Three hours in Coimbra as a photographer in summer 2026.

While Paris is ready to burst with famous sites like the pyramids of the Louvre, Place de la Concorde, and the Eiffel Tower that is visible from pretty much every street in the city, and London—Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, the London Eye, the Houses of Parliament, Trafalgar Square—well, just what it says on the tin, Coimbra treats with something different.

If you're planning on coming or you're already here, you can call yourself curious. Because there is so much moaning on the internet about Coimbra—that is boring, that it's a city of students and old people, that nothing happens—it's easy to ignore this city and stay in Lisbon or Porto.

Also, the official guides are somehow lazy about showing real Coimbra, hence, when you search on the internet for places to see, you'll most definitely be shown this one picture of the University of Coimbra from the other side of the Mondego River....

I know Coimbra pre COVID, when I moved from London, and I see that some things are changing fast (In Coimbra, the food scene reflects the city's diversity.), while others are suspended in time. I must agree, though, it's not easy to find out what's going on in this city, and sometimes information is confusing or incomplete.

But today, I'll investigate, as a photographer, where to go to capture Coimbra's unique angles. 

I've started my walk in Baixa because if you're visiting Coimbra soon or later you'll land here. Standing next to the Largo da Portagem garden and having looked around, I noticed an old building with thick walls that looks like it's important. It's the Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Novaon the other side of the river. Having walked over the bridge Ponte de Santa Clara, I stopped for a quick drink in Epicura, a craft beer house—I recommend asking for a few samples before choosing a beer you want. When I finally climbed on top of the hill, the monastery welcomed me with its heavy posture, and behind me, the view on Baixa convinced me to take my camera out. After taking pictures, feeling satisfied, I braved deeper into the Santa Clara neighborhood, where a small vegetable shop, a bakery, and quiet streets show how regular life looks like. I could've spent days there walking with the camera, but I had places to go. 

I came back to Baixa, and I walked towards the other side of the city via Botanic Gardens to Monumento a António Nobre. The bust of the poet is a good point on the map to follow, but just off the road there is a narrow park, a hidden gem in my opinion. The park is high above the city, and below, the modern part of Coimbra shines with its white houses and orange roofs, and beyond, the countryside and Lousa Mountains on the horizon. I wish I could've stayed for the golden hour or, better yet, come in an early morning to catch the rising sun. But I had one place to go. 

Not far, walking down the Avenida Marnoco e Sousa, next to wealthy-looking town houses, I headed to Semente Atelier, which is inside the Seminário Maior de Coimbra. I try not to be intimidated by the thick walls; I walk in like I belong. It's free access there, but it feels like it isn't. The Seminário is on a hill (yet another one), hence, you can take pictures of a big part of Coimbra from yet another angle. Across the river, the monastery of Santa Clara-a-Nova spreads its old heavy walls that guard mysteries of the secret police that occupied the building during the dictatorship.

Tired but with a full memory card, I decided it's time to have a rest. I think this little photography itinerary shows that it doesn't take much to see Coimbra more and find a lot of good angles in half a day (with a beer stop).

By the way, if you'd like to explore Coimbra with me book the walk below.