COIMBRA - how to get there by train or bus and how to get around

I have no easy means to check or update so please confirm through sources given below. PLEASE CHECK AT THE OFFICIAL WEBSITES.

Coimbra (pop. 101,000, urban area 148,000) is a city of Central  Portugal - it is not in the Algarve. It stands about 206km (125 miles) north of Lisbon and about 125km (76 miles) from Porto.

From Porto Airport to Coimbra by train

Take the METRO DO PORTO Line E from the Airport to Campanhã station. You may need to change trains, which I recommend you do at Lapa station where this is done on the same platform, no need for steps, tunnels etc. Trains are currently running about every 15 minutes daily between about 0700 and 2000, about every 30 minutes at other times. The first train from the airport is at 0604 on weekdays, 0558 on Saturdays and at 0557 on Sundays and public holidays That will take about 35 minutes and costs €2.75 - a Z4 (four zone) ticket. More details at the METRO DO PORTO website. By the way, don't throw away your 'ANDANTE' ticket if you are coming back to Porto. It is rechargeable. You can use it until it wears out and saves you €0.60 on each subsequent ticket of the same type. Tickets are sold at the Airport tourist office, but if it's not open you will need some coins for the ticket machines. The service to the Airport from Trindad starts at 0558 on weekdays, 0622 at weekends and on public holidays, with the last train at 0037 every night. The first direct trains from Campanhã station to the airport are at 0707 on weekdays, 0706 on Saturdays and 0703 on Sundays and Holidays. The last train from Campanhã  is at 0031 every night. If no direct train is shown, take any WESTBOUND train and change at Lapa station.

At Campanhã walk round from the Metro station to the main railway station of CP, Portuguese Railways. That takes only a minute.

From Porto Campanhã, fast trains run about once every hour to Coimbra-B station. The journey is about an hour by these trains. Seat reservations are compulsory and open 60 days before travel. You can buy a 'last minute' ticket if there are spare seats on the next train. Otherwise you will have to wait for the first train on which seats are available. One-way second class standard fare is €18,70 or €14,60 depending on which train you catch.  On all trains it is necessary to change at Coimbra-B for the city centre Coimbra station. If you buy your ticket at the station, make sure you book to COIMBRA or you will pay extra for the final short leg of the journey.

The first fast train is at 0532 daily. The last fast train is at 1937 daily or 2032 except on Saturdays and holidays. Be sure to check timetables at the Portugal Railways Official website especially if travelling on or around public holidays. A slow regional train (reservation not available) leaves Porto Campanhã except Sundays at 0100 arriving at Coimbra B at 0259.

Please note that reservations for train trips in Portugal can only be made up to a MAXIMUM of 60 days in advance. You can reserve on line and print your own ticket at www.cp.pt and DO NOT use RailEurope etc as they cannot issue the required seat reservation for which you will pay extra.  A big discount is available on many trains for tickets purchased more than 8 days in advance.

There is also an option to travel to Aveiro on the 'urban' trains then by regional train to Coimbra. This will take about 2 hours, but will cost only €9,40 with trains about every 2 hours until 1940hrs daily.

Information below about the different railway stations in Coimbra.

Porto - Coimbra by bus (coach) operated by REDE EXPRESSOS

Rede Expressos has six daily journeys between the airport and Coimbra, taking about 1 hour 45 minutes. There is no ticket sales point at the airport. Tickets should be purchased in advance at their website or app.

If those times do not suit, you will need to make your way from the airport to the bus station at Campanhã. This is outside the city centre, by the railway and metro station of the same name. That is the quickest and cheapest way. Metro trains run about every 15 - 30 minutes every day from around 0600 until 0042.

Consult the long distance bus website www.rede-expressos.pt or the Rede Expressos app for Porto - Coimbra times and tickets. One-way standard fare is currently €12,50; discounted tickets are often available for advance booking. The journey takes about 1hr 25 minutes. There are journeys about once every hour, every day, from 0715 to 2100 and a night journey at 0045 or 0100. Rede Expressos also has service to Coimbra from many towns and cities through Portugal. Seats can be reserved up to 30 days prior to travel.

