Best of Coimbra Private Walking Tour with University Late Visit
Recommended by 93% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Coimbra, Portugal
- 2 to 3 hours (approx.)
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Discover the old capital of Portugal, Coimbra, on a private walking tour around the city. Learn about the rich history of this ancient city as you visit key landmarks such as the University of Coimbra, the Joanina Library, the Monastery of Santa Cruz located in the Moorish part of the city, and the Old Cathedral.
- Explore the central Portuguese city of Coimbra on a private walking tour
- Learn about the rich history of Portugal's old capital from your guide
- See the University of Coimbra, the Monastery of Santa Cruz, and more
- Enjoy a personalized experience with your own private tour guide
What's Included
- Professional guide
- Entrance fee - University Historic Campus€16.50 per person
- Entrance fee - Monastery of Sta. Cruz€4.00 per person
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Praça 8 de Maio 36, 3000-300 Coimbra, Portugal
This tour starts inside the City Hall building lobby (Câmara Municipal de Coimbra). Please search for a tour guide, holding a sign saying: "Coimbra Private Walking Tour". Address: Câmara Municipal de Coimbra Praça 8 de Maio 3000-300 Coimbra
End point
- Biblioteca Joanina, 3000-233 Coimbra, Portugal
We will be finishing this tour in front of the exit door of the Baroque Library (Biblioteca Joanina).
Operating hours.2:30 pm
Itinerary
1
Igreja de Santa Cruz
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
2
Universidade de Coimbra Alta & Sofia
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
3
Biblioteca Joanina
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- A maximum of 6 participants per booking. Tour NOT shared with other travelers.
- Not recommended for travelers with reduced mobility.
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.8
based on 72 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Wendy_S, May 2025
Our guide Ana Paula was very knowledgeable and enjoyable to spend time with. We learned so much and could not have had the same experience on our own without her history and stories. We would highly recommend this walking tour.
Response from Host, May 2025
Thank you Wenfy for you great feedback!
It is due to guiding guests like you that this tour is turning into a success!
You're the best!
Pamela_B, Apr 2025
Anna was knowledgeable, friendly and fun! I would definitely recommend her as a Tour Guide in Coimbra.
Alvin_S, Dec 2024
Anna is a wonderful guide who just grows on you. She has so much knowledge to share and we appreciate her candour and humour.
Tim_L, Nov 2024
Viator was the problem. When our travel dates changed we tried everything to cancel but it was impossible 😔.
Response from Host, Nov 2024
Hi Tim!
I am so sorry to know that you weren't able to cancell your tour with us on time!
It is really sad to read that you have had a nasty experience with Viator, but I'm sure this was just an occasional issue happening with your booking once fortunately we didn't have any dissatisfied clients or issues with bookings, before!
Viator is a very reliable reseller of our services and we will keep trusting on them!
Thank you anyway, for letting us know your impressions!
Beth_A, Nov 2024
The guide was very knowledgeable and also very empathic--I was feeling ill that day and she made sure to find places where I could sit down. I learned so much history and details about Coimbra I wouldn't have learned elsewhere.
Ghislaine_L, Sep 2024
She was very nice to us and provided very interesting facts. We visited exactly what we expected. Thank you for this tour !!
Robin_R, Sep 2024
Lots of historical detail and information that made our experience of Coimbra richer. Well worth the investment.
Jaimi_M, Aug 2024
Our tour guide, Anna was very knowledgeable. We couldn't believe that babies were dropped off at the monastery and then they were just grazed to be monks. Also, the second born of royalty were also sent there to be educated and they too could be monks. The University library was absolutely amazing. The second oldest Bible was there, which is incredible. The guide was friendly and it was a private tour which made it really easy to hear and be engulfed in the wonderful experience and history of Coimbra. 😊
Carol_M, Jun 2024
Ana Paula is an excellent guide- very knowledgeable about Coimbra, its people, and in particular its complicated history. From the Santa Cruz Church and Monastery to the Joanina Library and Royal Palace at the University of Coimbra - and many places in between- Ana Paula shared stories and lesser-known facts that made for a fascinating day. She was so resourceful and provided helpful local information that will assist us during our stay here in Coimbra. We highly recommend this tour!
Response from Host, Jun 2024
Hi Carol!
