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Roots Earth in Coimbra: audio stories about 40 places

Roots Earth has audio stories about 40 places in Coimbra, Portugal, in Europe. The Coimbra stories are in all seven Roots Earth languages: English, German, Spanish, Italian, French, Dutch and Albanian. The app needs no account: open Coimbra, pick a place on the city's map of places and play. Download a city's audio, then it plays without a connection. The stories are written by local people.

The 40 places are listed below in the order the app shows them, and again further down with their coordinates. The lists were taken from the Roots Earth catalogue on 15 September 2026.

Published 16 September 2026. Markdown: coimbra.md

The 40 places in Coimbra with audio stories

In the order the app shows them.

  1. University of Coimbra
  2. Joanine Library (Biblioteca Joanina)
  3. Paço das Escolas (Royal Palace and University Tower)
  4. Old Cathedral of Coimbra (Sé Velha)
  5. Saint Michael's Chapel
  6. New Cathedral of Coimbra (Sé Nova)
  7. Monastery of the Holy Cross (Santa Cruz)
  8. Machado de Castro National Museum
  9. Roman Cryptoporticus of Aeminium
  10. Botanical Garden of the University of Coimbra
  11. Quinta das Lágrimas Gardens
  12. Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha
  13. Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Nova
  14. Portugal dos Pequenitos
  15. Santa Clara Bridge
  16. Largo da Portagem
  17. Almedina Arch and Gate
  18. Quebra-Costas Steps and Coimbra Fado
  19. Church of Santiago
  20. Commerce Square (Praça do Comércio)
  21. Manga Cloister Garden (Jardim da Manga)
  22. Rua da Sofia (Street of Colleges)
  23. Baixa of Coimbra and Rua Ferreira Borges
  24. Penedo da Saudade Viewpoint
  25. Pedro and Inês Footbridge
  26. São Francisco Convent and Convention Centre
  27. Sub-Ripas Palace and Torre de Anto
  28. Praça da República (Republic Square)
  29. Café Santa Cruz
  30. Municipal Market D. Pedro V
  31. Jardim da Sereia (Santa Cruz Park)
  32. Coimbra Academic Association (AAC)
  33. Queima das Fitas Student Festival
  34. Choupal National Forest
  35. Parque Verde do Mondego
  36. Cidade de Coimbra Stadium
  37. Coimbra University Stadium
  38. Santa Clara Neighbourhood
  39. Santo António dos Olivais Church and Quarter
  40. Conchada Cemetery

Is there an audio guide for University of Coimbra?

Yes. University of Coimbra has its audio stories in the Roots Earth app: a short introduction and a deeper story, in English, German, Spanish, Italian, French, Dutch and Albanian.

It is place 1 of the 40 Coimbra places in the app, at 40.2074, -8.4265. Every one of the other 39 places in the list above has the same two stories.

Roots Earth is not a guided tour: you choose the place on the city's map of places and play its story yourself.

How to use Roots Earth in Coimbra

Open Roots Earth and choose Coimbra. The city has its own map of places with all 40 of them on it. Tap the place you are standing in front of, or any other, and play its short introduction or its deeper story. You decide what to listen to and in which order.

You can listen in English, German, Spanish, Italian, French, Dutch and Albanian, and there is no account. Download a city's audio, then it plays without a connection.

In full

All 40 places in Coimbra, in the app's order, with their coordinates.

All 40 places in Coimbra, with coordinates

Every place below has a short introduction and a deeper story in the Roots Earth app, in English, German, Spanish, Italian, French, Dutch and Albanian. The names, the coordinates (latitude, longitude) and the one line descriptions are the app's own catalogue values of 15 September 2026; a place without a line here has none that this page can print.

1. University of Coimbra

Coordinates
40.2074, -8.4265
In one line
Founded by King Dinis in 1290 and rooted permanently in Coimbra from 1537, this is Portugal's oldest university and one of the world's oldest. Its hilltop campus, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2013, layers medieval, Manueline and Baroque architecture.

2. Joanine Library (Biblioteca Joanina)

Coordinates
40.2071, -8.4265
In one line
Built between 1717 and 1728 under King João V, this Baroque library is among Europe's most celebrated. Three gilded halls in exotic woods, painted ceilings and walls over two metres thick guard tens of thousands of volumes, helped by a resident colony of insect-eating bats.

