Venue

Coimbra is located in central Portugal, 120 km south of Porto, 195 km north of Lisbon. One of Portugal’s biggest crossroads, Coimbra is served by the A1, the main highway of Portugal, and by the Alfa Pendular and Intercidades train services. Those travelling from outside the Iberian Peninsula will probably fly to Lisbon or Oporto, from where there are good train connections to Coimbra. Rail travel from both Lisbon and Oporto is regular, fast and reliable provided you take the Alfa Pendular or Intercidades services.

Train connections between Lisbon and Oporto are equally good (Coimbra is one of the stops of the Lisbon to Oporto line). Thus, our advice is to choose based on the flights available.

Step-by-step guide from Lisbon airport to Coimbra:

By Train:

Once you arrive at Lisbon you should go to the railway station “Gare do Oriente”. Take the subway red line straight from the airport to Gare Oriente or take a taxi (about 10 minutes). Once at Gare do Oriente, you can buy the tickets on the 1st floor. The train-lines are on the 2nd floor.

You should buy a ticket for an Alfa Pendular or Intercidades train to Coimbra. You can consult the schedules here: http://www.cp.pt. Travel times range from 1h:30m to 2h00m (approximately). Get off the train when you arrive at Coimbra B (the main railway station). You can take another train for Coimbra A station on the same ticket from where all the hotels are within walking distance. However, you can also get off at Coimbra B station and take a taxi to your hotel.

By Shuttle:

Coimbra Airport Shuttle operates a door-to-door shared transfer between Coimbra and Lisbon airport from 36,00€. More information about Airport Shuttle timetables and tickets is available at https://www.airportshuttle.pt

Step-by-step guide from Oporto airport to Coimbra:

By Train:

Once you arrive at Oporto take the Tram-train to the Campanhã railway station (line E). You should buy a Z4 ticket (4 zones). The travel takes, roughly, 30 minutes. Once you arrive at Campanhã you should buy a ticket for an Alfa Pendular or Intercidades train to Coimbra. Tickets can be bought at the ticket office or on the green ATM-like machines at the railway station. You can consult the schedules here: http://www.cp.pt. Travel time is, roughly, 1h00m. Get off the train when you arrive at Coimbra B (the main railway station). You can take another train for Coimbra A station on the same ticket from where all the hotels are within walking distance. However, you can also get off at Coimbra B station and take a taxi to your hotel.

By Shuttle:

Coimbra Airport Shuttle operates a door-to-door shared transfer between Coimbra and Oporto airport from 34,00€. More information about Airport Shuttle timetables and tickets is available at https://www.airportshuttle.pt

Coimbra, the city of knowledge, is better known for its University and that has just been classified as World Heritage by UNESCO. You can reach Coimbra by car, train or bus (please see below).

In terms of historic significance and romantic beauty, Coimbra is second only to Lisbon and Oporto. Its ancient buildings cling to the side of the hill that rises above the curves of the river Mondego, the ornate buildings of the famous University of Coimbra are its crowning glory.

According to a fado sung by the students, “Coimbra has more charm in the hour of parting”, but maybe it will not be necessary to wait for that to find out...