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Coimbra Holiday Accommodation
Portugal's central Beiras region is captivated by the capital, Coimbra, situated about 73 miles (118km) south of Oporto. Coimbra has the fame of being one of Europe's oldest university towns, and its students swarm the streets in traditional black capes, with coloured ribbons affixed to indicate which faculty they belong to. The magnificence of the university building, founded in the 12th century, overlooks the city, which offers a medieval hive of cobbled alleys, archways and stairways.
Coimbra was the birthplace of six of Portugal's kings and the country's first king, Afonso Henriques who is now laid to rest in a carved Gothic sarcophagus in the Monastery of Santa Cruz. Other sights in and around Coimbra include several beautiful medieval churches, the Machado de Castro museum, and Conimbriga, southwest of the city, which is a fascinating Roman archaeological site
