Set roughly halfway between Lisbon and Porto, Coimbra is a vibrant, historical university town that flanks both sides of the Mondego River, with the old quarter on one side and the modern district on the other. A walk down the ancient town’s main street will take you past shops and cafes, culminating in an atmospheric plaza. The square is crowned by the 12th-century Santa Cruz Monastery, a majestic building of ivory-coloured stone with an elaborate arched entrance and an exquisitely detailed interior decorated with blue tiles. The University of Coimbra, dating to 1537, is Europe’s oldest university and the town’s main architectural attraction, while the Quinta das Lagrimas estate, with its forests, bamboo groves, poppy fields, and manicured gardens, provides a tranquil oasis just outside the city.