Portugal's Oxford — medieval university, Coimbra fado, and Mondego River nights
Coimbra is Portugal's most atmospheric university city — home to one of Europe's oldest universities (founded 1290), a UNESCO-listed baroque library, and a distinctive fado tradition sung exclusively by male students in black capes. The old city climbs steeply from the Mondego River to the Paço das Escolas (the university's ceremonial palace), and the cafes and tascas of the Baixa fill each evening with the sound of guitars.
Coimbra was Portugal's capital for over a century (from 1139 to 1255, when Lisbon took over) and its university — transplanted from Lisbon in 1308 and permanently established in Coimbra in 1537 — shaped Portuguese intellectual and literary life for seven centuries. The university's Joanine Library (built 1717–1728) is considered the most beautiful in the world, and bats released inside each evening protect the irreplaceable collections from insects. Coimbra fado developed separately from Lisbon's — more literary and philosophical, always sung by male students.