5 reasons to visit Coimbra as a photographer.

Let's be honest. We photographers sometimes need to stimulate our creative side, and travel must be in the top 3 stimulants. Coming to a never-visited place, you may not have enough time to notice change there, but you'll notice the differences. Different light, different architecture, different human behaviors (if you like to tell stories through people). Many things to notice and take pictures of. And some places look better in pictures, too. 

Here I share with you 5 reasons why you should visit Coimbra if you're a photographer—yes, you are, even if you took only a few pictures in your life, but you feel that photography is a good enough excuse to travel.

I must say that the last one is quite obvious; I had a hard time deciding to include it or not. After browsing the internet, though, I've realized that most photographers coming to Coimbra don't know how little this city is photographed.

1. Experience how the spirit of the 7th oldest university in the world feels like in the 21st century.

It is true that Coimbra is a student city. I'd add that the whole economy here is spinning around students and health care.

You can walk around Baixa and climb 104 metres up to the university. As much as there is to see—the traces of old wealth, the tradition embedded in the old walls, and the view of the rest of the city—I like to wander around the narrow streets below and imagine how student life could have looked like, say, 300 years ago.

You'll share the space with a lot of visitors, but if you turn "left" sometimes, instead of right, you'll find yourself on your own listening to the old conversation sounding from one of many flats (yes, people still live there). Wondering what people could be talking about, if you're patient, you may find an interesting frame with interesting characters passing by.

2. See how old and new interplay in your images.

There is a lot of history in this city that you can learn easily before or joining a tour when you arrive. But from the photography perspective, the fact that there is a lot of history means you'll find a lot of antiquities mixed with novelties. Contrasts tell stories, after all, and they are definitely worth exploring with your camera in hand.

Coimbra is not only about tradition; it also has modern buildings that are worth knowing, such as the University’s Campus II, the Pedro and Ines Footbridge, the Centro de Portugal Pavilion in the Parque Verde do Mondego.

3. Slow down; you can walk everywhere, notice more.

That is good news for street photographers. Maybe life here isn't as busy as in New York or London, but you can walk from one end to the other in one day. From calm, seemingly boring neighborhoods to wealthy, medical professionals-populated, wealthy-looking streets and then through the oldest part of the city, Baixa, to the fading-away city into a countryside of Portugal.

All in one day.

4. Tired? Have a rest under a tree or in one of many parks.

The Botanic Gardens is a gem. If you get tired of walking streets and looking at old buildings, you can walk to the Botanic Gardens of the University of Coimbra, where you'll find shady spots to eat your lunch and rest your legs before setting off to capture more of the city life.


Some of the various plants and trees were brought there around 1774, which makes them well established and, well, royal-looking. If you like taking pictures of nature, you can spend days in the Botanic Gardens. My tip: walk down to the bamboo forest and Estufa Fria, where the statue called Botânica, a female nude by the sculptor Martins Correia, proudly welcomes visitors.

5. The city stands on hilly terrain that makes it easy to find surprising angles.

It is said that Coimbra "features a large hill right in the middle of the city," but that isn't the full picture... . In fact, the whole area is hilly, and the one on which the university is located happens to be the most visible.

Go beyond what you'll find on every blog: the University, the Ponte Pedro e Ines, and the Centro de Portugal Pavilion in the Parque Verde do Mondego; be creative. Look beyond official guides like the site Visit Portugal, which gives limited ideas:

To get a different perspective of the whole city, we recommend a boat trip on the River Mondego

Get the perspective of the whole city? That is incorrect! From the river you'll see a small portion of Baixa, not the whole city.
If you really want to see the whole city, go to Santa Clara, or to the park near Avenida Marnoco e Sousa, or Portela da Cobica, where almost no tourists make it, and you'll have unique vantage points to frame your shots from, where you can also see where the city ends and the Lousa mountains begin—the gateway to the wild Pinhal interior.

And this last one isn't really a reason, but it can add life to your experience and to your photos.

Life in Coimbra is happening till late. Unlike in the UK, kids here are welcome after 21. You can see the whole families eating out, coming back from cultural events, and enjoying time together.

Would you rather be taken to those places? Book a private photo-walk with me.