Top 5: Museums in Coimbra

Coimbra is a beautiful, charming city that sits on the banks of the Mondego River. Once Portugal’s capital city, the riverfront city now contains a preserved medieval old town and the University of Coimbra. Steeped in rich cultural history, you can be sure to find plenty of wonderful museums here.

Museu Nacional de Machado de Castro

The Museu Nacional de Machado de Castro contains the finest selection of sculptures in Portugal. Inside you’ll find various artwork and, somewhat surprisingly, the curators discovered a Roman cryptoporticus beneath the structure in 2008. The artifacts date back to the 1st Century AD.

Conimbriga

Conimbriga was once one of the largest Roman settlements in Portugal and is now classified as a National Monument. Located just outside the city, this former settlement now houses a wonderful museum full of sculptures, artwork, stucco and wall paintings dating back centuries.

The Cience Museum

The Cience Museum, as it sounds, is dedicated to scientific pursuits in the city and around Portugal. In the first sections there are numerous science experiments which visitors can participate in, while the latter half holds numerous art and exhibits.

The Chiado Building

The Edifício do Chiado houses the stunning Telo de Morais Collection, a donated exhibit containing 19^th– and 20^th-century paintings, porcelain and furniture. But the real draw is the building itself. The architect designed it using iron, making it a truly unique piece of Coimbra’s landscape.

Museu da Água (Water Museum) de Coimbra

The Water Museum of Coimbra is not necessarily the largest museum in town, but it is quite unique. Housed in an old water uptake from 1922, the site now showcases the history of the public water supply. One of the highlights is the impressive array of water meters.