Upper Coimbra

Perched high above the city at 160 metres above sea level, the Alta de Coimbra reveals the city's second face. This upper part of town was once home to the city’s wealthiest families, intellectuals, and members of the clergy. Thanks to its natural defences, it also served as a strategic route between the north and south of Portugal. These narrow, winding streets still carry traces of the Arab presence, those who ruled Coimbra between the Roman era and the arrival of Portugal’s first kings. In this compact area, the Alta de Coimbra brings together an impressive collection of monuments from different periods, including the city’s crown jewel, its university, one of the most renowned in Europe. In short, you’re standing in the most monumental part of Coimbra.