University of Coimbra guided tours without queue
Recommended by 99% of travelers
Coimbra, Portugal
- 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
- Group discounts
- Offered in: English
Explore our promoted experiences
What's Included
- Tickets
- Private transportation
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Praça Dom Dinis, 3000-393 Coimbra, Portugal
Attention: The meeting point is in front of the statue of Dom Dinis in the middle of the square.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
1
Universita Di Coimbra
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
2
Biblioteca Joanina
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 8 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.9
based on 541 reviews
Francisco_N, May 2026
This was a great tour to have done with an extra day in Porto. I took a bus during the morning to Coimbra, and made it in time for the start of the tour. Renan was my guide, and being a local that had attended the university there in Coimbra, he was perfect to show me around and explain the history of the university. The library was incredible. Definitely consider this tour if you have some
Extra time in Porto.
Timothy_H, May 2026
Filipe was a great tour guide, especially since he is a graduate of the university. He was very knowledgeable and explained a lot of history that was helpful to fully understand the university, now and in the past. He also gave restaurant and cafe recommendations for the group.
Thomas_H, Apr 2026
Renan our guide was excellent. We both enjoyed his humor, and incredible knowledge of the University, where he studied, and wealth of knowledge of Portuguese history. No surprise that he is preparing for his Doctorate in contemporary Portuguese History. He used many current cultural references, was easy to understand and kept the tour lively. I can honestly say this was the best tour we’ve had in our travels. I only wish I could remember it all.
He connected with us via WhatsApp to confirm our meeting. He moved us easily through the rooms on the tour providing added touches, such as a video of the organ being played since that is not a common occurrence, but a very unique sound.
Highly recommend Renan to guide you.
Adrienne_M, Apr 2026
Filipe was very knowledgeable about the university as he studied and worked there previously. It was helpful to have explanations about the rooms/areas and pointing out things we would miss on our own. Also able to skip the lines of waiting for tickets/entrance which was nice.
CHARLES_C, Apr 2026
Coimbra University comes with a rich history, made more engaging by our guide Filipe. He was informative and captivating, sharing plenty of stories and historical insights throughout the tour. He also offered perspectives from a student’s point of view, which made the experience feel more well-rounded and authentic. Joanina Library was particularly impressive and definitely worth the visit.
Dianne_R, Apr 2026
Very informative guided tour. Well paced and provided lots of interesting history about the university, area and library. Well worth it and highly recommended
DorothySuzanne_K, Apr 2026
Aside from the very strenuous uphill location LOL, this tour was fabulous and fantastic. Pedro, our guide, was very personable and very knowledgeable. He was humorous, friendly, answered all of our questions, and even added other information which was wonderful. I think, though, in the directions for the meeting place, it doesn't specify which statue and I think that should be added as we were at the right location but there are several statues in that area. Of course, the one we needed to be at was about a half a block down. Pedro was very good at letting us know through WhatsApp where to find him as he kind of made his way towards where we were walking. So that was very easy. A great tour. And I highly recommend it.
Ariel_R, Apr 2026
This is definitely a must-do if you’re in Coimbra. Our tour guide, Renan, a former student of the university, was incredibly knowledgeable about both the university and the history of Portugal, which made the experience even more meaningful.
Our group was small, which made the tour feel very personal and engaging. The university and library were absolutely beautiful, and it was fascinating to learn more about such an important historic place. I would definitely do this tour again if I return to Coimbra!
Alli_P, Apr 2026
Absolutely worth your time and money!!! This is the second time I have done this tour. The first time was with my husband, and the second time was with my 10 year old daughter. Our guide is so full of knowledge and so entertaining. He was able to discuss recent events and relate them back to the history of the university. He was charismatic and engaging. Even though I did the tour twice, it felt like the second time was a brand new tour, while still giving all the information on the historical points. My 10 year old isn’t extremely interested in history, but she enjoyed our guides energy and humor and admitted that history could be fun. I highly recommend if you are visiting Coimbra!
Patricia_H, Mar 2026
Our guide Philip was extremely knowledgeable about the 3 main areas we toured of the university. The tour started a bit slow/sleepy but picked up as we went along
Carlos_P, Jan 2026
I liked very much the tour. The guide (Renan) had a lot of knowledge an experience related to the history of the University of Coimbra, as well as the history of Portugal. He had a enjoyable and interesting way to explain all details related to the historical areas and landmarks that we visited at the University, as well of those of the City.
MARIA_S, Dec 2025
My 19 year old daughter and I were so glad that we took this 1,5 hour tour. Renan is an excellent story teller! He was very informative, and at the same time it was easy to comprehend and remember Portuguese history. Highly recommend this tour with Renan, even for children it would be interesting.
Dixie_J, Dec 2025
Renan Souza, our tour guide, was extremely knowledgeable about the university and the history of Portugal. He was very positive, friendly and upbeat. I would definitely recommend this tour with a knowledgeable guide like Renan. We learned a lot about the history of the university and of Portugal.