Porto - Coimbra by bus (coach) operated by FLIXBUS   

Flixbus operate several journeys every day from Porto Airport to Coimbra. Tip - when searching for times and tickets enter 'Porto (Airport)' or it might not show. They also run to and from Campanhã. Journey time from Porto Airport to Coimbra is 1 hour 50 minutes. Fares vary according to demand, I have seen prices from €4,99 to €15,49. Times and tickets from www.flixbus.com or their app. Flixbus do not have a ticket sales point at the airport.

From Lisbon Airport and City to Coimbra by train

You can now pay for Lisbon metro journeys using contactless payment. Each journey including transfer to another line if needed will cost €1,80.

If you are not planning to spend time in Lisbon, you will need to get from the Airport to LISBOA ORIENTE station. Obviously, taxis are available. However, this is very simple using the Lisbon metro (subway) from the airport station. Trains run to Oriente station every few minutes from 0630 until 0100 every night. The journey takes about 5 minutes, ticket price €2,30 (cash) including 50 cents for the re-usable ticket card. There is also city bus 744 to Oriente. City bus details at http://www.carris.pt/

If you are planning to spend time in Lisbon, most trains to the north start from the city centre SANTA APOLÓNIA station, but two trains go from Lisbon ENTRECAMPOS instead. Check timetables at www.cp.pt.

Please see below information about the two different railway stations in Coimbra.

From Lisbon, fast trains run about once every hour on weekdays to Coimbra-B station. They are a little less frequent at weekends and holidays. The journey is about 1 hour 35 minutes by the fastest trains, two hours by the others. Seat reservations are compulsory and open 60 days before travel. Reserve on-line at www.cp.pt but you can buy a 'last minute' ticket if there are spare seats on the next train. Otherwise you will have to wait for the next train on which seats are available. One-way second class fare by fast train is €21,30 or €25,70 depending on which train you catch. If booking on line more than eight days in advance a discount on the normal fare is on offer, but not for all trains.

If you buy your ticket to/from Coimbra on line, it includes the connecting local trains between Coimbra-B and Coimbra (city) stations.

First train (from Santa Apolónia) is at 0630 weekdays, 0700 daily. The last train is at 2200hrs daily - these trains stop at Lisbon Oriente 9 minutes later. The last trains from Lisbon with a connection at Coimbra - B for the city centre leave at 1930hrs daily, 2000hrs Sundays.

Be sure to check timetables at the Portugal Railways Official website especially if travelling on or around  major public holidays.

Reservations for train trips in Portugal can only be made up to a MAXIMUM of 60 days in advance. You can reserve on line and print your own ticket at www.cp.pt and DO NOT use RailEurope etc as they cannot issue the required seat reservation for which you will pay extra. A big discount is available on many trains for tickets purchased more than 8 days in advance.

Lisbon - Coimbra by bus (coach) operated by REDE EXPRESSOS

You will need to make your way from the airport to the LISBON ORIENTE bus terminal. This is about 2.5km from the airport and is linked to it by the underground metro line. Take any train from the airport to Oriente. Trains run every few minutes from 0630 daily, the journey will take around 6 minutes and cost €2,30 (cash) or €1,80 contactless card payment.

For your bus options from elsewhere in the city check the city bus website at http://www.carris.pt/

The other bus station in Lisbon, at Sete Rios, is more convenient from most of the city centre. The metro station Jardim Zoológico is next to it. Numerous city buses go there also.

Consult the Portuguese long distance bus website www.rede-expressos.pt or their app for Lisbon - Coimbra times; remember that Lisbon is LISBOA in Portuguese. One-way standard fare is currently €15,00 discounted tickets are often available for advance booking. The journey takes about 2hrs 30 minutes. There are journeys about once every hour, every day. Rede Expressos also has service to Coimbra from many towns and cities through Portugal. Tickets are sold up to 30 days prior to travel.

