Private Tomar & Coimbra Tour from Lisbon:
Two UNESCO Sites in One Day
- (Private Tour with Vehicle and Driver/Guide just for you!)
8 Hours
Private
Max. 8px/Van
Hotel or apartment pickup in Lisbon, Sintra, Cascais, Estoril, or anywhere along the coast
Convent of Christ, Santa Cruz Monastery, University of Coimbra, Biblioteca Joanina
From €360 per private vehicle (see pricing below)
Tour at a Glance
- Duration: 8 hours.
- Departure: Suggested 08:30–09:00 – hotel or apartment pickup in Lisbon, Sintra, Cascais, Estoril, or anywhere along the coast.
- Return: ~17:00–17:30 to your pickup location.
- Tour Type: 100% private — your group only.
- Group Size: Up to 8 passengers.
- Vehicle: Air-conditioned private van.
- Guide: Licensed driver-guide available in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese.
- Destinations: Tomar and Coimbra.
- UNESCO Sites: Convent of Christ (UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983) and University of Coimbra (UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2013).
- Total Driving Distance: Approximately 423 km circuit.
- Price: From €360 per vehicle (see pricing details below).
- Cancellation Policy: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure; non-refundable within 24 hours.
- Tripadvisor Rating: 5.0/5 based on 3,387 reviews.
- License: RNAAT 119/2013.
Tour Overview
In Tomar: the Convent of Christ, classified UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. Founded in 1160 by Gualdim Pais, Grand Master of the Knights Templar in Portugal, it is the most complete surviving monument of the Templar presence in Western Europe. When the Templar Order was dissolved by Pope Clement V in 1312, Portugal simply converted the knights into the Order of Christ – and kept building. The result is 400 years of consecutive architecture in one walled complex: Templar Romanesque, Gothic, Manueline, Renaissance, and Baroque.
In Coimbra: the University of Coimbra, founded by royal charter in 1290 and permanently established on the city’s Alta hill in 1537. UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013 (Property No. 1387). The Joanine Library, completed 1728, holds approximately 70,000 manuscripts and rare books – and a colony of bats that have been protecting them from insects for 300 years.
Tomar and Coimbra have no viable public transport connection between them; reaching both in a single day from Lisbon requires a private vehicle. The tour is 100% private: your group only, with a licensed driver-guide. Maximum 8 passengers. From €360 per vehicle.
Why Travellers Choose This Tour
- 3,387 verified Tripadvisor reviews with a 5.0 rating – Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best 2025. The only licensed private operator offering a Tomar and Coimbra day trip from Lisbon with transparent per-vehicle pricing.
- Two UNESCO World Heritage Sites from different eras – the Convent of Christ (UNESCO 1983), showcasing the transition from the Knights Templar to the Order of Christ, and the University of Coimbra (UNESCO 2013), home to Portugal’s oldest academic tradition and the renowned Joanine Library.
- Excellent value for groups – for 5–8 passengers, a total price of €590 works out to approximately €74–118 per person, compared with competitor tours typically priced at €150–180 per person.
- A connected historical narrative across 423 km – rather than simply visiting two destinations, the tour links Tomar and Coimbra through the story of the religious-military orders that helped build Portugal’s power and later influenced the development of its leading university city.
- Joanine Library planning assistance included – the guide advises on timed-entry availability and helps coordinate the visit schedule around your reserved entry slot.
- Flexible itinerary – the order of visits and time spent at each stop can be adjusted before departure. Coimbra can be visited first if required by the Joanine Library entry schedule.
What You Can See
University of Coimbra and the Joanine Library
The University of Coimbra has the oldest charter in Portugal – granted by King Dinis I in 1290 – and was permanently established on the Alta hill in 1537 when King João III requisitioned the royal palace and handed it to the university. The complex (Pátio das Escolas, Royal Palace, Joanine Library, St. Michael’s Chapel, University Tower) was inscribed UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013 as Property No. 1387, recognising 700+ years of continuous academic tradition.
The Joanine Library (Biblioteca Joanina) was built 1717–1728 by King João V, the same monarch who commissioned the great Portuguese Baroque building projects of the early 18th century. Three interconnected halls, floor to ceiling: approximately 70,000 manuscripts, codices, and rare books. The painted ceilings and gilded shelves are the visual centrepiece. The practical centrepiece is less visible: a colony of Pipistrelle bats (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) that inhabit the library. The bats come out after hours and eat the insects — primarily book lice (Liposcelis spp.) – that would otherwise damage the leather bindings. Eighteenth-century librarians realised this and have protected the colony ever since. Leather desk covers prevent droppings from reaching the manuscripts. The bats are not a curiosity – they are part of the preservation system.
