How do I get to Coimbra?
Please choose one of the links below.

  • From Lisbon (Lisboa)

After arriving at the LisbonInternationalAirport (Lis), you may go to Coimbra by:

· Car: there are several car rental agencies at LisbonInternationalAirport. Leaving the airport, take highway A1 "Norte" (North). After about 190 km, take the exit "Coimbra Sul" and follow the signs to the City Centre [Centro]. There is a highway toll fee of €11.75 payable in cash or by debit card.

· Bus: take a taxi at the airport to the bus station "Arco do Cego" (about 30 minutes). Buses to Coimbra are frequent and the cost is around €9.50. The travel time is about 2h 30m. You can view the bus schedules at:

· Train: Several trains depart every day from Lisbon to Coimbra at the Oriente train station (Gare do Oriente). In Coimbra, all of these trains stop at station "Coimbra B"; if you want to go to the City Centre/Downtown (Baixa), you should then take the free shuttle train that goes to station "Coimbra A". To get to the Oriente train station from the Lisbon airport you can go by bus or taxi:

City bus 44 (Autocarro 44) departs from the front of the airport and you can buy the ticket inside the bus.

Taxicabs depart from the front of the airport; the trip takes about 10 minutes. You can purchase a "Taxi Voucher" ticket for the Oriente train station inside the airport at the Tourism Information Centre. This is probably the best option since it sets an exact price for the trip.

At the Oriente train station, you can go to Coimbra by the "Intercities" trains (Intercidades) or the "Alfa Pendular"; you can view the train schedules at .The trip takes about 2 hours, and fares range from €14.50 – €25.00 depending on the train and class. First class is called "Comfort", and second class is called "Tourist", both class cars are air-conditioned! There are other trains that go to Coimbra but they make too many stops and take too long, so the "Intercities" or "Alfa Pendular" are the best choices.

If you have any further questions about these means of travel, you can ask at the "Tourism Information" centre at the airport

How do I get to Coimbra?
Please choose one of the links below

  • From Oporto (Porto)

After arriving at the OportoAirport (Sá Carneiro Airport) you may go to Coimbra by:

· Car: there are several car rental agencies inOportoAirport. Leaving the airport, take highway A1 "Sul" (South). After about 110 km, take the exit "Coimbra Norte" or "Coimbra Sul" and follow the signs to the City Centre. The highway toll fee of €6.00 is payable in cash or debit card.

· Bus: take a taxi at the airport for the 30-minute trip to the bus station - Garagem Atlântico. Buses to Coimbra are frequent and the tickets cost about €9.00; you can view the bus schedules at The travel time is about 1h25 m.

· Train: Several trains depart every day from Porto to Coimbra at the Campanhã train station (Gare de Campanhã). In Coimbra, all of these trains stop at station "Coimbra B"; if you want to go to the City Centre/Downtown (Baixa), you should then take the free shuttle train that goes to station "Coimbra A". To get to Gare da Campanhã from the Porto airport you can go by underground, bus or taxi:

Underground: The underground departs directly from the airport. Take the E line to Campanhã Train Station. The trip is about 30m and costs €1.45.

Bus called "Aerobus" runs from the airport to the City Centre. It stops at Avenida dos Aliados and then you have to walk to São Bento station; from there, take a train to Campanhã station (the main train station in Oporto).

Taxicabs depart from the front of the airport to Campanhã train station. The trip takes about 30 minutes.

From the Campanhã train station you can go to Coimbra by the “Intercities” trains or the "Alfa Pendular"; you can view the train schedules at The trip takes about 1hour and 30 minutes, and fares range from €10.00 – €19.00 depending on the train and class. First class is called "Comfort", and second class is called "Tourist", both class cars are air-conditioned! There are other trains that go to Coimbra but they make too many stops and take too long, so the "Intercities" or "Alfa Pendular" are the best choices.

If you have any further questions, go to the "Portuguese Foreign Trade Institute" centre at the airport.

  • When I arrive at Coimbra
  • Accommodation

1.Hotel Tryp Coimbra: the best way is to take a taxi from Coimbra B train station or from the bus station.This hotel stays at 5 minutes walking to the Meeting center (Polo III).

2· Hotel Astória: take a taxi from Coimbra B train station or from the bus station. The Hotel Astória is located about 50 meters away from the Coimbra A train station, so you can go on foot.

MAP OF COIMBRA

A – Polo III of the University of Coimbra - Workshop

During your stay in the city of Coimbra there will be happening the famous event “Queima das Fitas” (Burning of the Ribbons), which is the students’ most important fest.

THE QUEIMA DAS FITAS – 07-14 of May 2009

The Queima das Fitas is a students´ traditional festivity of Portuguese universities, organized originally by the students of the University of Coimbra.

Coimbra's Queima das Fitas, the oldest and most famous students event, is organized by a students' commission formed by members of the students' union Associação Académica de Coimbra. Celebrating the end of graduation courses, symbolized by the ritual burning of the ribbons representing each faculty of the University of Coimbra (UC), it takes place in the second semester (1st or 2nd week of May), being among the biggest student festivities in Europe. It lasts for 8 days, one for each UC's Faculty: Letters, Law, Medicine, Sciences & Technology, Pharmacy, Economics, Psychology & Education Sciences and Sports Sciences & Physical Education. During this period, a series of concerts and performances are held, turning Coimbra in a lively and vibrant city. It also includes a parade of the university students, sport activities, gala ball, and many other public events and traditions, such as the historical nighttime student fado serenade (Serenata Monumental) which happens in the stairs of the Old Cathedral of Coimbra for a crowd of thousands of students, tourists and other spectators.

The QueimadasFitas festivities are the big yearly celebration for the students and townspeople as well. The festivities run for a full week in May beginning with the traditional nighttime fado serenade in the square of the Old Cathedral of Coimbra. The square is packed with students in their black capes and according to the ritual, studies are forgotten for a week of joy and all-night revelry. The high point of the festivities is the Cortejo, a parade, beginning in Alta (upper Coimbra, the university historic centre and home to the Rector's Office and the famous University tower) with the graduating students burning their grelo. The parade progresses down the hills of the Alta towards the Baixa (downtown Coimbra, near the river) with dozens of elaborately decorated floats, each in the color of their respective faculties, carrying placards with ironic criticisms alluding to certain teachers, the educational system, national events and leaders. The parade is made up of thousands of "newly liberated" students set apart by their top hats and walking sticks.

After the outbreak in 1962 of a crisis opposing the students to the dictatorial government of António de Oliveira Salazar, the festivities, as well as all other manifestations of the academic traditions, were suspended by the students as an act of protest. This was known as the luto académico (Portuguese for academic mourning). However, between 1945 and 1974, there were three generations of militants of the radical right at the University of Coimbra and other universities, guided by a revolutionary nationalism partly influenced by the political sub-culture of European neofascism. The core of these radical students' struggle lay in an uncompromising defence of the Portuguese Empire in the days of the authoritarian regime.

The restarting of the celebrations took place in 1980, in the middle of an intense political controversy between left-wing students´, who opposed the celebration, and conservative students, who wanted to resume the practice. Such struggle took some time to heal, but the Queima das Fitas is now only contested by a small fringe of the more radical left-wing student movements.