I'm so happy to know that you both have enjoyed your tour with me!
It was such a pleasure to meet you and show you some secrets of this very ancient and fascinating city (actually, my favorite :-)
Thank you so much for your great comments and I'll be looking forward to meet you again in a very next future!
Enjoy your stay in Portugal!
Christy_W, Jun 2024
It’s a MUST! You can miss almost everything in this quaint Little city without a guide. She was very knowledgeable
Response from Host, Jun 2024
Hi Christy!
Thank you so much for your kind words!
You're the best!
June_B, May 2024
Guide was late to meet us. She advised us to buy our tickets for the library when we booked our tour a month ago but she didn’t get a ticket for herself and was sold out for the day of. We had to go by ourselves into the library and then we sat on a bench with her after to explain what we saw. Also, the tour doesn’t tell you the library is a 30 minute walk up steep hills from the meeting point. This tour was run very poorly compared to other Viator tours. She had a rushed attitude and was upset about how crowded everything was. Very disappointed!
Response from Host, Jun 2024
Sorry to disappoint you, but tour guides are also humans!
Your guide was rushed by you, as you told her to finish earlier once you had to drive to the Douro Valley for dinner.
Your guide also advised you that her train was on delay, which caused her to meet you later than expected and due to her train delay, she also changed your tickets time to visit the Library for later that day (she had her ticket) than, after agreeing with all the changes with her, you told her it wouldn't be possible to visit the Library on the new time, because it would be too late for you... the result was that you went to visit the Library on your own, because last minute changes on the tickets timing are not possible!
Anyway, almost all travelers are aware that Coimbra is an hilly city, and unfortunately, tour guides cannot change the city's topography, yet :-)
The best part is that you went up hill using your own car!
Sue_G, May 2024
Our tour was great! Anna Paula was a wonderful guide. She is very knowledgeable and her passion for Coimbra comes through clearly. We loved Anna Paula’s presentation of history and her great sense of humor! I will recommend her to my friends!
Shkkch, Apr 2024
Ana was very informative and we enjoy her. Lots of steps but we took the elevator and that helped a lot. Be sure to get round trip tickets
Linda_K, Mar 2024
We had such a fantastic time on our walking tour. Ana was so flexible and knowledgeable. She made Coimbra so interesting and fun! I would highly recommend this tour. So much history in this town. Ana was a joy.
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Thank you Linda, for your kind words!
It was a pleasure to show you this ancient city and to meet you both!
Hope to see you again in a not very distant future!
Regina_W, Jan 2024
We had a pleasure of a well spoken Diogo to take us around Coimbra. He had a lots of historical detail and context to share with us. He gets 5-star rating!
Letitia_W, Sep 2023
Anna Paulina, the tour guide was so nice and tailored the tour to my interests and needs. She was, of course, very knowledgeable.
Connie_S, Sep 2023
My experience with Ana was memorable. Even before my tour, she very quickly and helpfully responded to questions I had about my trip to Coimbra.
Ana's tour itself was excellent. She made history come alive with interesting stories and information. Her fluency in English is better than some Americans. Ana was flexible and tailored the tour to my interests, energy and needs, even finding the bank I needed to visit along the way. Ana truly cares about her clients as individuals and treats them as she would a friend. Thanks, Ana!
Josif_B, Jun 2023
We had a wonderful time in Coimbra thanks to our tour guide Ana. She is incredibly knowledgable and gave us a fantastic day. We learnt about history, culture, Jewish history during 15th century inquisition and much more. The highlight of the tour was Coimbra university visit including university library. Time and money well invested. Thank you Ana for such informative, pleasant private tour!
Andrew_J, May 2023
Our guide Ana was very easy-going, informative and efficient. We enjoyed the private experience and had the chance to ask many questions and have discussions. Ana knew her way around and this helped manage the crowds.
Leslie_S, May 2023
Ana was an excellent guide. Very knowledgeable about Coimbra and its role in Portuguese history. Highly recommended.
Scott_W, Jan 2023
Our guide was/is congenial, knowledgable, adaptable, and overall a marvelous representative of her profession and her town. We had a wonderful tour of the Cathedral, and during the walk up the long hill to the University we got a ton of information about the town's history. The tour through the university was also a tour of the history of the country -- and we learned so much! When we had an unexpected glitch (one site closed early), the guide stayed with us through lunch and continued the tour much past the official stop-time. Highly recommended.
