Museu da Ciência da Universidade de Coimbra

This museum showcases a collection of historical scientific instruments and specimens gathered from various scientific disciplines at the University of Coimbra. The Laboratorio Chimico (Chemical Laboratory) and the Gabinete de Física (Physics Cabinet) are authentic spaces where university classes were once held. The Gabinete de Curiosidades (Cabinet of Curiosities) presents a modern interpretation of 17th–18th century European curiosity rooms, displaying a wide array of rare natural history specimens. Note: The museum is divided into two separate buildings located on either side of the street. ※ Included in the Combined Ticket: University + Science Museum.

When we visited in 2019, this was a fabulous museum as reflected in most of the pictures here. Now (Feb. 2026) it has been reduced to two large rooms with a few small exhibits. Lack of funding we were told when we asked what happened.... Very sad.

A great space that gives a wonderful picture of what it would have been like to study in the past.

Amusing and very interesting way to get to know Coimbra university history. There are several interacting experiments with light to get to know some science phenomena. Recommended for all ages. Very useful to buy the ticket online with also other attractions included

The building was built by the Marquis de Pombal, a Portuguese politician and advisor to King Joseph I. Built in 1772, the building is the oldest research center in Portugal. It includes a collection of scientific instruments from the 18th and 19th century Physical Museum, the collections of botany, zoology, anthropology and mineralogy of the Museum of Natural History, as well as the collections of the Astronomical Observatory and the Geophysical Institute of the University of Coimbra. In my opinion, the museum is not very rich and some of the exhibits are not working. You can visit it.

Really enjoyed this mix between interactive installations and old-school science tools! I'm a scientist, so no surprise I loved it so much. Quite a few of the interactive things didn't work, but it's still great time spent in here!

This is a Nice little museum in the university of Coimbra. It is a bit small but also has some halls in the building across the street. Most of the experiments have English descriptions. In the other building its mostly a natural history museum with stuffed animals and physics organs.

An musuem with unique educational items and areas to visit. It consists of physics, natural science areas. It is amazing how many instruments, educational tools in physics were used back then. The preserved animals, plants and these skeletons were amazingly reproduced and kept.