Daniel_M, Nov 2025
Fantastic tour of Coimbra University and the Joanina Library. Renan was a most knowledgeable and informative guide, providing great details of Portuguese history throughout the tour which helped shape and color our understanding of the university and the library. Great job Renan!
Would highly recommend this tour and if you’re fortunate enough to get Renan as your guide, all the better!
Paul_G, Nov 2025
Filipe was wonderful, very knowledgeable, friendly, professional, answered all questions. On time and very attentive
claire_B, Oct 2025
We were in a small tour which was excellent. Our guide Filipe was terrific, knowledgeable and clear to understand. Such a great an interesting place , especially the library.
Dave_S, Oct 2025
Hi,
We got a nice tour of Coimbra university with Filipe. Good tour guide. He shared with us a lot of info since he was a former student there. The audio equipment was really cool.
I recommend Filipe anytime.
Dave
Elizabeth_W, Oct 2025
This tour was two hours filled with interesting information, trivia, and incredible rooms at the University. Besides seeing the Library, we also saw a lot of the Royal Palace. Filipe was one of the best tour guides I have had. His English was so good and his attitude and attentiveness were noteworthy. Thank you!
Susie_P, Oct 2025
This was a great experience- our guide, Filipe, was excellent and very knowledgeable. I would highly recommend this tour!
Charla_H, Oct 2025
Amazing tour, our guide Renan was fantastic! Renan was so enthusiastic and told the stories with such animation that it was hard not to be fascinated! The library was stunning!
Phyllis_S, Sep 2025
Our guide was knowledgeable, enthusiastic and added context to every attraction we visited. We had a great time and learned a lot about Portugal’s history and Coimbra’s place in it. The library and chapel are not to be missed - a 10 of 10 experience!
Jennifer_O, Sep 2025
The tour guide was super knowledgeable and overall this was a good tour - my reason for 3 stars is the inconsistent information about where to meet - the voucher I downloaded from Viator states meet in front of the general library. I arrived 15 minutes early and did not find the tour guide. I receive a call via what’s app - which I only downloaded that day. The tour was meeting in front of the statute of the university. Also want to add not everyone has WhatsApp. I didn’t until that day. To add to my frustration this was the tour out of multiple tours I’ve booked for a 2 week vacation that required I pay full price when booked. Most tours didn’t charge me until 48 hours before. So if you had my money for months the tour company couldn’t message me through viator - which I clearly have since I booked the tour through them and not what’sapp and confirm the meet location. Besides from these item I could tell other people on the tour seemed annoyed at our late arrival due to the misinformation on the voucher.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Hello,
As we have already informed, we have resolved the issue regarding the meeting point address that was previously listed on Viator and may have caused this misunderstanding. However, in addition to contacting you via WhatsApp on the day of the tour, we also sent a message through Viator the night before, precisely to avoid any problems.
We kindly ask all future guests reading this review to provide us with the phone number they will be using during their trip, as this greatly helps our guides meet them smoothly at the correct location.
Regarding our payment policy: the full amount is required at the time of booking because we purchase the tickets in advance to guarantee admission for all our clients, since tickets often sell out. In the past, last-minute cancellations created significant losses for us, and for this reason we had to adjust our cancellation policy.
Below is the message we sent with the date and time, which you mentioned we should have sent, but in fact, we did send it, although it seems it was not seen by you:
Good evening,
I am Filipe and I will be your guide for tomorrow's Coimbra University Tour at 2:00 pm.
I am writing just to remind you that the meeting point is in front of King Dennis's statue (Dom Dinis). I will be seeing you there.
Filipe Freitas – September 22, 2025, 8:18 pm
Best regards,
Rafael Martelli
Helen_W, Sep 2025
We had a great tour with Renan who was super knowledgeable and really fun
The tour ran very smoothly and we were kept entertained throughout
Raidel_o, Sep 2025
The experience was excellent. A lot of history and beauty. My guide made it extra special with his knowledge and experience
Gary_R, Sep 2025
Our guide was very knowledgeable and had excellent English. We had the opportunity to be guided through the spectacular library and learn about the history of the space. We also toured other rooms within the university. Being part of the tour meant we avoided any waiting time.
Brenda_C, Sep 2025
Renan was a very enthusiastic guide. His incredible knowledge of history and his current day experience as a student at the University of Coimbra was the perfect combo. I would highly recommend this tour!
Deborah_S, Sep 2025
Our guide Renan was great- very knowledgeable about Portuguese history and all aspects of the university buildings. He really brought the history to life for our group of 14 people.
steve_c, Sep 2025
Great guide with and abundance of information delivered in a most friendly manner. It was enjoyable!
LynBarnes, Aug 2025
Tour guide was friendly, helpful, knowledgeable and helpful. We could not fault our guide Renan. We would recommend to others
Veronica_M, Aug 2025
Excellent visit guided by Renan, who is an expert in the field. My fríend and I had a very good time.
From $65.86
per person-You will not receive a refund if you cancel.
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