Almedina Apartment

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Apartment |3 bedrooms |Sleeps 6

Coimbra in Costa de Prata/Silver Coast/Central Portugal

£56 / night
£392 / week

3 nights minimum stay

Changeover flexible

4 out of 5

1 review | Write a review

Key info  Beach or lakeside relaxation, balcony/terrace, car not necessary, no pets allowed

About the home

Almedina Apartment offers high quality self-catering accommodation, right in the very heart Coimbra. The apartment is located on the top two floors of a Seventeenth Century Portuguese town-house. Behind the fully restored façade, the building has been completely remodelled to offer the space, style and outlook required in the 21st Century.

Modern decor, a fully fitted kitchen and comfortable furniture and furnishings combine to provide a welcoming base from which to explore locally on foot, or to venture further afield. Perhaps to the seaside at Figueira da Foz, the preserved Roman City of Conimbriga, the Shrine at Fatima, or the snowclad mountains of the Serra da Estrela. Some of our guests even visit Lisbon or Porto for a wonderful day trip using public transport.

Being on the top floor of the building ensures your peace and quiet. That is except for when the famous end of academic year celebrations known as the "Quiema das Fitas" (Burning of the Ribbons) bursts onto the streets for a full week in early May. During the summer you can also hear the Coimbra Fado floating through the warm air into the open windows of the apartment. Better still, enjoy a rest in the apartment, and then go on to join in the street concerts that are held throughout the Summer.

The apartment has a fully equipped and modern kitchen, so you can visit the daily food and flower market held just up the road, buy freshly picked fruit and vegetables grown in the lush soils of the Mondego, and bring them back to enjoy the flavours and senses that you thought you had forgotten in this fast-food age. Local olive oil, cheeses, breads and wines of distinction blend with a huge range of fresh fish, vegetables and quality meat, all these can be found in the market against a backdrop of flowers sold by local Portuguese smallholders direct to you.

Perhaps you may prefer to visit a restaurant, or eat in one of the street cafes that surround the apartment. Visit the fascinating historical buildings that give the Almedina district a feeling of belonging to an age gone by.

Facilities

Further details indoors:
You won't feel cut-off from your friends and family as the apartment has a dedicated high speed Broadband connection, and provides for wi-fi throughout the property if you require. However you will more likely be sitting on the balcony watching the sun go down beyond the River Mondego, drinking the high quality local wines, or planning your next adventure or excursion from the information we provide for all our guests.

Further details

While the apartment is in the very heart of the city, it is located in a quiet residential building where it is expected that noise will be kept to a minimum between the hours of 11pm and 7am, for this reason we do not accept bookings from unaccompanied parties of young adults.

The historic centre is built on a hill and has many steep cobbled lanes and steps, therefore the location may be unsuitable for those of reduced mobility.

Conditions

A €50 deposit is required to secure your chosen stay at the apartment. We reserve the dates you require for one week, until we receive the deposit. The balance of the rental is payable 3 week prior to your arrival.

Photos

 

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Location of Apartment below the University

 

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Second bedroom with balcony overlooking Rio Mondego

 

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Double bedroom

 

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3rd bedroom, twin bedded

The Costa de Prata/Silver Coast/Central Portugal region

Coimbra stands on the River Mondego, set on a hill. The surrounding countryside is forested or used as small-holdings and is beautifully green because of the influence of the Atlantic Ocean, only 30 miles distant. You could call the local area gently rolling, but as you go further from the City of Coimbra you will find yourself in one of the mountain ranges that create a protective bowl in which creates a sheltered micro-climate.The fertile land of the river banks and the warm climate produce famous Barraida wines, exotic oranges and figs, and local sheep and goats cheeses.

Coimbra controlled the Western seaboard of the Iberian Peninsula, so it saw historic changes which have left a legacy of ancient buildings and narrow street grids from Moorish times.

The Coimbra area

Coimbra is the capital city of the Central region of Portugal; midway between Lisbon and Oporto. It is famous for its festivals and musical concerts, and is surrounded by a region rich in sights and activities to interest the traveller.

Perhaps most famous of all, at least in Portugal, is the Festival of the Burning of the Ribbons; known in Portuguese as the 'queima das fitas'. This takes place in May, after the University students have finished their exams. For a week, each night there are music concerts in the Green Park next to the River . These feature famous groups and a packed with students, in their thousands. During the daytime there is the procession of floats representing the different faculties of the University, and the Republicas ( student residences), when the final year students dress in their formal Uniforms of cloak, dark suit and coloured top hat.

The whole city turns out to watch as they make their way riotously from the University to the Bridge, through the most ancient parts of Coimbra.

In September, the incoming students celebrate their own Festival - the Festival of the tin cans. They tie ten to a dozen cans to their legs and go round the streets in fancy dress begging for their keep - to show their lowly place in the University.

Every two years in June, 2010 included, there is a 10 day festival celebrating the local saint, Santa Isabela, starting with a formal procession from the Convent of Santa Clara with thousands of candle bearers, followed by a riverside firework display.

Each year Coimbra becomes a staging post for Catholic Pilgrims, making their way on foot to Fatima, about 40 kilometres away. The shrine is dedicated to the appearance of the Virgin Mary near the end of the First World War. It has recently been rebuilt, and was visited by Pope Benedict in 2010 on May 13th - marking the day the 3 children saw the first of their visions.

