Family Entertainment Walking Tour in Coimbra

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1 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 1 - Family Entertainment Walking Tour in Coimbra Coimbra has some great and unique attractions for families with kids. The most popular is Portugal dos Pequenitos, which means "Portugal for the little ones." There are beautiful gardens, beaches and museums in Coimbra that are interesting for families. Take this self-guided tour to visit family friendly attractions in Coimbra. Guide Location: Portugal» Coimbra # of Attractions: 6 Tour Duration: 1 hour(s) Travel Distance: 2.8 km Please note: This walk is also featured in the ios app "GPSmyCity: Walks and Articles with Offline Maps" on itunes App Store and the Android app "Coimbra Map and Walks" on Google Play. The apps provide GPS navigation to guide you from one tour stop to the next, so you will never be lost. The apps offer additional walking tours in Coimbra. Check them out! GPSmyCity offers self-guided walking tours in over 1,000 city around the world. Please visit gpsmycity.com for more walking tour offers. List of attractions included in this self-guided walking tour: A) Academic Museum B) Casa Museu Bissaya Barreto C) Botanical Garden D) Parque Verde do Mondego E) Pedro and Ines Footbridge F) Portugal dos Pequenitos Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 1 -

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3 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 3 - A) Academic Museum (must see) The Academic Museum represents the spirit of this Portuguese 'Oxford' city. It is housed in the building of the ancient college of St. Jerome. It was created by professors of the Academic Association. There are famous Coimbra fado music instruments on display. Fado is a type of traditional music that originated in Coimbra. You can see also records, photographs and other documents relating to studies in Coimbra. There are plaster figurines caricaturing some famous local persons. There are hand painted old pieces of china and works made by students based on academic traditions, among other things. Address: Praça D. Dinis, Coimbra, Portugal Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Gene Markey B) Casa Museu Bissaya Barreto (must see) Casa Museu Bissaya Barreto is a fascinating little museum located near the Botanical Garden. It is open from 3 to 5 pm. It offers a unique and really interesting experience as there are some different things to see. Bissaya Barreto was a surgeon from Coimbra, as well as a scholar and a man passionate about fine arts. His wonderful 19th-century mansion was transformed into a museum. His house is full of Portuguese sculptures and paintings, Chinese porcelain and other fine art objects. Address: 23 Rua Infantaria, Coimbra, Portugal Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Domingos António de Sequeira C) Botanical Garden (must see) The Botanical Garden of the University of Coimbra (Jardim Botânico da Universidade de Coimbra) was founded in and it was integrated in the Natural History Museum established by the Marquis of Pombal. The place for the Hortus Botanicus was chosen by the vice-chancellor of the University of Coimbra (Francisco de Lemos) and it was part of the farm of S. Bento's College, located at the Ursulinas Valley. The area of the Garden, which has been enlarged, reaches the 13 hectares it occupies at present. The Botanical Garden of the University of Coimbra, considered one of the most beautiful of Europe, can be divided in two parts. Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 3 -

4 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 4 - The first part, located at the highest level of the Garden and at the top of the valley, constitutes the most formal area and it is divided in terraces. The lower terrace, known as the Quadrado Central (The Central Square) is the most primitive part of the garden and is decorated as other European Gardens of the 18th Century. In this terrace, adorned with a fountain from the 1940s, some trees planted during the time of Brotero can still be seen, such as: Cryptomeria japonica, Cunninghamia sinensis and Erythrina crista-galli. The second part of the Garden, including the valley where once a small stream flowed, is the Arboretum, usually known as Mata of the Botanical Garden. Here we can observe, alongside with the Monocotyledoneae collection, a splendid forest of bamboos and a dense vegetation with exotic trees. In the Arboretum holds an excellent collection of Eucalyptus, about 51 species. "(The above description is based on Wikipedia under Creative Common License)" Address: Alameda Doutor Júlio Henriques, Coimbra, Portugal Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Portuguese_eyes. Sight description based on wikipedia D) Parque Verde do Mondego Parque Verde do Mondego is a park on the bank of the river completely dedicated to leisure. It is a nice place to go with children. The entrance to the park starts from the terraces, built on a wooden platform over the river. There are different activities for kids, for example, they can ride small motor cars or play in the playground, equipped with the most modern toys. You can visit many pavilions in the park with temporary art exhibitions. There are cafes with seats on the terraces and you can have dinner there while enjoying the views of the river and the park. Address: Santa Clara, Coimbra, Portugal Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Portuguese_eyes Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 4 -

5 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 5 - E) Pedro and Ines Footbridge (must see) The Pedro e Inês bridge is a footbridge opened in 2007 in the University town of Coimbra. It is designed by Cecil Balmond. Spanning the Rio Modego, the 600 ft structure marks the city's first footbridge and has become locally known as the "bridge that doesn't meet." The bridge is called Pedro E Ines in reference to one of Portugal's greatest love stories." Pedro, the Crown Prince of Portugal in fourteenth century was wed to Queen Constance of Castile. He fell in love with the Queen¹s lady-in-waiting, Ines de Castro. The lovers had a forbidden relationship that bore four illegitimate children. King Afonso IV wanted to stop the affair and sent three assassins in 1355 to murder Ines. Like the bridge's two halves that never meet, these star-crossed lovers were fated to never be together. The form pushes the limits of structural dynamics. Partly inspired by skipping stones, the design is created from two cantilevered walkways, joining in the middle to form a viewing platform. Each walkway is responsible for supporting the other - the two halves are displaced, giving the visual effect of a bridge that does not meet. The bridge, "appears at first glimpse to be impossible," so states Wallpaper magazine. The balustrade is made from a clear, fractal pattern crafted in coloured blue, pink, green and yellow glass". The bridge was done with Portuguese based civil engineer, António Adão da Fonseca. "(The above description is based on Wikipedia under Creative Common License)" Address: Pedro and Ines Footbridge, Coimbra, Portugal Image Courtesy of Flickr and Punk Jazz. Sight description based on wikipedia F) Portugal dos Pequenitos (must see) Portugal dos Pequenitos is a theme park translated as Portugal for the Little Ones. The nation's masterpiece of art, architecture and folklore are made in miniature sets. It was built by Professor Dr. Bissaya Barreto and architect Cassiano Branco. It is dedicated to children of all ages and they can learn there while playing. There are monuments made in small sizes and installed in the playgrounds for kids; the most significant buildings are made small so that kids can enter and explore. There are also pavilions that show former Portuguese colonies. Portugal dos Pequenitos was established in Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 5 -

6 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 6 - Address: Avenida João das Regras, Coimbra, Portugal Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Lampiao3 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 6 -