Coimbra is a hidden gem of Portugal and a great hub to explore the country: Lisbon is 2 hours away, Porto is 1.5 hrs away and the ocean is 45 minutes by car or train. Local Portuguese people are very friendly. A lot of them speak English.
Our apartment is in a modern neighborhood of this charming ancient city. It is very easy to get to the city center - 5-10 min by car, 15-20 min by bus or a 35 min walk.
There is great shopping and restaurants nearby. Two blocks away there is a large mall with a supermarket, a movie theater, a pharmacy, lots of stores, 2 gyms, a food court, and a public swimming pool across the street. Next to our building there is a beautiful playground for young kids. Within walking distance there are several great Portuguese restaurants, bakeries and cafes: Café S. José (the best fresh-squeezed orange juice and steak sandwiches), Novo Brazília (awesome grilled fish), Churrasqueira Prestige (epic whole grilled chicken), Moinho Velho (a huge variety of treats), and Tamoeiro (amazing treats and bread). If you need a break from Portuguese food, we'll provide a list of our favorite ethnic restaurants to try.
Your stay at our place will be very cozy and convenient with lots to discover as you explore this former capital and our favorite city in Portugal.
The space
There is a lot of natural light and a cool breeze. Each bedroom has a queen-size bed and closet space. In the bathroom there is a bathtub + shower, bidet and vanity with nice storage space for personal care items. The kitchen is light and fully furnished with a refrigerator, freezer, microwave, gas range stove, electric oven, dishwasher, electric kettle, toaster, blender, mixer, waffle-maker, and French Press (or La Pavoni espresso machine) with a professional quality coffee grinder. There is also a laundry machine and a dehumidifier for quick line drying. Internet connection is fiber (>200 Mbps download, >100 Mbps upload). There are 2 ergonomic office chairs and external monitors (HDMI inputs) you are welcome to use.
Next to our building there is free public parking with lots of open spaces always.
Guest access
Our apartment is on the 6th floor with an elevator. There are 2 elevators and rarely any wait.
Notes
You are welcome to use Roger's Riverside 520 Touring bike. We can provide recommendations for day trips. On a side note, our next-door neighbors are our friends and they speak English. They will be happy to help with anything you need.
Features
Washer
Dishwasher
Clothes dryer
Oven
Microwave
Coffee machine
Fridge
Iron
Hair dryer
Heating
Air conditioning
TV
WiFi
High Speed Internet
Bathtub
First aid kit
Wheelchair accessible
Smoke alarms
Fire extinguisher
Bed sheets
Towels
Workspace
Fireplace
Home cinema
Toys
Gym
Sauna
BBQ
Pool
Hot tub
Balcony
Garden / yard
Deck / patio / courtyard / terrace
Covered porch / verandah
Kosher home
Meat-free kitchen
Gated community
EV Home Charger
Bikes
Camping gear
Kayak
Tennis court
Standup paddleboard
Travel Styles
Long term
Weekend
Budget
Family
Romantic
Foodie
Relaxing
City
Water
Culture
Hiking
Cycling
Good public transport
Accessibility
Elevator
House rules
Unsuitable for infants under 2
Suitable for children ages 2-12
Pets not allowed
No smoking
Allergens
Cat free
Dog free
Carpet free
Smoke free
Fragrance free
Dates of Availability
Click on availability periods to see exchange types and descriptions.
Available
Neighbourhood
Coimbra is one of Portugal's oldest cities and home to a famous University. It is green and beautiful, located on the river Mondego. The weather is warm and pleasant with lots of sun. There are lots of things to see and do. We'll be happy to share detailed recommendations we have prepared for our friends visiting us from all over the world. Coimbra is in-between Lisbon and Porto. It is a great home-base for day trips by car, train or bus.
There is a large shopping mall is 2 blocks away (Alma Shopping) with a supermarket (Auchan). There are 3 other grocery stores within a 10-15 min walking distance: Aldi, El Corte Ingles and Pingo Doce.
Getting to my home
From Porto: A great way to get to the apartment is to take a Flixbus to Coimbra, then catch a Bolt or Uber from the bus station (15 -min ride).