Nearby Coimbra, Conimbriga offers history buffs a whole Roman City with spectacular mosaic pavements, that is under conservation. While in Coimbra you will find the Old Cathedral (Romanesque) and the Machado de Castro Museum, built over a Roman cryptoportico. In the ancient streets, with their medieval walls, arches and stairways, are the Santa Cruz Monastery (founded in 1131), complete with a busy cafe Inside!. The church of Santiago and the monastery of Celas, both13th-Century, complement the Tower of Almedina nearby to the Apartment.

On the left bank of the Mondego stands the Santa Clara-a-Nova Convent (Baroque, 17th-Century) and the now restored Santa Clara-a-Velha - the 15th Century Convent.

If history and religion tire you, then in the summer you can listen to open-air jazz in the centre of the city, and hear concerts of Coimbra Fado set in romantic open air locations.

After all that, you can find a food festival most weekends somewhere in Coimbra, follow the locals to the restaurants serving spit roast sucking pig, 365 different recipes of codfish, and sample the high quality Barraida wines.

If you've got any energy left then skiing, golf, walking, sea swimming, adventure sports, x-trail biking, quad bike touring, canoeing, and sailing are all available within the region.

A region unknown to many non-Portuguese, but crammed with so much to see and do.

How to get there

Almedina Apartment What's nearby: Attractions Restaurants Click map icons for more information

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Coimbra is located midway between Lisbon and Porto. The City of Coimbra, known in Portugal as 'The City of Knowledge', is home to the oldest University in Portugal. Almedina Apartment is right in the centre of Coimbra, close to the University and only five minutes walk from the mainline rail and coach stations.

Easyjet and Ryanair now offer regular cheap flights to Lisbon and to Oporto, from many UK airports. Excellent Railway and Coach connections will get you into the centre of Coimbra in a couple of hours. Public transport in Portugal is of a very high standard, with frequent clean, modern and cheap services available to all destinations. On booking we provide full details of these services, together with the timetables, so you can plan your trip in advance and then sit back and relax.

If you prefer to drive, the major car hire companies are on site at both airports, and compete with each other to offer good rental deals on the Internet. We suggest you take advantage of their special online prices. It takes about one hour to drive from Oporto and two hours from Lisbon, as there are direct motorway connections from both airports. On arrival in Coimbra there are several large car parks close by Almedina Apartment. Again we send you full details of the routes and parking facilities on booking.

Activities near Coimbra

Reviews

Review: 1 to 1 of 1

12 Oct 2011

“A fully equipped, centrally located comfortable apartment” We stayed for 4 days and had a very restful time. The apartment had comfortable beds, a fully eqipped kitchen, washing machine that was easy to use and was ideally located to shops and train station. We found the computer very handy to catch up on our emails and even watched some of the DVD's that were in the apartment. Marian was very helpful and prompt with any of my emails prior to our arrival. Also loved the Santa Cruz Cafe for Fado and good coffee

Review: 1 to 1 of 1

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Guestbook for Almedina Apartment

"So close to the University of Coimbra. Absolutely perfect." Ms. S.L., Chicago, USA

"We had a beautiful holiday in this outstanding apartment in Coimbra. From the apartment you have a very scenic view over the old town. Many thanks to the owners of the apartment who are very kind and have arranged everything very perfectly. " Mr M.A.,Cologne, Germany

"Beautiful apartment, very well equipped and tastefully furnished. Very well located in the historical heart of Coimbra, quiet neighbourhood with wonderful views of the city from the terrace. Excellent value for money." J.N. London, England

"Exceptionnel ! Un appartement tout neuf, extrêmement propre, très calme ; équipé de matériel de grande qualité, ordinateur avec accès internet. Des souvenirs inoubliables !" ("Outstanding! A brand new apartment, very clean, very quiet, equipped with high quality equipment. Unforgettable Memories ! ") Mr.M.A. Paris, France

"Fantástico. Unas vistas preciosas." ("Fantastic. Wonderful views.") L.R. Seville, Spain

Rental prices

Prices for group size 6
Period	From	To	Weekly	Nightly rate		Minimum  stay
				Weekday	Weekend
Autumn Season	4 Sep 10	1 Apr 11	420€ 420	60€ 60	60€ 60	3 Nights
	1 Apr 11	30 Sep 11	490€ 490	70€ 70	70€ 70	3 Nights
	19 Nov 11	1 Dec 12	490€ 490	70€ 70	70€ 70	3 Nights

The property's weekend rates apply to: Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights

NB: Prices may be subject to change at the advertiser's discretion.

Booking confirmed by payment of €50. Final payment due 3 weeks prior to stay.

We can take payments in £sterling, at a rate agreed at the time of booking.

We also take payment by paypal subject to a 3% surcharge (favoured by guests coming from outside of the Euro zone).

On confirmation of booking, we e-mail a full set of detailed directions the apartment from Lisbon or Oporto by car, train or bus. On receipt of full payment we send a key to the apartment by priority mail; if you prefer us to hand over the key in person on arrival, there is an extra charge of €25.

Availability

See below for next 9 months' availability - to see the next 24 months click here

Contact the owner

* Required fields Please check the following errors: First name * Last name * Email *   Did you mean ""? Yes / No Phone number Arrival date Departure date   Ignore calendar - enquire anyway No. of adults No. of children Message * Email me special offers and holiday ideas

1 years listed You are contacting Mariam Walpole Landline n/a Mobile n/a Languages spoken The owner is based in Portugal and has advertised with Holiday Lettings since 2010. This apartment has received 1 review from previous guests.

This advert is created and maintained by the advertiser; we can only publish adverts in good faith as we don't own, manage or inspect any of the properties. We advise you to familiarise yourself with our terms of use and FAQs.

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