Coimbra/Lisbon — Day 8 of a 8-Day Trip in Portugal
Our last day in Portugal consisted of farewells to Porto and a train ride back to Lisbon. On the way to Lisbon, we stopped at Coimbra. Coimbra is home to the oldest university in Portugal, founded in 1290!
Day 8
Coimbra/Lisbon
We caught an early train ride from Porto to Coimbra. The train ride to Coimbra is about an 1 hour and half. We stored our bags at the train lockers and took an Uber to the university. The main square was under construction during our visit. We bought admission tickets to the Joanina Library, which also includes entrance to the Royal Palace and the Saint Michael’s Chapel. The entry to the Joanina Library is timed, so we visited the latter two while we waited. The Royal Palace was built in the 10th century and used to be the home of Royalty. Today, it is used as an examination room for university students. The Saint Michael’s Chapel is lovely and serene.
Photos are not allowed of the main Joanina Library, which is unfortunate, because the library is beautiful. There are books dating back to the 1100s in this library. The library also has resident bats to rid the library of insects. We were allowed to snap photos of the lower floors, but these floors did not represent the charm of the main library.
Afterwards, we headed to the main town area of Coimbra for lunch. There is a popular restaurant called Ze Manel dos Ossos, which is a small and cosy restaurant serving large portions of food. The bones is their popular dish. We arrived about 5 minutes before the restaurant was supposed to open and there was already a long line waiting. Unfortunately, we were about two groups away from being seated when the restaurant opened, and we had to wait about an hour to be seated. It was worth the wait. We were seated in the back corner of the restaurant, the walls were lined with paper notes from other visitors describing their great experience at the restaurant. We ordered the red wine, bread, 1/2 order of chanfana a moda da aldeia com batata cozida (goat stew), 1/2 order of entrecosta de porco na brasa corn molho segredo (pork ribs), and the bean + rice soup dish. It was honestly so much food, but so delicious, we ate everything! The owner is also very nice and helped translate the dishes to english and explain what they were.
After lunch, we caught an Uber back to the train station for our 3 hour train ride to Lisbon. We checked in to our hotel at Lisbon and headed to dinner at Frangasqueira Nacional – our final meal in Portugal. This barbecue restaurant is small, so we ordered our food to go and went to a nearby park to eat. We were still full from lunch, so we ordered the Mista 2 platter to share which came with 1/2 chicken, 6 ribs, and 3 sausage topped with the homemade peri peri sauce (Honestly, it was so much food – we should have ordered the Mista 1 which was 1/2 chicken, 4 ribs, and 1 sausage). The salty and greasy meat was so tasty.
To walk off all the food, we strolled through Pink Street, which is a popular area for nightlife in Lisbon. We had an early flight the next day, so we did not stay out for very long.
Complete Day 8 Itinerary
*Travel times may vary. Check Google Maps for most accurate travel details.
9:00am: Take train to Coimbra (1 hour and 12 minute train from Porto).
10:00am: Visit the Coimbra University (21 minute bus ride from Coimbra Station). Explore the campus – visit the Royal Palace, the Saint Michael’s Chapel, and the Joanina Library.
12:00pm: Have lunch at Ze Manel dos Ossos (10 minute walk from Coimbra University). Line up before it opens at 12:30pm!
2:00pm: Head back to Coimbra Station (8 minute bus ride from Ze Manel dos Ossos) and take the train to Lisbon (2 hours train ride from Coimbra Station).
5:00pm: Walk along the Pink Street (22 minutes from Lisbon Station).
6:00pm: Pick up dinner at Frangasqueira Nacional (15 minute bus from the Pink Street).
16-Day Italy and Portugal Itinerary
Click “Download” below for an excel version of my 16-Day Italy and Portugal Itinerary. Feel free to use the excel file as a planning template for your own trip!
Portugal Links:
Travels with Carolyne 