Timed entry mandatory June–September; pre-book at uc.pt before tour date.
Santa Cruz Monastery
Coimbra was the first capital of Portugal – the residence of Afonso Henriques, who declared the Kingdom of Portugal independent in 1139 and ruled until his death in 1185. Santa Cruz Monastery was founded in 1131, ten years before independence, by Afonso Henriques himself as an Augustinian canon house. His tomb is here. His son Sancho I (ruled 1185–1212) is also buried here. The monastery contains the only royal tombs of the founding dynasty that remain in their original location.
The church façade is Manueline, rebuilt by King Manuel I after 1507. The cloister (Claustro do Silêncio, completed 1524) is attributed to João de Castilho – the same architect associated with the Rope Window in Tomar. The monastery is in Coimbra’s lower town (Baixa), 5 minutes from the main square, making it the natural first stop after lunch before climbing to the Alta for the university.
Convent of Christ, Tomar
When Pope Clement V dissolved the Knights Templar in 1312, Portugal responded by creating the Order of Christ in 1317 – inherited all Templar assets, same members, different name. The Convent of Christ in Tomar was the headquarters of the original Templar presence in Portugal and became the new Order’s base. Between 1160 and the 16th century, every Portuguese military and royal priority was funded or legitimised through this complex. Vasco da Gama sailed under the Order of Christ’s cross. The monument you walk through today is the accumulation of those 400 years.
The site covers approximately 2 hectares. It contains the original 12th-century Templar castle, seven distinct cloisters built across different centuries (Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Manueline), the Chapter House with its famous Manueline window, and the Charola – the oldest surviving structure. UNESCO classified the entire complex in 1983. Entry: €15 per adult, tickets at the gate.
The Charola and the Rope Window
The Charola is the original Templar oratory, built in the 1160s. It is a 16-sided rotunda modelled on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem – the military religious logic being that praying in an equivalent space to the Holy Sepulchre carried equivalent spiritual weight. Templar knights attended mass here on horseback. The painted panels inside the Charola date primarily from the 15th and 16th centuries, when the Order of Christ added a nave to the western face that altered the building’s function from military chapel to conventional church.
The Rope Window (Janela do Capítulo) on the Chapter House exterior is the finest example of Manueline decoration in Portugal. Commissioned approximately 1510–1515 and attributed to architect João de Castilho, it covers the full height of the façade in carved stone: ropes, coral, armillary spheres, seaweed, the Cross of the Order of Christ, and the personal emblem of King Manuel I. Most guides note it as the highlight of the Convent; it is directly accessible from the main courtyard.
Tomar Town Centre
Tomar’s lower town was planned in 1160 by the same Gualdim Pais who built the Convent – a grid layout, one of the earliest planned urban layouts in medieval Portugal. The central Praça da República contains the 15th-century Church of St. John the Baptist and the town hall. Five minutes east of the square is the Synagogue of Tomar (Sinagoga de Tomar), one of the best-preserved medieval synagogues in Portugal – built approximately 1430–1460, now a museum. Portugal expelled its Jewish population in 1496; this synagogue survived as a private building. The tour stop in the town centre is brief (10–15 minutes) – primarily a stretch and orientation stop before the drive to Coimbra.
Return to Lisbon
After a day filled with history, knowledge, and secular secrets, we return to Lisbon, bringing with us the essence of Tomar and Coimbra deep intertwined history.
The itinerary is designed for an unforgettable experience, but the choice is yours -immerse yourself in the grandeur of Coimbra and Tomar with this exclusive tour made for you.
Yellow Cab TT Tours, always at your service with the quality our customers are used to.
What’s Included
- 8 hours with private licensed driver-guide
- Private air-conditioned vehicle (up to 8 passengers)
- Hotel/apartment pickup and drop-off in Lisbon, Sintra, Cascais, Estoril, or anywhere along the Estoril Coast
- Mandatory passenger insurance
- Fuel, tolls and parking at all stops
Not included
- Meals and drinks
- Tickets to Monuments
- Tips (optional and appreciated)
Tour Prices
Prices are per vehicle, not per person.
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Up to 2 Pax €360
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3 to 4 Pax €460
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5 to 8 Pax €590
Contact us and Book your Tour
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FAQ
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What Our Guests Say
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