Photos: Alvesgaspar, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Vitor Oliveira from Torres Vedras, PORTUGAL, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 Diego Delso, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo credits
Photos: Alvesgaspar, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Vitor Oliveira from Torres Vedras, PORTUGAL, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 Diego Delso, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
The bell tower and student traditions
Your local guide
Beatriz Almeida
View profile
Highlights
- A tower nicknamed after a goat
- Bell traditions marking the academic day
- Ribbons tied by graduating classes
- Generations of student graffiti
- A passage steeped in university custom
About this tour
This session covers the university's bell tower and a narrow passage nearby where generations of students have left their mark. Beatriz explains the tower's old role in marking lecture times and the nickname students gave its bell. She follows this with the ribbons and graffiti left along Via Latina by graduating classes.
Beatriz keeps a relaxed pace between the tower and the passage, pointing out details on the walls that are easy to miss quickly. She explains the meaning behind different coloured ribbons as questions come up. A short note on the tradition's origins follows the session.
This suits anyone curious about student culture and tradition rather than architecture alone. It works well alongside the courtyard and library sessions for a fuller picture of university life.
Included
- Live video walk with a local guide
- Questions to your guide all the way
- A short list of places to visit later
Not included
- Internet connection
- Travel to the city
Itinerary
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Welcome and sound check 5 min
The guide joins the video call, checks the picture and sound with you, and gives you a quick sense of Coimbra before heading out.
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The university tower 15 min
The camera holds on the tower rising above the old courtyard, its bell historically rung to mark lecture times. Beatriz explains why students nickname it the goat, after the sound of the bell.
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Via Latina 15 min
Along a narrow passage nearby, Beatriz points out student graffiti and ribbons tied by graduating classes, a tradition going back generations. She explains what the different coloured ribbons represent for each faculty.
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Your questions 7 min
Time to ask anything about Coimbra: prices, safety, food, or whatever you are curious about.
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A short list to keep 3 min
Before you go, the guide sums up with a few things worth remembering: a dish to try: Leitão à moda de Mealhada and Alta, worth a slower look.
Good to know
- A stable wifi or mobile connection makes the picture smoother than a shaky one.
- Any phone, tablet or laptop with a camera works. You watch, the guide does the walking.
- Times are shown in Lisbon time, so check the time where you are before you book.
- The session is not recorded, and recording it yourself is not allowed. Feel free to take your own notes.
- Ask questions any time, out loud or in the chat. The guide will pause to answer.
- Sessions run in small groups, up to 10 people, so there is room for everyone to ask something.
Questions about this tour
What will the session cover?
The guide walks through Coimbra, showing you The university tower and Via Latina live on camera, plus whatever else you would like to see.
What happens if my connection drops?
Rejoin with the same link within a few minutes and the guide will catch you up on anything you missed.
Can I ask the guide questions during the session, or is it a fixed script?
Anything, any time. Sessions leave room for your own questions throughout, not just at the end.
Do I need to know the history already?
No background needed. The guide explains everything as it comes up.
How it works
- You get one join link after booking.
- Join from any device: phone, tablet or laptop.
- We meet on Google Meet; the link comes with your booking. I show you the university live with my phone.
Times shown in Lisbon time (WET)
Cancellation
Flexible
- Cancel up to 24 hours before the start: full refund.
- Cancel less than 24 hours before the start, or no-show: no refund.
- If the guide cancels or the date does not reach its minimum group: full refund.
- Cancel in My Account → Bookings; the refund is calculated from the start time in the tour's local time.
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Next: Thu 5 Nov · 10 seats left From 19,00 €
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