Where can I eat near Coimbra Portagem Hostel?

You are in the heart of Coimbra's dining scene. For traditional Portuguese food, try Zé Manel dos Ossos for hearty dishes like feijoada, or A Cozinha da Maria for chanfana. For Italian and Mediterranean fare, Itália (Parque Verde) is a good choice. For lighter bites, Fangas Mercearia Bar offers Portuguese tapas, and Maria Portuguesa – Tasca e Mercearia serves regional snacks. Café Santa Cruz, in a former church, is a great spot for pastries and coffee. The lanes around Praça do Comércio, just a short walk away, are packed with more local restaurants.

What is the area around Coimbra Portagem Hostel like?

The hostel sits in the historic center of Coimbra, right by the Mondego River and Santa Clara's Bridge, in the flat, walkable Baixa district. You are steps from Largo da Portagem, the city's transport hub, with the main bus terminal nearby. The Barbican Gate and Old Cathedral are a 3-minute walk, and the Monastery of the Holy Cross is 5 minutes away. The area is lively with shops, cafés, and restaurants along Rua Ferreira Borges and the lanes off Praça do Comércio. Across the river, Parque Verde do Mondego offers a quiet riverside escape. The university hill is a short walk or a quick ride on the Elevador do Mercado.

How do I get to Coimbra Portagem Hostel from the airport or main train station?

From Coimbra-B main train station, take the connecting train to Coimbra-A, about five minutes, then walk to the hostel, which is a 5-minute walk from the station. From Lisbon or Porto airports, take a train to Coimbra-B, then follow the same route. The hostel is in the historic center, in front of Santa Clara's Bridge, so you can also take a taxi from the station or use a pre-booked transfer from the airports. Coimbra is a small city, so walking is easy once you are in the center.

What's there to do near Coimbra Portagem Hostel in the evening?

In the evening, the historic center around the hostel comes alive with Fado music and lively nightlife. You can start with a drink at Fangas Mercearia Bar, known for Portuguese tapas and regional wines, or head to the craft microbrewery by the Mondego River for locally brewed beers. For a relaxed evening, take a stroll along the river or through the nearby Baixa district, where you'll find several bars and pubs. The Old Cathedral of Coimbra, just a 3-minute walk away, is a beautiful spot to see illuminated at night. The area is walkable, so you can easily explore the winding streets and find a cozy spot for the evening.

Is Coimbra Portagem Hostel a good base for exploring Coimbra?

Yes, this hostel is a great base for exploring Coimbra on foot. You can walk to the Barbican Gate and the Old Cathedral in just 3 minutes, and the Monastery of the Holy Cross is a 5-minute walk away. The New Cathedral is 6 minutes away, and the Science Museum of the University of Coimbra is 7 minutes on foot. For a longer stroll, Portugal dos Pequenitos and the Jardim Botânico are both 9 minutes away. The University of Coimbra is about a 10-minute walk, and the city's main bus terminal is right at Portagem, making it easy to reach further sights.

Coimbra Portagem Hostel: Book Your Stay

Name: Coimbra Portagem Hostel
Address: da Portagem, R. da Couraça Estrela 5 11 L, Coimbra, 葡萄牙

Coimbra Portagem Hostel: Book Your Stay - Ask Fortrip

Reviews from

Dalene Thuynsma

5/5

Google· 5 months ago

Thank you for the clean and neat facilities. It was a pleasure to stay here. Thank you for friendliness

Sam X

3/5

Google· 3 years ago

I really wanted to love this hostel but I just can’t. The location - amazing. The building is pretty along the staircase that they make such a big deal about, but everything else is white washed institutional looking and not very nice. The “kitchen” is a microwave and a fridge - zero additional amenities. All rooms share a single bathroom, which seemed to work fine but may not be great during high tourist season. Shower stalls are tiny and have no shelf space or anywhere to put your things. The rooms do not lock automatically and no one remembers to lock them; and with no lockers for your belongings it’s hard to feel secure. There are tiny lockers in the main hall, but our standard locks wouldn’t work on them and they wouldn’t have fit a single bag anyways (we had 50L backpacks). Check in and out was almost entirely automated, but the one staff we did briefly meet was friendly. The key cards to access the main building worked about 50% of the time. Overall? We were glad for a cheap, convenient location, but would have liked higher safety standards and better amenities.

albertgO6310LE

5/5

Tripadvisor· 2 years ago

Great hostel with nice view facing the river, clean rooms, great art deco building and best showers I've ever seen in a hostel . Only downside, lacking a kitchen: no cutlery, no sink, no stove. The location is great because it's in city center but could be a little challenging to find for the first time .

