The RS Portugal book was very detailed, practical and helpful. Of the guidebooks I had used/read, felt it was the best of the bunch. I had the 2017 edition.
Traveled during school vacation during the week leading up to Easter. Weather was rainy and cool but did have sunny days too.
Flew Aer Lingus via Dublin to Lisbon, husband buys the tickets so he decides how we go. : ) Going through the airport to passport control was easy and fast. We travel with carry on which probably helped.
At Lisbon airport, walked to the metro and purchased two Viva Viagem cards and loaded €5 on each since we planned on “zapping”, factor in the additional cost of 0.50 for each card. Took the metro to Oriente station and then our train to Coimbra.
We took the faster AP train to Coimbra, it was very comfortable and quiet. Tickets were checked using the ID provided from purchasing on-line. (passports) Train tickets are reasonably priced. I did purchase online and got a great deal but because our transfer from the airport to the train station was so quick, we did have to wait for our train. However, train was full so I think buying in advance was a good idea.
National trains arrive at the Coimbra-B train station and rather than waiting for the local train to complete our journey we took a taxi, less than 10 minutes and cost was € 5.
Stayed at Hotel Oslo for 4 nights, great location, excellent staff, really nice rooftop bar, breakfast included. Had a standard room, shower is a step up and small, which might be an issue for some. Huge bed and very comfortable. The room was very well maintained and spotless.
Restaurants that we liked: Restaurante Solar do Bacalhau, huge restaurant with Portuguese dishes and pizza too. Restaurante Italia, river view with large menu of Italian dishes. Our favorite was Pesseite, Taberna do Azeite, tapas mainly and their own olive oil features in the dishes.
We didn’t make reservations but would go early to get a table. Menus in Portuguese and English. Easy to refuse the couvert (bread, olives, cheese) if you didn’t want it. Usually ordered the house wine. None of our meals (water, wine, mains, and a salad) were over € 40
We really liked Coimbra and thought it was a very relaxing introduction to Portugal. Lots of restaurants, shopping and very easy to get around. We took a walking tour with Go Walks Portugal (the town plus the university) I would recommend the tour as an introduction to the city. Cafe Santa Cruz had fado performances twice a night, very enjoyable way to hear the music and have a cocktail.
Day tripped to the roman ruins (Conimbriga) took a local bus (40 min., €2.60). Can purchase a small guidebook for an additional €3.50 but the signage is good and in English.
We did visit some of the churches and enjoyed walking around and stopping for a coffee or a glass of wine. I didn’t write down all the places we ate but we enjoyed our meals. Prices for food and drink were reasonable and portions were large.