessibility might be a slight challenge because the properties are so old but the good news is the ticket sales online have an accessible ticket option. Make sure to inquire rather than forgo if you have uncertainty! Tip: look up some history before you go, you will be even more in awe with some of the fun facts! One example: did you know there is a colony of bats in the library?! Go look up why. So amazing! read more

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We were visiting this university as tourists. We ate in the cafeteria area of the Law building, and were told we could use our receipt to use the restroom, rather than pay .50 Euros. My friend and I were told to go down stairs through double doors marked "No Entry" to use the restroom, vs. the Women's restroom which was in the hall just outside the cafeteria. We then did some touring of the grounds, and before we left decided to use the restroom again. We went to the lower level where we had gone before, only to have a man come running and screaming after us. We were in the restroom stalls by then. He stood outside my stall, pounding on it and screaming that we shouldn't be there. He asked if we were students, and I said no. He continued to scream as my friend left her stall. I washed hands as he screamed at her that this restroom was for students. It was a very frightening and disturbing scenario to have a man follow us into the Women's restroom. My friend tried to explain that a woman sitting outside the upper restroom directed us to go through those doors. He continued to scream at her. Regardless of what the mixup was, this is no way to treat people, and he had no business entering our space and pound on the stall I was in. He needs to be severely disciplined for his actions. I will gladly provide more details if needed. This incident occurred on 5-26-25 between the time of 1-3 pm. I feel the need to document this employee's horrible behavior. I did not feel safe in a space that was meant for women only. read more

My wife and I were here on a Gate1 tour. Coimbra is the third-largest city in Portugal. We visited the University of Coimbra, among the oldest universities in Europe, with more than 700 years of history. Most impressive was their beautiful library. Interesting is the fact that the average yearly cost of tuition for a student at a public university is under $700 - yes, you read that right - $700, NOT $7,000 or $70,000! Grades 1-12 are compulsory. Some nice views overlooking the city. read more

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Super old university. The oldest in Portugal. University of Coimbra look like the Hogwarts school of magic. Even the student just dress like it. They all have a cape. It is so cool. It is almost like in the movie set of the Harry Porter. Unfortunately the day we visited is close for visitors due to Coronavirus. We have a chance to see the outside with different building. I was able to peek down to Sala dos Capelos. We actually looking forward for their Joanina Library. Unfortunately all close. We kind disappointed but we saw students dress with cape. It great tradition. read more

Portugal's oldest university was founded in Lisbon in 1290 and moved here when it was built in 1634. It occupies most of the center of the old city overlooking the new and the Mondego river. It has the clock and bell tower built in the 18th century, one of Coimbra's most famous landmark . Also one of the finest libraries in the world, Biblioteca Joanina. If in Coimbra, you must visit. read more

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The University of Coimbra is one of the oldest universities in continuous operation in the world, so there is more to see than the average university. Partly because it is a working university and partly because the sights are spread out, the visit was a bit disjointed. The visit structure was a bit different from what I read online on their webpage. The full visit was 12,5€ (November 2021). The palace was ok. The chapel was nice. I skipped the science museum. The botanical gardens were free and made for a pleasant walk. The visit to the library, the best part of the visit, was by "tour" (really just a fixed entry timeslot where someone watched the group and provided no commentary - so it was a supervised visit with 10 minutes in the antechamber and 10 minutes in the library). The library itself was splendid. No photos were allowed sadly. They actually have bats in there which eat pests, but they sleep in the day. read more

This university is worth a visit because 1. Established in the 13th century, the University of Coimbra is Portugal's oldest university, and one of the oldest in Europe. Some of the structures date back to Roman times! 2. Harry Potter!! It's not urban legend, J.K. Rowling did spend a few years in Portugal and got some inspiration from the university. if you visit the university, you'll definitely experience some Hogwarts moment. First, if you are lucky, you'll see the students walking around in black robes. As if they just walk off the film set. Next, visit the gorgeous library. You won't be surprised to see Hermione bent over some books scribbling with a quill. Now, be warned that visit is not free. You can walk around the ground, but entrance to the library, tower, and other areas require tickets. There are several packages you can choose from, but at the minimal do the "Palace of Schools" which includes the Baroque Library. Also, be warned that there is limited admission to the library, when you buy your ticket they will tell what your time slot will be. They also have guided tours which I'd highly recommend you to reserve ahead of time, by phone or email. read more

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It's ok, but I wouldn't make a special trip to see this. We were rushed through the library in what was basically a cattle call. We couldn't take pictures and there wasn't much room to move- let alone enjoy the place- and then we were rushed out. It wasn't really worth seeing (it's no Sintra palace, for example) and it's not peaceful, nor is there even that much to see. I'm sure it's got history- but so does everything else in Portugal. I thought I would like this place, but I didn't like the town or the university. I liked other smaller (cleaner) cities we went to much much better- and even just small places of interest (like Batalha monastery). Unless you have to go here, because it's on your tour, I wouldn't bother. read more

I went there to try to get my masters degree in a program with a description that did not match the actual content of the course. They say that they teach part in English and part in Portuguese, but this is not really true. It's not a problem that the programs are very much intended for native speakers of Portuguese, the issue is that they are not very accommodating to Portuguese learners. The university prides itself on its international student population but as an international student there who was not part of Erasmus, I felt more isolated than i ever have before. The academic services are not very helpful at all, and their online platforms UC student and inforestudante are not user friendly. They also have no online library database so you are left trying to find empirical information on Google scholar which is a personal turn off. If you are an international student looking to pursue a masters or a bachelors degree at this university, I would caution you. Phd students in psychology seem to come from various different countries to conduct laboratory research. They communicate with each other mostly in English and all of their projects are presented in English. If you can, you should check out the labs. That won't be the main focus of your time at the university however if you are not a phd student or research assistant. read more

What a beautiful, historic campus. Tons of beautiful buildings everywhere you look, and even a big 60s era one. Fun to see the students all dressed in their uniforms, and just the ambiance of the city. What a romantic place to go to school--oldest in Portugal--how cool is that? I wonder how it impacts what and how you learn to be in such an historic and pretty surroundings? I just know you gotta be in good shape with all the climbing (mama mia!) read more