The city's large student population guarantees an active, sometimes raucous nightlife. You'll find the bars around the Sé Velha and its square, Largo da Sé Velha, packed with students, professors, and locals, who drink, gossip, and discuss academic priorities. Our favorite experience is hopping randomly from bar to bar. For late-night fado, head for A Capella, Rua Corpo de Deus (tel. 23/983-39-85) which was turned into a cafe from a chapel constructed back in 1364. Open daily 1pm to 3am, it offers nightly performances at 9:30, 10:30, and 11:30pm, with a 5€ ($6.50) cover charge.
One of the hippest joints for a crowd in their 20s and 30s is the Quebra Club, P. Verde do Mondego (tel. 23/982-16-61), which is found along the riverbanks within walking distance of the landmark bridge, Ponte de Santa Clara. This is the best place to hear jazz or funk, which is enjoyed in a club decorated with paintings by local artists. Beer costs from 1€ to 3€ ($1.30-$3.90), and there's never a cover. It's open Monday to Thursday and Sunday noon to 2am, Friday and Saturday noon to 4am. In the afternoon, salads and light meals are served.
The town's dance clubs rock at least 5 nights a week (sometimes 7, depending on how many students are in town). The glamour and desirability of the dance clubs we recommend increase or decrease every season based on the whims of the danceaholic public. Depending on your mood and who's there at the time of your visit, the most worthwhile is Passarelle, Praça Machado Assis 22 (tel. 23/982-70-67), which gets lively after 10:30pm and often stays open until around 3am or, on Friday and Saturday, until dawn. Caffé, Largo de Sé Velha 4-8 (tel. 23/983-81-64), is not just an Internet cafe, but a hot dance club, with African, Brazilian, or pop music blasting away. A cover of 2.50€ ($3.25) is imposed only after 11pm. It's open June to mid-September Monday to Saturday 11am to 4am, and September 16 to May Monday to Saturday 9am to 4pm.
Student celebrations in Coimbra include the Queima das Fitas (Burning of the Ribbons), a graduation ritual during the first or second week of May. Then loosely organized serenatas (troupes of students who re-create the music and aura of medieval troubadours) sing and wander through Coimbra's streets at unannounced intervals. It's impossible to predict when and where you're likely to find these spontaneous reminders of yesteryear.
