Attractions

Coimbra's charms and mysteries unfold as you walk up Rua Ferreira Borges, under the Gothic Arco de Almedina with its coat of arms. From that point, you can continue up the steep street, past antiques shops, to the old quarter.

Across from the National Museum is Sé Nova (New Cathedral), Largo da Sé Nova, which has a cold 17th-century neoclassical interior. Admission is free. It's open Tuesday through Friday from 9am to 12:30pm and 2 to 5:30pm. More interesting is Sé Velha (Old Cathedral), Largo da Sé Velha (tel. 23/982-31-38), founded in 1170. The crenellated cathedral enjoys associations with St. Anthony of Padua. You enter by passing under a Romanesque portal. Usually a student is here, willing to show you (for a tip) the precincts, including the restored cloister. The pride of this monument is the gilded Flemish retable over the main altar, with a crucifix on top. To the left of the altar is a 16th-century chapel, designed by a French artist, that contains the tomb of one of the bishops of Coimbra. Admission to the old cathedral is free; admission to the cloisters is 1.50€. The Sé Velha is open Monday to Saturday 10am to 6pm.