Porta e Torre de Almedina

The tower is in a center position in the city. Inside you the tower there is an interactive panel that shows you Coimbra architecture and history. You can go also on top of the tower to have a 360° view of the city. It's not expensive and if you go the last Saturday of the month it's free, so keep that in mind if you find yourself in Coimbra (however it's closed on sundays). Overall, great experience! Highly recommended!!

Great place with amazing museum

Good to do in the beginning to get an overview of the city and the cultural sites. The staff was very enthusiastic and told a lot of interesting facts. Worth a visit!

The tower was built in the 11th century as part of the city walls during the reconstruction of Coimbra by the Arab conqueror Almansor. At the time, Coimbra had three main gates, and the Porta de Almedina, along with this defensive tower, served as the city's most important stronghold. The tower protected the city’s primary entrance and also functioned as a meeting place for the municipal council. Since 1988, it has housed the Coimbra Municipal Historical Archive (Arquivo Histórico Municipal de Coimbra).

Busy, so try to go early in the day if you want photos without people! We didn't go up the tower.

Wonderful landscape with a great view of Coimbra city

Fantastic, informative visit that combines the touch and smell of ancient stone with multimedia. It is a must for your first days in Coimbra. The city will make much more sense after you explore the geographically-informed exhibits. You also get a “secret” view of people coming and going through the city gates, combined with bits of music from below and children playing in the adjoining school. Magical! A walk around the tower gives you 360 degree view of the ancient town. The visit would not have been half of what it was without the passionate and expert knowledge of Miguel. Look for him!

The Almedina Tower was part of the main defence at the most vulnerable point of the Castle of Coimbra. It is one of its few remains and houses the centre of the city wall, which belongs to the Municipal Museum of Coimbra. This mediaeval structure offers a rich cultural space to the visitor. You can appreciate the structure of the tower, its panoramic view of the city, and ring the bell, which was once responsible for alerting the city of any threat. The museum also features a video about the mediaeval history of the city and the wall protection, explains defence techniques that were used, and exposes scale models showing the evolution of Coimbra in time, along with the permanent and temporary collections it hosts. Its entrance is on the opposite side of the Archway of Almedina. If you're curious about what's in the region, take a look at the free audio guide at this link: https://izi.travel/en/c125-coimbra/en I hope you enjoy your time in Coimbra!