Lisbon - Coimbra by bus (coach) operated by FLIXBUS

FLIXBUS run several times every day from Lisbon Oriente to Coimbra. They also have one journey day from and back to Lisbon Airport. Their journeys take on average 2 hours 20 minutes, but their stop in Coimbra is some way to the north of the city centre. Times and tickets at their website www.flixbus.pt or app.

Arriving in Coimbra

There are two railway stations in Coimbra!

COIMBRA - B is the main station where all the trains from Lisbon and Porto stop. It is however about 2km (1 ¼ miles) from the city centre, hotels and University. There is a local train service into the city centre Coimbra station connecting with main line trains. Taxis and local buses can be taken at Coimbra - B. Bus information at www.smtuc.pt but some information is only in Portuguese.

COIMBRA is the city centre station. Local trains connect with the main line trains at Coimbra - B.

If you wish to travel to or from COIMBRA (ie the city centre) make sure you get a ticket to COIMBRA and not Coimbra - B. Not all the connecting trains between Coimbra - B and Coimbra show up in the printed timetable, but they are there!

At Coimbra (city) station it is about 5 minutes walk to the main hotel district. Bus 103 will take you up to the University on top of the hill.

And just to confuse matters, the local buses and local people refer to Coimbra - B as 'Estação Velha' (Old station) and Coimbra as 'Estação Nova' (New station).

The bus station in Coimbra is a little closer to the city centre than Coimbra B. It's still a good 10 - 15 minutes walk into the city along the Avenida Fernão Magalhães. Outside to the left is a taxi rank, outside to the right is the stop for city buses towards the University and City Centre.

Getting around in Coimbra

Coimbra is a walkable city, but rather hilly! The old city and University are on top of the very tall and steep hill where the castle once stood. Streets are for the most part cobbled with steep steps and most are traffic free. If you need local buses around the city and immediate suburbs, consult the timetables at the bus company website and the map at http://www.smtuc.pt/rede-de-transportes/ -  these buses operate under the name SMTUC - Transportes Urbanos de Coimbra. The network of routes and numbering system is quite hard to understand at first. Many of them run as circular routes rather than end-to-end. City centre bus stops have 'countdown' clocks to tell you how long it is before the next bus. Single journey bus tickets on the city network cost €2,00 cash paid on board.

A one-day ticket for the whole network is €4,00. Various discounted pre-pay multi-journey tickets and other passes are available from the ticket shop outlets. Passes and multi ride tickets are issued on a rechargeable ticket card costing an extra 50 cents.

On weekdays, the main bus routes run every 10 or 15 minutes until around 2100, after which only a few routes operate every 30 - 45 minutes at best, until around 2300. At weekends and on public holidays, buses are less frequent.

Detailed times for all stops on each route can be found at https://www.smtuc.pt/rede-e-horarios/  select line (route), direction and the 'typical' day i.e  Dias Úteis,  Sábados,  Domingos e Feriados = weekdays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.

Coimbra had the last operational electric trolleybuses in Portugal. The service was temporarily suspended owing to extensive roadworks and was made permanent in July of this year. Some bus routes are operated by battery powered electric buses.

There are two tourist offices in the city, one close to the Coimbra city centre station and another in the University district.

Luggage storage - are small lockers at the main Coimbra-B railway station but there none at the other station or the bus station. Previous information offers this : CASA MEDIEVAL- Coimbra Welcome Center,  located in "Rua do Sargento Mor, Casa Medieval nº4" and it's near the historical centre of the city. Price examples : morning/afternoon (10.00 to 14.00 or/ 14.00 to 18.00) it's 5€, full day it's 8€.

It was reported to me that " the Serenta Hostel, next to the Cathedral and University, will store luggage at €4 per person per day (open 24/7) and Hotel Oslo, near the Coimbra-A train station says they will store luggage for free even if not booking a room (hard to believe but that's what they emailed me)."

