Coimbra is a city of students, and at night it shows it. This walk starts by the Mondego river and climbs into the old town, the Alta, where the university has shaped city life for nearly five centuries.
Coimbra was the capital of Portugal from 1131 until 1255, and the first king, Afonso Henriques, is buried in its Monastery of Santa Cruz. The university, founded in 1290 and settled in Coimbra in 1537, is one of the oldest in Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
On the way, your guide explains the traditions that make Coimbra unique: the black academic capes, the repúblicas where students live together, the May festival of Queima das Fitas, and Coimbra fado, sung by men in academic dress, often as a serenade. Tradition says you show your appreciation by clearing your throat rather than clapping.
The night continues in the student bars of the old town and the Baixa, with a toast to the city. On some nights the group can finish at a Coimbra fado house.