3. Paço das Escolas (Royal Palace and University Tower)

Coordinates
40.20772, -8.42626
In one line
The ceremonial courtyard at the heart of Coimbra's university, set in a former royal palace adopted from 1537. Ringed by the Iron Gate, the clock tower and historic halls, it forms the symbolic core where Portuguese kingship gave way to learning.

4. Old Cathedral of Coimbra (Sé Velha)

Coordinates
40.20878, -8.42708
In one line
Begun after 1139 under Portugal's first king, Afonso Henriques, the Sé Velha is the country's best-preserved Romanesque cathedral. Its fortress-like walls, sculpted portals and gilded Gothic altarpiece survive almost intact, and Portugal's earliest Gothic cloister was added from 1218.

5. Saint Michael's Chapel

Coordinates
40.20741, -8.42645
In one line
The University of Coimbra's chapel, rebuilt in Manueline style between 1517 and 1522. Behind its naturalistic carved doorway lie azulejo-tiled walls, a painted ceiling and a gilded Baroque organ of nearly two thousand pipes, given by King João V in 1733.

6. New Cathedral of Coimbra (Sé Nova)

Coordinates
40.2097, -8.4246
In one line
Originally the church of Coimbra's Jesuit college, this Mannerist and Baroque building became the city's cathedral in 1772, after the Jesuits were expelled. Its façade pairs sober lower ranks with richer Baroque detail above, and houses gilded altarpieces and furnishings moved from the old cathedral.

7. Monastery of the Holy Cross (Santa Cruz)

Coordinates
40.21094, -8.42886
In one line
Founded in 1131 by Saint Theotonius, this Augustinian monastery holds the tombs of Portugal's first two kings, Afonso Henriques and Sancho I, making it a National Pantheon. A grand Manueline renovation under King Manuel I added its ornate portal, carved tombs and Cloister of Silence.

8. Machado de Castro National Museum

Coordinates
40.20879, -8.42549
In one line
Set in Coimbra's former bishop's palace above a Roman gallery, this national museum opened in 1913. It holds Portugal's richest collection of sculpture, alongside paintings, gold, ceramics and textiles gathered from the region's churches.

9. Roman Cryptoporticus of Aeminium

Coordinates
40.20864, -8.4257
In one line
A vaulted underground gallery built in the first or second century to support the forum of Roman Aeminium. The oldest visible structure in Coimbra, it survives intact beneath the Machado de Castro Museum as a rare window onto the ancient city.

10. Botanical Garden of the University of Coimbra

Coordinates
40.2058, -8.4214
In one line
Founded in 1772 as part of the Marquis of Pombal's university reform, this 13-hectare garden blends formal Enlightenment terraces with a wooded valley. Its glasshouses, towering exotic trees and bamboo grove make it one of Europe's most admired botanical gardens.

11. Quinta das Lágrimas Gardens

Coordinates
40.19806, -8.43333
In one line
Romantic gardens on the Mondego's left bank, tied to the tragic legend of Prince Pedro and Inês de Castro, murdered in 1355. Its Fountain of Tears, ancient trees and palace, now a hotel, make it one of Portugal's most poignant landscapes.

12. Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha

Coordinates
40.20276, -8.43344
In one line
A Gothic monastery refounded in 1314 by Queen Elizabeth of Aragon and consecrated in 1330. Flooded for centuries by the Mondego and abandoned in 1677, it was excavated and reopened in 2009 as a striking riverside ruin.

13. Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Nova

Coordinates
40.2034, -8.4362
In one line
A hilltop monastery begun in 1649 and completed in 1696, built to replace the flooded riverside convent below. Its sober Mannerist church holds the silver tomb of Queen Saint Elizabeth, and its grand Baroque cloister overlooks the city.

14. Portugal dos Pequenitos

Coordinates
40.20306, -8.43417
In one line
A miniature theme park built from 1938, filled with child-sized Portuguese houses, monuments and pavilions of former overseas territories. Founded by physician Fernando Bissaya Barreto and designed by Cassiano Branco, it remains one of Coimbra's most popular family attractions.