From Lisbon: Take a train to "Coimbra-B" station, then take a Bolt or Uber from the station (15 -min ride).
If come by car, you'll be able to park it for free next to building. There are always open spaces.
Nearest airport
Porto (OPO): 130 km, 1.5-hour drive.
Lisbon (LSN): 200 km, 2-hour drive.
Getting around
Getting to the city center from our place is about 5-10 minutes by car, 15-20 minutes by bus, or 35 minutes by foot. There are 2 bus stops within a 2-minute walk from our building. Buses to the center usually come every 10-15 minutes. Bolt and Uber rides are also inexpensive and convenient (€3.5-€5 to get to downtown).
We had a great holiday in Lana and Roger's flat in Coimbra. It’s very nice and uncluttered, and because it is on the sixth floor there was a pleasant breeze even on warm days as well as some welcome air conditioning for when the July days got a little too hot for us northerners 😊 The building is nice and quiet, we didn’t hear the neighbours at all.
There is a large shopping centre just a short walk away, so it was easy to shop for groceries and other stuff, and several nearby bus stops for easy access to explore the rest of the city. We really enjoyed walking around the old university city and soaking up the atmosphere.
The flat is very conveniently situated for exploring the rest of Portugal, and as we had brought our car we got to see quite a few places, like Lisbon, Porto and the Douro (port wine) valley. We particularly enjoyed going up into the mountains to visit the little Xisto villages and walking around the city of Aveiro with all the pretty tiled houses. There is plenty of parking next to the building where the flat is, so we never had to search for parking places.
We stayed nearly three weeks at Lana’s, Roger’s and their son Ryan's place. Coimbra is a charming smalltown in the middle of Portugal, within easy reach are many lovely beaches, mountain hikes, monasteries and of course, Lisbon and Porto. Lana and Roger were so kind as to point us to several nice restaurants where we had the best grilled fish. They also prepared a guidebook for us with extremely helpful suggestions on what to do in and around Coimbra.
Their apartment is spacious and clean with everything you need for a nice vacation. If you want to you can also make your own yoghurt. They also left some delicious treats for us. Everything was in place to make our time in Coimbra smooth and enjoyable.
Getting around in Coimbra and getting to other towns by train or bus was easy and there was always an Uber or Bolt to catch, very cheap and convenient.
We enjoyed our stay in Coimbra a lot. Thank you, guys and hope to see you again.
Lana, Roger and their son Ryan were excellent exchange partners. Though new to homeexchanging they understood the importance of communication, both before and during the exchange. Any questions we had were answered quickly and there was lots of info in their house manual. They took good care of our house and left it in great condition.
I was delighted to get the chance to host Lana, Roger and their son Ryan on a simultaneous exchange. They are an easy going and open-minded family and perfect guests. Communication with them was easy and we kept on texting during the exchange to see if everything went to their liking and to find out what sights they decided to visit. As we returned a couple of days prior to them, we had the opportunity to spend some time together on an excursion to the countryside and get to know each other a little bit.
In addition to that, they left my flat spotless. Lana took great care of my plants and Roger even got to change a bulb and tighten some screws. Their teenage son Ryan is a very clever and educated young man with interesting views on different topics. Completely recommend inviting this lovely and considerate family into your home!
To Lana, Roger and Ryan: I wish you many more happy exchanges and hope to see you again some time. Always welcome!
We had a wonderful time at Terje and Helen’s home! It is cozy and comfortable, and the location is amazing. The apartment is right next to a beautiful marina with sailboats, a couple small beaches, convenient supermarkets, a train station (with no sound because it's built into the mountain), a great gym with a very friendly owner, and everything else we might have needed. The communication with Terje was spectacular ever since we first connected and arranged the exchange. He was very responsive and proactive, sharing great ideas for fun things to do nearby to feel like a local. We took advantage of these opportunities and we’re so glad we did! It helped us really understand the Norwegian culture and everyone we met was very friendly and nice. Terje & Helen were very kind to let us use their bikes and car, which opened up all kinds of exploration and adventures for us: A Viking Museum and ships in nearby towns, Oslo, a fantastic Naval Museum with a real submarine you can walk inside and much more. A highlight of our stay was Terje and Helen inviting us to visit them at their summer cabin and showing us around the beautiful nature spots with amazing views and then treating us to a delicious traditional Norwegian meal. We really enjoyed our awesome Norwegian adventure!
