Coimbra is a hill town that happens to hold one of the oldest universities in Europe. The old city climbs up from the Mondego river in a tangle of steep, cobbled lanes, with the university buildings at the summit, and in the evenings the sound of fado drifts down from taverns and small squares. The Coimbra version of fado is different from the Lisbon one, sung traditionally by men, often students in black capes, and tied to serenades beneath windows.
The university dates from 1290 and moved to its present site in 1537, in what had been a royal palace. The Joanina Library, a baroque hall of gilded shelves and painted ceilings built in the eighteenth century, is one of the most beautiful in the world, and the staff keep a colony of bats to protect the books from insects, covering the furniture at night. UNESCO inscribed the university in 2013. Coimbra was the capital of Portugal for a time in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, and the legend of Ines de Castro, the lover of a prince who was murdered, and crowned queen after death, is told here.
The Estrada Nacional 2, which runs for about seven hundred kilometres from Chaves in the north to Faro in the south, passes through the region, and Coimbra is a natural place for the ride to pause. The road in this area is mostly good, with moderate traffic, and the streets in the old town are steep and slippery when wet. Parking is easiest on the river side, and a short walk takes you up to the Alta.
With over a hundred thousand people, Coimbra offers fuel, food and rooms in all price ranges. The traditional dish here is chanfana, goat cooked in red wine, and the pastries are very sweet. Nearby, Conimbriga has some of the best-preserved Roman remains in Portugal, with mosaics and a house with fountains, and is easy to reach by bike. Spring and autumn are comfortable, with warm days and cool evenings.