Jess Perks

2/5

Google· 3 years ago

Stayed for one night. Sort of disappointing. As a solo woman traveler, i aim to find social, clean, and safe hostels. This unfortunately didn’t really meet my expectations. Pros: great location, affordable, and relatively clean Cons: doors do not automatically lock, no larger storage for your bags. This was a huge concern for me as i was in a shared room. My bag was too big to put in the lockers that were available OUTSIDE my dorm. Plus, any roommate of yours could leave the dorm door unlocked. Very concerning. When i first arrived, i got to Coimbra a bit earlier than the 3pm check in time (at about 1:30/2pm). I was hoping to drop off my bag for luggage storage but no one answered the doorbell that i rang multiple times. Had to lug around my pack for an hour before i was able to check in. Plus the lack of security/staff at this hostel was concerning. Check out is all online as well. Entire hostel is lit poorly and there is no real common space (just a few chairs and a couch in hallways). I had a great time in Coimbra, but i would not rebook at this hostel.

Tell_Ya_Hwhut

4/5

Tripadvisor· 7 years ago

Let's start with the good - it's in a convenient location only 15 minutes walk from the main bus stop and central to most sightseeing. The rooms are very clean and bright, and much of the hostel has some great style and artistic touches to it. The terrace is phenomenal - spacious and with a stunning view, it almost feels like it's going to waste simply as a space we were told was "just for smokers". Needs a bar up there or something! The bathroom is very clean. Wifi is reliable. However, it's the little things that hold it back from being up there with some of the best. I accept that its central location lends itself to street noise (particularly lots of car honking on Friday and Saturday nights) but any noise in the hallways or common areas reverberates through the entire hostel due to the high ceilings and hard surfaces. Check-in was a little confusing - having to wait until 4pm wasn't a problem, but on arriving we didn't see any staff to help with storing our bags, and had to search around the hostel for someone working there. The other reviews are also correct about no soap being in the toilets/bathroom, very odd! Didn't use the kitchen but it looked rather sparse. All in all it's still a hostel I would definitely recommend to anyone visiting Coimbra, just remember to bring a pair of earplugs.

Lucas Cooper

4/5

Google· 3 years ago

The hostel’s location is great, the bed is good and the washroom/bathroom is clean. There is no kitchen. Just a fridge and a vending machine. There are a lot of lounging chairs and tables in the entrance to work and meet other travelers. The receptionist isn’t there 24/7, but contactable via WhatsApp and really reliable.

donaldpereira

3/5

Tripadvisor· 8 years ago

We arrived around 13.00, and thank God there was someone staffing the front desk so we could leave our luggage. They require you to check in after 16.00, so you need to plan for this. The hostel itself is quite beautiful. Beautiful tiles are on the walls, and the private room we had was spacious and the interior was basic yet smart. They have a big common room, and a large terrace with a view on the river. Now here it comes, for a hostel I found the setting not helpful for a social atmosphere. In fact, there was no atmosphere at all. The big common room didnt have anything in terms of games, or even enough chairs to sit on. The large terrace had 4 plastic chairs, and nothing else. This is a pity because there is so much potential. The staff is nice, the location is GREAT, the hostel looks nice, bathrooms are clean enough. With some fixes, this hostel could become one of the best in the region.

Eric Burns

4/5

Google· 9 years ago

The hostel used to be a museum so the tiles on the wall were lovely. Even though we shared the bathroom there was no waits as there were lots of stalls for the toilet and showers, which were very high tech with sprays. The air conditioned clean room with a view was nice. You could go in the roof top to see: the sunset and the continued building had a great restaurant with great food, outside patio and a view of the river. The only thing is the 4;00 check in which caused a problem as they did not hear the bell when we rang.