15. Santa Clara Bridge

Coordinates
40.20611, -8.43056
In one line
The reinforced-concrete bridge that carries Coimbra across the Mondego to the Santa Clara bank. Designed by engineer Edgar Cardoso and opened in 1954, its low horizontal span frames the classic view of the old city climbing its hill.

16. Largo da Portagem

Coordinates
40.20768, -8.42948
In one line
Coimbra's main downtown square, opening onto the Mondego beside the Santa Clara bridge. Its name recalls the medieval toll once levied here on river traffic, and a bronze statue of the statesman Joaquim António de Aguiar stands at its centre.

17. Almedina Arch and Gate

Coordinates
40.20893, -8.42877
In one line
The medieval gateway into Coimbra's old upper town, the last survivor of the city's fortified gates. Its name comes from the Arabic word for the city, and the tower above once held the council chamber and the bell that signalled the opening and closing of the gates.

18. Quebra-Costas Steps and Coimbra Fado

Coordinates
40.20905, -8.42799
In one line
A steep cobbled stair-street whose name means back-breaker, climbing from the Almedina gate toward the Old Cathedral. It is closely tied to Coimbra fado, the city's distinctive song tradition carried by university students in black academic capes.

19. Church of Santiago

Coordinates
40.20947, -8.42953
In one line
A Romanesque church on Praça do Comércio, rebuilt in the late twelfth century and among Coimbra's finest medieval monuments. Dedicated to Saint James, it stands on the pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela and is a designated National Monument.

20. Commerce Square (Praça do Comércio)

Coordinates
40.2095, -8.42926
In one line
Coimbra's old marketplace and one of its liveliest squares, ringed by colourful townhouses and two medieval churches. Once the commercial heart of the lower town, it now bustles with cafés, shops and a monthly antiques fair, with a reproduction pillory standing before the Church of Santiago.

21. Manga Cloister Garden (Jardim da Manga)

Coordinates
40.21126, -8.42783
In one line
A Renaissance fountain garden behind the Monastery of Santa Cruz, built around 1528 as the monks' water source. Its yellow domed pavilion on eight columns, ringed by four chapels and pools, is among the earliest fully Renaissance works in Portugal and a National Monument.

22. Rua da Sofia (Street of Colleges)

Coordinates
40.21222, -8.42907
In one line
A broad Renaissance avenue opened in the 1530s to house the colleges of the relocated University of Coimbra. Lined with former religious colleges and the Monastery of Santa Cruz, it forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage university ensemble.

23. Baixa of Coimbra and Rua Ferreira Borges

Coordinates
40.20996, -8.42938
In one line
Coimbra's historic lower town beside the Mondego, the merchant and artisan quarter since medieval times. Its main artery, Rua Ferreira Borges, runs from Largo da Portagem toward the Almedina gate, linking the riverside to the upper university hill.

24. Penedo da Saudade Viewpoint

Coordinates
40.20517, -8.41483
In one line
A terraced hillside garden and viewpoint laid out in 1849, famous for stone slabs carved with verses left by University of Coimbra students. It overlooks the Mondego and is steeped in the city's Romantic poetic tradition.

25. Pedro and Inês Footbridge

Coordinates
40.20111, -8.42722
In one line
A 274. 5-metre pedestrian and cycle bridge over the Mondego, inaugurated in 2006 and designed by Cecil Balmond with engineer António Adão da Fonseca. Two offset cantilevered halves meet at a central glass-paved plaza, named for the legendary lovers Pedro and Inês.

26. São Francisco Convent and Convention Centre

Coordinates
40.2045, -8.4368
In one line
A 17th-century Franciscan convent on the south bank of the Mondego in Santa Clara, later used as factories. Acquired by the city in 1986 and reopened in 2016, it now serves as Coimbra's cultural and congress centre.

27. Sub-Ripas Palace and Torre de Anto

Coordinates
40.2099, -8.4285
In one line
A 16th-century Renaissance residence built into the medieval city wall below the Old Cathedral, with Manueline portals and bas-reliefs from João de Ruão's workshop. It adjoins the Torre de Anto, a former defensive tower tied to poet António Nobre and now a fado centre.

28. Praça da República (Republic Square)

Coordinates
40.21063, -8.4201
In one line
Coimbra's main student square at the edge of the university hill, ringed by cafés and bars and bordered by the Jardim da Sereia. For generations it has been the city's social heart, busiest on weeknights during term and central to student festivals.

