landmark
Piódão
A schist village built in terraces on a steep Serra do Açor hillside, reached by a winding mountain road.
51 km · about 60 min drive
EuropePortugalCoimbra
Coimbra
Coimbra, Portugal · Europe
About Coimbra
Coimbra sits on the route: 5 minutes from Bairro do Loreto, 54km from Praia da Costa Nova.
Coimbra is in Portugal, with about 140,000 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Bairro do Loreto, about 4 km away.
Coimbra, officially the City of Coimbra, is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2021 census was 140,796, in an area of around 319.40 square kilometres (123.3 sq mi).
It is the fourth-largest metropolitan area in Portugal after Lisbon, Porto, and Braga, and it is the largestRead more
city of the district of Coimbra and the Central Region, and about 460,000 people live in its intermunicipal community.
Among the many archaeological structures dating back to the Roman era, when Coimbra was the settlement of Aeminium, are its well-preserved aqueduct and cryptoporticus. Similarly, buildings from the period when Coimbra was the capital of Portugal (from 1131 to 1255) still remain. During the late Middle Ages, with its decline as the political centre of the Kingdom of Portugal, Coimbra began to evolve into a major cultural centre. This was in large part helped by the establishment of the first Portuguese university in 1290 in Lisbon and its relocation to Coimbra in 1308, making it the oldest academic institution in the Portuguese-speaking world. Apart from attracting many European and international students, the university is visited by many tourists for its monuments and history. Its historical buildings were classified as a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 2013: "Coimbra offers an outstanding example of an integrated university city with a specific urban typology as well as its own ceremonial and cultural traditions that have been kept alive through the ages."
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Coimbra?
Within an hour or so of Coimbra: Piódão (51 km), Aveiro (52 km), Praia da Costa Nova (54 km).
Are there any good drives near Coimbra?
The nearest famous roads are N2: Portugal's Route 66, N339 Serra da Estrela and Torre Summit Road (N339), Serra da Estrela.
Where is Coimbra?
Coimbra is in Coimbra, Portugal, about 4 km from Bairro do Loreto.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 140,796
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- Portugal
- Region
- Coimbra
- Timezone
- Europe/Lisbon
- Coordinates
- 40.2069, -8.4200
Tags
Worth the detour from Coimbra
3 notable places within an hour's drive.
landmark
Aveiro
The 'Venice of Portugal,' a colorful canal city with art nouveau buildings and traditional striped moliceiro boats gliding through its waterways.
52 km · about 60 min drive
photogenic
Praia da Costa Nova
Beach village on the Aveiro lagoon famous for its palheiros: former fishermen's haystores painted in bold candy stripes of red, blue and green facing the water. A short hop from Aveiro across the ria, with dunes and surf behind.
54 km · about 60 min drive
Driving roads near Coimbra
- 62 kmN2: Portugal's Route 66Portugal's longest road runs 738 kilometers from Chaves to Faro through the country's rural heartland and Alentejo plains.
- 70 kmTorre Summit Road (N339), Serra da EstrelaMainland Portugal's highest road climbs past glacial valleys and granite tors to the 1,993 m Torre summit: snow-dusted in winter and a favourite driving loop from Covilhã.
- 70 kmTorre, Serra da EstrelaThe highest point in mainland Portugal at 1993m, reachable by paved road N339, with a mountain plateau and winter snow.
- 70 kmN339 Serra da EstrelaThe climb to Torre, mainland Portugal's highest point at 1,993m, through glacial valleys and boulder fields.
Driving in Portugal
- Drives on
- the right
- Petrol
- ~€1.78/litre
- Motorway tolls
- ~€9.00/100km
When to drive here
April to October
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