I found myself in the Museu da Cidade de Coimbra because it was raining and I didn't feel like…read morewalking up to the university, so I was a bit surprised to discover this is an art museum and not a museum of the city history, as the name led me to assume. The ground floor has two temporary exhibitions, which I believe are free to view. There are three floors of ceramics, furniture, and painting in the permanent collection. It began as a private collection. It has a nice variety of pieces spanning historical periods and the world, with a focus on Coimbra, naturally. The building itself is quite lovely. The three euro ticket will give you access to the permanent collection, as well as entry to the Torre de Almedina (a city history museum) and the Torre de Anto (a fado museum). The ticket is valid for two weeks, which means you don't need to cram all three into one day. The museum staff were exceptionally friendly and helpful. I wasn't really in the mood to chat, yet they won me over with their desire to make sure I understood the history of the collection and enjoyed the art.

The Pátio Inquisição is named that for a reason. This museum, which I expected to be a single large…read moreroom and turned out to have several rooms, outlines that history. Unlike most of the Holocaust museums and other museums dedicated to building awareness of human rights abuses that I've been to, the Judeus de Coimbra exhibit is all business. There are no personal narratives or details to try to create a sense of connection with the people who suffered. Still, the facts are powerful on their own. I'm not familiar with the history of the Inquisition, so I can't say if they really did a good job of presenting an overview of the history. As a visitor, I can say that they seem to have done a good job of cramming several hundred years of really intense history into a coherent narrative. My one complaint is that the three images indicating the location of the original Jewish quarter (and the mikvah and potential synagogue site) are all rotated differently, making it unnecessarily difficult to make sense of. Two (comparatively) small rooms give you a sense of the atrocities committed in the complex. It's shocking to see the bureaucratic face of genocide, although I suppose it shouldn't be. Being used to Canadian museums, I wish they had drawn connections between the Inquisition and other genocides, including what's going on around the world today. I also would have liked more information on the Jewish diaspora, the impact of Jews being alternately expelled and banned from leaving Portugal, and the Jewish community in Portugal today (including their programs to grant citizenship to people whose ancestors left because of antisemitism). Having only a rudimentary understanding of Portuguese history, I also would have appreciated more context. I'm not sure how much more information they could have fit into a single exhibit, though, and clearly it gave me motivation to research these things on my own. Entrance is free. It's closed on Mondays. It opens at 1pm.

If you're interested in understanding why everyone is so obsessed with fado, this small museum is…read morethe place to go. I don't normally use audio guides at museums, but the man working there was so friendly and enthusiastic about it that I took it. I was glad I did, since it offered far more information than was in the displays themselves (which are already in both Portuguese and English). Each floor focuses on a different phase of the history of fado. The audio guide also comes loaded with a selection of fado songs. After doing so much walking, I was happy to sit and enjoy the view and the music for a bit. I'd already been brought to see fado and had a tinder date try to explain the various types of guitars to me. It wasn't until I'd gone through the museum before it made sense to me and settled into its spot in my understanding of Portuguese history. The three euro ticket will give you access to the Torre de Almedina (a city history museum with a better view from the top) and the Museu da Cidade de Coimbra (an art museum). The ticket is valid for two weeks, so you can come back after going to the Café Santa Cruz to see a fado performance.

I'm not much for touring the homes of dead rich people (or live rich people, for that matter)…read more Still, Fernando Bissaya Barreto's foundation runs a number of social service organizations in the Coimbra area, which made me curious about him. Also, it was raining and I wanted to do something that didn't involve looking at my laptop. The museum is small and is accessed by a guided tour. As soon as I walked in the docent found a guide for me, who spoke excellent English. It was just he and I the whole time, which meant I controlled the pace of the tour and he was happy to answer my questions. I was then free to wander around the small, lovely garden. It was more interesting than I expected to tour the house, since it helped me understand the history I've been reading about. It's one thing to read that someone had a weird religious thing and wanted to control how people lived their lives, it's another to see their bedroom designed to match the bishop's, their whole house decorated with things taken from monestaries, and their art collection glorifying subsistence farming and selfless motherhood. It was also interesting to be able to see the books in his library and office. The entrance fee is 3 euro. They close for lunch, so check the opening times before you go.

I think it's not worth more than a detour to go, but if you are in the neighborhood already, then…read moreperhaps you might stop. Yes, there are some Moorish influences and early examples of Portuguese tile. Perhaps a picnic on the grounds? There are no vendors so it is quiet. The vista from the ramparts reveals the agricultural nature of the surrounding land.

This is part of the Park is Santa Cruz. Sereia Garden is locate at the Republic Square. The garden…read moreis 18th century construction with blue emblem tile on both side. It is a simple garden with a lot history. The parking is street side with city parking meter. There is self portable restroom with one person in it. The garden is beautiful but not really an attraction stop. We just pass by. We were amaze the the center piece is beautiful and old. It may worth a photograph.

Here's your chance to feel like Gulliver - a teeny tiny theme park where the theme is a…read moreminiaturised Portugal! There's areas dedicated to the ex-colonies, Portuguese major monuments, regional houses and even miniatures of places in Coimbra - the city where the park is built! The entire place really is designed for kids - all the miniaturised houses and monuments are just the right size for the little'uns! Well worth a visit, whether you have kids or not - great place to learn interesting, pint-sized facts about Portugal

OK Free Good for a 15…read moreminute visit. The patio on the river overlooking the fountain is very relaxing.