Why this ride
328 km from Coimbra to Coimbra, about 5 h 05 of riding. It goes by way of Convent of Christ in Tomar, Monastery of Batalha, Monastery of Alcobaça and back through Monastery of Alcobaça. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Rua da Sofia and Monastery of Batalha
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 328 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 05
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Rua da Sofia
Rua da Sofia was a royal project. In the 1530s, King João III wanted to make Coimbra a centre of learning, and the street, a straight line unusual in a medieval city, was laid out along the foot of the hill to house new colleges for the monastery of Santa Cruz and for the university. Its fronts, in the late Gothic and Manueline styles, with carved doorways and twisted columns, still line the way, and they give a rare sense of what a planned Renaissance street felt like in Portugal.
Read the complete Rua da Sofia write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Rua da Sofia is where the day begins. Next is Convent of Christ in Tomar.
2. Convent of Christ in Tomar
The Knights Templar chose the hill above Tomar in the twelfth century, building a castle to defend the new kingdom of Portugal against the Moors, and at its heart they raised a round church, the Charola, modelled on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. When the Templars were suppressed in the fourteenth century, the Portuguese king transferred their property to a new order, the Order of Christ, which went on to finance much of Portugal's maritime expansion; Henry the Navigator was its governor. Over the centuries, the order added cloisters, chapels and dormitories, and the Convent of Christ became one of the great monuments of Portugal, inscribed on the UNESCO list in 1983.
Read the complete Convent of Christ in Tomar write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Convent of Christ in Tomar comes up 47 km in. Next is Monastery of Batalha.
3. Monastery of Batalha
On 14 August 1385, near the village of Aljubarrota, a Portuguese army led by King João I defeated a much larger Castilian force, securing Portugal's independence. Before the battle the king had vowed to build a great monastery to the Virgin Mary if he won, and he kept his word. The Monastery of Santa Maria da Vitória, known simply as Batalha, which means battle, rose over the following century and more, a masterpiece of Gothic architecture in pale limestone, with flying buttresses, pinnacles and intricately carved portals. It was listed by UNESCO in 1983.
Read the complete Monastery of Batalha write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
At least 103 km in you reach Monastery of Batalha. Next is Monastery of Alcobaça.
4. Monastery of Alcobaça
In 1153, Afonso Henriques, the first king of Portugal, gave a vast estate to the Cistercian monks of Bernard of Clairvaux, and they built here one of the greatest monasteries of medieval Europe. The church of Alcobaça, with its long, soaring nave of pale stone, is austere and beautiful in the Cistercian manner, and the cloisters, dormitory, chapter house and refectory survive almost intact. The kitchen is enormous, with a huge chimney and a stream diverted through it so the monks could catch fish directly. UNESCO listed the monastery in 1989. But the main reason most visitors come is a love story.
Read the complete Monastery of Alcobaça write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Monastery of Alcobaça, about halfway. Next is Monastery of Batalha.
5. Monastery of Batalha
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Monastery of Batalha write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Monastery of Batalha sits at 187 km, about halfway. Next is back through Monastery of Alcobaça.
6. back through Monastery of Alcobaça
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Monastery of Alcobaça write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Monastery of Alcobaça comes up 233 km in. Next is back through Monastery of Batalha.
7. back through Monastery of Batalha
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Monastery of Batalha write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
280 km in you reach back through Monastery of Batalha. Next is back through Convent of Christ in Tomar.
8. back through Convent of Christ in Tomar
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Convent of Christ in Tomar write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Convent of Christ in Tomar, late in the day. Next is Rua da Sofia.
9. Rua da Sofia
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Rua da Sofia write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 328 km.
Leg by leg
Rua da Sofia to Convent of Christ in Tomar
Rua da Sofia → Convent of Christ in Tomar is 91 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Convent of Christ in Tomar to Monastery of Batalha
Convent of Christ in Tomar → Monastery of Batalha is 48 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Monastery of Batalha to Monastery of Alcobaça
Monastery of Batalha → Monastery of Alcobaça is 24 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Monastery of Alcobaça to Monastery of Batalha
Monastery of Alcobaça → Monastery of Batalha is 24 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Monastery of Batalha to back through Monastery of Alcobaça
Monastery of Batalha → back through Monastery of Alcobaça is 24 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Monastery of Alcobaça to back through Monastery of Batalha
back through Monastery of Alcobaça → back through Monastery of Batalha is 24 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Monastery of Batalha to back through Convent of Christ in Tomar
back through Monastery of Batalha → back through Convent of Christ in Tomar is 48 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Convent of Christ in Tomar to Rua da Sofia
back through Convent of Christ in Tomar → Rua da Sofia is 91 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.