The house itself is spectacular. It is a masterpiece of interior design. It’s beautiful, modern, comfortable and has plenty of space. It is thoughtfully decorated with a lot of personal touches that create personality without feeling cluttered or unwelcoming. Staying there gave us a feeling of Hygge and gave us inspiration to create more snuggly Hygge spots at our own place. The backyard is also absolutely beautiful. The neighborhood is very peaceful with a small playground for kids nearby.
Ole and Annemette made sure we had everything we could possibly need. The home has all the appliances, kitchen utensils, spices, etc. - all easy to find.
We found Silkeborg to be a quaint Danish town with lots of outdoor activities and pretty spectacular ice-cream! It felt like the perfect introduction to everyday life in Denmark. The highlights of our stay were a ride on the canoe on the river (highly recommended!), a visit to the Paper Museum, many visits to the local gym called Silkeborg Fitness Center (it has great equipment and the nicest people!) and our trips to Aarhus.
There is a nice grocery store within a 10 minute walk from the house that had everything we needed when it came to food supplies. The baked goods were extraordinary! We didn’t have use of a car but Annemette and Ole were kind enough to set us up with bikes to use. There is also a bus stop very close to the house. Between the bikes, buses and trains we were able to get around pretty well. A car would have made it easier to see the surrounding towns, but we enjoyed easy day trips to Aarhus by train.
Annemette and Ole are great PLU hosts with lots of experience. We learned a lot from them before the exchange and they were super nice and pleasant during the entire experience. They left us some books to read about Denmark, a very fun scavenger hunt to do in Silkeborg. They were always available to answer any questions and give us tips. They took good care of our place and followed all the directions perfectly.
Uli’s place is in a quiet and peaceful neighborhood within a 10 minute walk of multiple grocery stores, an excellent bakery, and a metro station that can get you into the heart of Munich within a 20 minute ride. Nearby is a forrest with paved pedestrian and biking trails. Munich itself is a gorgeous city with lots to see and do. In addition there are countless day trip opportunities for hiking, water sports, visiting picturesque Bavarian towns, and even Salzburg. The public transportation is excellent, and for only €49/month you can get to all of these places at no additional costs. The food and drink (especially beer) in this part of Germany is something special.
The house itself is the top floor and attic of a semi-detached house with modern kitchen appliances, pleasant balcony spaces, and comfortable rooms that make you feel at home. Something that was surprising was just how quiet the neighborhood was in terms of lack of traffic or other people generated noise, given that it's a half an hour from the bustling center of a world class city. Whenever we had a question or needed something, Uli responded very quickly and she took great care of us. The downstairs neighbors were also nice and helpful if we had a question or needed something.
The communication with Uli was great, starting from our very first video chat. She had a genius recommendation for us to get Deutschland tickets that wound up being a fraction of the cost of paying for daily trips on the metro, buses, and regional trains everywhere, and even getting to Salzburg. We stayed in touch with Uli leading up to our stay and felt very comfortable and excited going to stay at her flat while she and her sister came to stay at ours. We saw each other briefly at the airport as we took the same plane they arrived in.
Throughout our exchange Uli was very quick to answer any questions we had and always had great ideas for us. We had the luck to meet Uli’s daughter Chiara and explore the picturesque Castle Herrenchiemsee together, as well as the nearby island while having the best apple strudel and hand made marzipan we have ever tried. Chiara was the sweetest, just like her mom, and just as helpful.
We had a chance to spend some time with Uli before heading back home. We explored a beautiful monastery together with an adjacent brewery and huge, delicious pretzels. As a bonus, we also checked out Starnberg lake and town, and finally tasted a unique Bavarian dessert we have heard of, but haven’t tried yet (kaiserschmarrn). On our last day, Uli was very kind to take us to the metro station in her car.
Uli took amazing care of our home. When we got back, it’s almost like no one had stayed here, except there were some gifts on the table and a thoughtful thank you note.
Thanks a lot. I am glad that you enjoyed your time in Munich. Come back any time!
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