We are planning a one week trip to Portugal during the Thanksgiving week. We are taking intercity bus from Lisbon to Tomar, spend most of the day there and reach Coimbra by evening. We would appreciate hotel recommendations in Coimbra for a night. We are planning to continue on to Porto.
Posted by
San Franciso Bay Area, USA
1125 posts
I have stayed in Coimbra twice in the past two years, most recently this September. There are two hotels to consider, both are in the same price range.
If you plan on touring mainly near the University, I can recommend Sapientia Boutique Hotel. You can read my full review here: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/portugal-reviews/hotel-review-sapientia-boutique-hotel-coimbra.
If you want to be closer to the main downtown area and river, then consider Hotel Oslo. It is conveniently located, rooms are spacious, and they have an amazing roof top deck. Our rate included a very nice buffet breakfast daily. If you can, ask for a room near the back as we were on the street side and it was very noisy in the evening.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you for the suggestions, SandyO.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
8109 posts
When we visited there in 2023 we stayed at Hotel Mondego by one of the train stations and near the river. We enjoyed it. There were plenty of nearby restaurants and the main plaza was a 10 minutes walk away. With only one night and arriving in the evening you won’t get to see much.
Posted by
Living in a suburb of Los Angeles
153 posts
I second the recommendation for Hotel Mondego. I stayed there in 2024 and found it very conveniently located for 3 nights visit. When I left for Porto, is was nice to just walk across the street to the train station. The hotel improvements were tastefully done.
Posted by
San Franciso Bay Area, USA
1125 posts
SoCal Girl: One thing on the train station, Coimbra-A station which used to be across from the main square in Coimbra is closed, all trains depart now only from Coimbra-B which requires a bus or Uber/Bolt/Taxi to get to.
We opted for a taxi as when we were there in September, it was a bit of a wait for the bus to get to the downtown area of Coimbra. Here is the link to the instructions on the bus. The bus ticket is free with your train ticket: https://transbordo-metromondego.com/transbordo-mm/#page-c.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
8109 posts
jemmawaltersgo post reported.
Posted by
Cascais, Portugal
1974 posts
I am currently staying at the CBR Boutique Hotel and it’s very nice. Great location right by the river at one end of the main shopping street, newly remodeled and very interesting decor. Bed is comfortable and included breakfast is good. I would stay here again.