Tastings And Tickets City Walk

Three hours on foot through Coimbra with food tastings and tickets included in the listing.

Overview

This three-hour walk with InsighTours starts at the Dom Dinis statue, where the guide waits with a white umbrella, and works through Coimbra's medieval core before finishing inside Santa Cruz. Along the way it takes in the University of Coimbra as a photo stop, the Sé Nova, the Sé Velha, the Porta e Torre de Almedina and the Jardim da Manga, with a tasting of local delicacies and wine or beer at a local restaurant partway through.

Admission and guided visits inside both cathedrals and Santa Cruz are covered by the tour. The University stop is optional and carries an extra fee if travellers want more than the photo stop, and the guide inside the University is optional rather than part of the standard tour. Reviews repeatedly single out the guides' depth of history and their easy, question-friendly manner.

It suits visitors who want a single walk that bundles monuments, streets and food, and who are happy meeting the group at a fixed point rather than being collected. There is no hotel pickup or drop-off. The tour runs in English, Portuguese and Spanish.

What's Included

Itinerary

1. Meet at Dom DinisThe guide waits in front of the D. Dinis statue holding a white umbrella.
2. University of CoimbraA photo stop and sightseeing. Going inside is optional and carries an extra fee.
3. Sé Nova de CoimbraA visit to the New Cathedral, with admission included in the tour.
4. Sé VelhaA guided tour of the Old Cathedral, with admission included.
5. Local restaurant tastingA stop for wine tasting and food tasting of local products.
6. Porta e Torre de AlmedinaA guided walk through the old gateway and the surrounding medieval streets.
7. Jardim da MangaA photo stop and visit at the garden.
8. Santa Cruz MonasteryA guided visit to the monastery church, where the tour ends at the Igreja do Mosteiro de Santa Cruz, the Panteão Nacional.

What To Expect From The Tour

A few practical points worth knowing before booking this walk.

• Meeting point. There is no hotel pickup. The group meets in front of the D. Dinis statue, and the guide holds a white umbrella. One reviewer advised checking messages the day before and on the morning itself, since the operator communicates changes that way.
• Footwear and pace. The listing recommends comfortable shoes, and the route covers the old city centre on foot for three hours. Bring water, a sun hat and sunscreen, as the listing advises preparing for varying weather.
• Guides who answer questions. Several travellers said the guides encouraged questions and answered them in detail, covering contemporary life in Coimbra as well as history. Reviewers also praised their clear English.
• Food and drink. The tasting of local delicacies with wine or beer is included, along with admission to the cathedrals and Santa Cruz. The University interior is the one place where an extra fee applies, and that visit is optional.
• Photography. Photos are allowed, but flash photography is not permitted inside the monuments. A camera is on the listing's what-to-bring list.
• Group feel. One traveller reported being the only participant and still getting a full tour. Another described a lively outing, helped by graduating students in the streets during their visit.

Common issues. The University of Coimbra stop is a photo stop only unless travellers pay an extra fee, and the guide inside the University is optional rather than part of the standard tour. There is no hotel pickup or drop-off, so travellers need to make their own way to the Dom Dinis statue and back from Santa Cruz. Gratuities and personal expenses are not included. One reviewer noted that operators commonly send updates by messaging app, so it is worth checking messages before the tour in case of changes.

Common Questions