Often ranked among the most beautiful gardens in the world, the Jardim Botânico was founded in 1774 at the request of the Marquis of Pombal, a former Portuguese Secretary of State who left a lasting mark on the country’s history. The land had belonged to Benedictine monks two centuries earlier, but it was transformed under the direction of Domenico Vandelli, an Italian botanist who taught chemistry and natural history at the University of Coimbra. Today, the garden stretches across 13.5 hectares and is divided into three main areas. In the upper section, there’s a series of terraces with both tropical and temperate greenhouses. In the central zone, around an elegant fountain, brought from the old cloister of Saint Benedict’s College, you’ll find beautifully tended flower beds. Further from the entrance, a wooded area unfolds, filled with a wide variety of trees, some of them impressively tall. This corner of Coimbra offers a peaceful, bucolic escape, while also protecting biodiversity.