29. Café Santa Cruz

Coordinates
40.21077, -8.429
In one line
A grand café set inside a former Manueline church on Praça 8 de Maio, beside the Monastery of Santa Cruz. Opened in 1923 under soaring ribbed vaults, it remains one of Coimbra's most storied gathering places for coffee, talk and fado.

30. Municipal Market D. Pedro V

Coordinates
40.2126, -8.428
In one line
Coimbra's main municipal food market, named for King Pedro V and rooted in the 19th century. In the Santa Cruz district near the Elevador do Mercado, its stalls of fish, fruit, vegetables and flowers feed the daily life of the city.

31. Jardim da Sereia (Santa Cruz Park)

Coordinates
40.2118, -8.4237
In one line
A leafy baroque garden laid out in the 18th century by the canons of Santa Cruz as a place of rest and meditation. Its tritons, fountains and cascading waterworks give it the popular name Jardim da Sereia, the Mermaid's Garden, now a public park.

32. Coimbra Academic Association (AAC)

Coordinates
40.2103, -8.4205
In one line
Portugal's oldest students' union, founded in 1887 to represent the University of Coimbra. From its 1961 headquarters with the Gil Vicente theatre, it runs sport, fado, radio, theatre and the great Queima das Fitas festival, anchoring student life across the city.

33. Queima das Fitas Student Festival

Coordinates
40.2089, -8.4272
In one line
Coimbra's great student festival, born in the 1850s and held over eight days each May. Graduates burn the ribbons of their faculties, serenade the Old Cathedral by night and parade through the city, in a ritual that spread to universities across Portugal.

34. Choupal National Forest

Coordinates
40.22194, -8.44611
In one line
A riverside poplar woodland planted from 1791 to tame the floods of the Mondego. Stretching along the river's right bank northwest of Coimbra, it is now a beloved national forest of shaded trails for walking, jogging, cycling and riding.

35. Parque Verde do Mondego

Coordinates
40.2019, -8.4289
In one line
A contemporary riverside park along the Mondego in central Coimbra, with lawns, walkways and cafés on both banks. Linked by the Pedro e Inês footbridge, it gives the city a green meeting place where students and residents gather by the water.

36. Cidade de Coimbra Stadium

Coordinates
40.20333, -8.40778
In one line
Coimbra's municipal football stadium, rebuilt between 2001 and 2003 and home to Académica de Coimbra. It hosted two matches at the 2004 European Championship and now seats almost 30,000 fans beneath its airy glass-and-steel stands.

37. Coimbra University Stadium

Coordinates
40.20598, -8.43475
In one line
A sprawling university sports complex on the left bank of the Mondego, opened in 1963. It gathers football and rugby fields, tennis courts, gymnasiums and indoor pavilions around the University of Coimbra's sports sciences faculty.

38. Santa Clara Neighbourhood

Coordinates
40.19083, -8.43833
In one line
The neighbourhood on the Mondego's left bank, facing the old town across the river. Once a riverside parish of convents, it gathers Santa Clara-a-Velha, Santa Clara-a-Nova, Quinta das Lágrimas and Portugal dos Pequenitos beneath its wooded slopes.

39. Santo António dos Olivais Church and Quarter

Coordinates
40.218, -8.404
In one line
A hilltop quarter east of the university, named for the olive groves where Portugal's first Franciscans settled. Here the young friar who became Saint Anthony of Padua once lived, and a medieval hermitage grew into a church and a sprawling residential parish.

40. Conchada Cemetery

Coordinates
40.2189, -8.4318
In one line
Coimbra's grand nineteenth-century cemetery, opened in 1860 on a former estate. Famed for its sculpted tombs in stone and wrought iron, it holds poets, prime ministers and the city's leading families, and is often called an open-air museum of funerary art.

Roots Earth in short

Roots Earth has audio stories about 5,665 places in 130 cities, 25 countries and 6 regions, written by local people.

  • No account
  • Download a city's audio, then it plays without a connection
  • Audio stories in English and German in every city, and in Spanish, Italian, French, Dutch and Albanian in 126 of the 130 cities

Roots Earth for Android is available on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rootsearth.app.