Further afield from Coimbra

To get to Miranda do Corvo, Lousa and Serpins, the dedicated Metro Mondego bus service starts from outside the Coimbra (city) railway station. This operates at irregular intervals but fairly frequently to Miranda do Corvo and Lousa, about every once every hour beyond there to Serpins. Service is about once every two hours at weekends and holidays. Complete timetable information is available at https://www.metromondego.pt/pt/viajar - it is only in Portuguese. Go down the page and click Horário PDF to download it.

From Coimbra's two stations there are frequent local trains to Figueira de Foz, Aveiro and Entroncamento, serving various suburbs on the way. You can also get trains inland to Guarda and Vilar Formosa. Train service to Guarda is suspended until further notice, with replacement buses operating throughout. This is to allow reconstruction of the line. It was expected that the railway would re-open in summer 2024. This did not happen and may not now be until Spring of 2025. Local train timetables can be downloaded at https://www.cp.pt/passageiros/en/train-times

The combined International trains 'Sud - Express' and 'Lusitano Tren Hotel' to and from Valladolid, Salamanca, San Sebastian, Hendaye and Madrid were suspended in March 2020 and will never resume. That was the ONLY way by train across the border. There are no connections in this region between Portuguese and Spanish domestic rail services.

The Transdev bus company operates routes from Coimbra bus station to a variety of nearby destinations. Transdev website no longer has downloadable timetables. You must always search for bus times for the day you wish travel. At the time of my visit no timetables were on display in public areas, nor was there any indication of which bus left from which stop. Many buses also stop outside the Coimbra city centre railway station.

Buses to outlying areas are reasonably frequent on weekdays, but very few run on Saturdays and almost none on Sundays or Holidays. Most interurban buses finish around 8pm. Please bear these things in mind before making your plans too firm. For these buses you obtain your ticket from the bus driver in the usual way.

Football Stadium in Coimbra

The stadium of Académica Coimbra (Estádio Municipal de Coimbra) is about 2km south-east of the city centre and is served by several of the local SMTC bus routes. There is a very large shopping mall  and cinema underneath it! Académica are playing in the Third Division of Portuguese football in season 2024 - 2025.

Roman site at Conimbriga

Access to the important Roman archaeological site and museum at Conimbriga (about 9 miles or 14km from Coimbra) is possible by bus. The location is about 1 mile (1.6km) from the centre of the small town of Condeixa-A-Nova. Buses between Coimbra and Condeixa-a-Nvoa are operated by Transdev Portugal.

Some buses from Coimbra to Condexia-a-Nova run through to Conimbriga, those leaving at 0930 and 1230 on weekdays only, 1230 on Sundays. Return journeys to Coimbra - weekdays at 1325 and 1755, Sundays and Holidays only at 1355, therefore you cannot get there and back by bus on a Sunday. There are no buses on Saturdays. Fare Coimbra - Conimbriga is €2,95. The bus journey takes 45 minutes.

The complete bus service to Condeixa (they do not have route numbers) runs about every 30 minutes on weekdays, less often at weekends and holidays. For the timetable go to www.transdev.pt - the site is only in Portuguese but enter 'Origem' as Coimbra and 'Destino' as Condeixa and you will get the times for the day you select. There are no timetables for download. Buses start from Coimbra's main bus station, but also stop outside the 'city' railway station at the stop by the river. The ride is quite pleasant in itself as the road climbs and winds up into the wooded hills. The walk between the town centre and Conimbriga is almost flat.

The official website for Conimbriga is www.conimbriga.pt and there are various items in Wikipedia and elsewhere. If you are interested in Roman antiquity, it's well worth a day of your time.

Comments and updates

If you have any comments or updates for this page, I will be pleased to receive them by email. For more about Coimbra as a city, please see this article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coimbra

 I take no responsibility for any inconvenience caused as a result of later changes to times etc. This page is for general guidance only and you must check details before making commitments and decisions!