COIMBRA - Portugal - page 311

TheMondegoIrishPub is fun, noisy, and youthful, with live music most nights (gen-
erally Irish). It serves burgers, steaks, Guinness on tap, and all you'd expect from an Irish
bar, plus a traditional favorite— francesinha (€7). Locals love these egg, cheese, and saus-
age sandwiches made with a spicy sauce (tel. [phone]).
Picnics: Shop at the colorful covered market called Mercado Municipal, behind the
Church of Santa Cruz (Mon-Sat 8:00-14:00, closed Sun) or at tiny mini-mercados in the
side streets. The well-maintained gardens along the river across from the TI are picnic-
pleasant.
Coimbra Connections
FromCoimbrabyBusto:Alcobaça (2/day, 1.5 hours), Batalha (3/day, 1 hour), Fátima
(8/day, 1 hour), Nazaré (5/day, 2 hours), Lisbon (hourly, 2.5 hours, €14), Évora (4/day
direct, 4 hours, €18.50, more options with transfer in Lisbon), Porto (11/day, 1.5 hours,
€12.50). Bus info: tel. [phone]. Frequency drops on weekends, especially Sunday.
By Train to: Nazaré/Valado (3/day, 2.5 hours, transfer in Bifurcação de Lares; the
bus is a better option—see above—because Nazaré/Valado train station is 3 miles away
from Nazaré), Porto (nearly hourly, 1 hour on Alfa Pendular line or Intercidades service,
2 hours on slower regional line—confirm before buying; most long-distance trains end at
Porto's non-central Campanhã Station), Lisbon (almost hourly on Alfa Pendular or Inter-
cidades service, 2 hours; regional service equally frequent but takes 4 hours; for Lisbon
center, get off at Santa Apolónia Station; for Lisbon airport, hop off at Oriente Station
and take the bus to airport; all Coimbra/Porto trains stop at both stations 7 minutes apart).
Train info: tel. [phone], www.cp.pt .
To Salamanca, Spain: The best option is the direct bus (€36, departs daily at 10:30,
arrives at 17:30 in Salamanca, then continues on to Madrid). To guarantee a place, book a
couple of days in advance. You can confirm schedules and buy your bus ticket by phone
or in person at the friendly InterVisa travel agency in Coimbra (see “Helpful Hints,” here )
more easily than at Coimbra's bus station (Intercentro office, tel. [phone], no English
spoken).
I'd avoid taking the train to Salamanca because of its inconvenient arrival time: One
train per day on the Sud-Expresso line departs Coimbra at 18:51 and drops you in Sala-
manca at 24:32 (4.5 hours, note that Spanish time is one hour later). The Salamanca train
station is not centrally located, so it's best to reserve your accommodations in advance, as
you won't be tucking into bed until two in the morning, Portuguese time.