The university city of Coimbra is the 3rd largest in
Portugal, with only Lisbon and Porto larger. A
beautiful city, resting on the Mondego river with
glorious architecture, Coimbra has something for
everyone. Coimbra was the capital of Portugal
between 1154 and 1250, before it was moved to
Lisbon.
Coimbra is famous for it's fado music. Fado is
essentially Portuguese folk music and is
traditionally only sung by men. However, this
tradition has changed over the years and there are
now as many female fado students as male. It's
origins are thought to stem from African slaves,
laments which found an echo in their hearts of
homesick Portuguese sailors on voyages of discovery.
There are a number of bars and restaurants
where you can see traditional fado music. Times and
venues can be obtained from the local tourist
information office.
It is also a large university city. The university
in Coimbra is
among one of the oldest in europe. Started in Coimbra in 1537
it was the only university in Coimbra for 400 years.
The buzz of city life is highly charged whilst the
students are in residence, with something going on
somewhere all the time.
For those of you who like shopping there are several centres
to choose from such as:- The Forum, Coimbra Shopping, with the huge
Continente hypermarket, and Dolce Vita. At many of
these
outlets you can "shop ītil you drop", and eat in the
well known food houses, including Burger King, KFC & Pizza Hut.
Or, why not opt
for the more traditional way of shopping and stroll
through the cobbled streets of the old city where
there are many gift shops, bars and restaurants.
