Trying to see one more place in Portugal, besides Porto, which we fly out of. We'll be in Spain for 9 days, which leaves 6 for Portugal. We will be there in December, so a preference might be places suitable for colder/potentially rainier weather (we are from Portland, so very used to walking around in the rain and still having fun).
In doing some research, the Coimbra and Guimarães came up as potential places to spend 2-3 nights.
Anyone been and have a preference between the two?
I'd choose Guimarães. It's compact, very walkable, and has a charming medieval atmosphere with plenty to see over 2–3 days. Coimbra is interesting for its historic university, but for a short visit I found Guimarães more enjoyable and atmospheric. Since you're already visiting Porto, Guimarães is also an easy and convenient addition to your itinerary.
We stayed in Coimbra for a few days and took a day tour up north which included Guimaraes and Braga where we saw the Bom Jesus do Monte and Braga Cathedrals. I personally would stay in Coimbra and take that day trip to the other towns . Guimaraes was nice but to me not worthy of 2-3 days imo.
Enjoy!
I have no experience with Guimarães, but we enjoyed our 2 nights in Coimbra in Aug 2023. Direct hi-speed rail access to Porto and Lisbon. Our Coimbra activities are in our trip report (parts 1 and 3): https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-portugal-aug-sep-porto-coimbra-lisbon-then-to-spain
We have only been to Coimbra (2 days) and very much enjoyed it. We walked around the university and toured its library. A short taxi ride away is Conímbriga, a large excavated Roman ruin, which was fascinating.
We stayed at the Hotel Astoria--an old fashioned hotel (think 1920s era) with a good breakfast and great location.