Cheryl_S, Jul 2022
Ana was a terrific guide and she made the tour very interesting. Our issue is that there were so many hidden costs. We also sis not get a time slot to visit the university library as we did not know we had to book a time prior to our tour beginning.
Response from Host, Jul 2022
Dear Cheryl,
Thank you so much for your compliment about your guide services!
It was really a pleasure to show you the Jewish Coimbra!
Regarding the entrance tickets cost, they are VERY explicit in this tour page, which everybody can read in what's included and NOT included when the visitor scrolls down the tour page before booking!
Also, because the Libeary allowence is very limited; people can only visit at fixed entrance tines (each 20 min.), but because you had to leave earlier, due to your plans for the afternoon, you could't complete your tour with the visit to the Library!
We always recommend our clients to buy the tickets to visit the University, online, at the tour start, to avoid wasting time at the tickets' office, but this is something optional, which only clients can decide and it is certainly not required, although very convenient !
Anyaway, I appreciate you to give me the opportunity to clarify all these issues and I sincerely regret that you couldn't enjoy your tour the most, due to all these misunderstandings!
Thank you again for taking the time to review this tour!
Denise_K, Jul 2022
Had paid for and promised a private tour, but it turned our not to be the case. Couple from Germany, who were also promised their own private tour. We were guided by the the guides son, very nice but this is not his profession or job, so it was all a bit hit or miss. Appears you told them to do the tour with us three, despite not asking us, and knowing that one of the couple did not speak good enough English so his wife tra sated ad we went along. Not good enough and disappointing, despite everyone's efforts. Why you chose not to put the paying customer before your convenience is beyond me and I will not use your company again. Not professional.
Response from Host, Jul 2022
Dear Denise,
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with us!
Regarding your complaint, we apologise for the unpleasant experience. However, there is a warning in this tour page informing that it might be shared in the case of only 1 participant for the same language.
In any case, your review seems to be directed at Viator rather than our company. I hope all in all you enjoyed your experience with our guide despite the "bumps on the road".
Linda_M, Apr 2022
We really enjoyed our tour and ability to customize the itinerary to our interests. Our guide, Ana, shared many interesting insights into Coimbra history and culture, plus fun insider tips. Wish we’d had time to do the cooking and food tour in Aveiro!
Matthew_R, Sep 2021
Fabulous guide! We had a great tour and learned so much about the amazing places in Coimbra; many interesting facts that are not found on the internet or handouts. Highly recommend taking this tour with Ana.
Maureen M, Sep 2019
We had only 3 hours available and rain was starting as we met our guide Ana Paula. We 3 were the only guests so she found out what our interests were and gave us a great tour within our time limits.
Response from Host, Sep 2019
Dear Maureen,
It was my pleasure to show you the enchanting city of Coimbra if for only a short time as I did my best to fit your interests and make you all enjoy your visit the best!
Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know your appreciation and maybe we might meet again in a next future to uncover the rest of this great city's best kept secrets!
Steven_S, Aug 2019
This is a fabulous city in Portugal and having a fantastic guide who knew everything about the city and the country made this a fabulous experience. A guided tour seems like the only way to see this city and walking around and getting to the University and the library is an unforgettable experience. Our tour guide, Ana Paula was ta highlight of out trip.
Response from Host, Aug 2019
Dear Addison,
Thank you so much for taking a few moments to leave your great insights about your private tour of Coimbra!
Is was an absolutely pleasure to show this enchanting city's secret places and treasures and to make you enjoy the most your visit with me!
I absolutely loved to be your hostess for the day and I'm looking forward to have the chance of welcoming you again to Portugal, no matter the city you choose to visit next time!
Your grateful tour guide,
Ana Paula
Sophie_P, Sep 2025
A real guide! Very knowledgeable! A visit worth it! Very informative! Add to the trip!
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Mario_C, May 2024
Visita completa monastero e chiesa la Cruz e poi università, ove biblioteca è una perla unica . Paula guida competente ed appassionata .
Ren_R, Oct 2022
Guide attentive et prévenante. Une visite en toute amitié mais avant tout professionnelle. Comme on les souhaite !
From $81.60
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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