With some great day trip options in the surrounding area, having your own car makes good sense. Without one, it wouldn’t be half as easy to enjoy all that Coimbra, 18 miles away, has to offer. CAV, Biblioteca Joanina and Torre de Anto alone make the drive out worth it. Locals are also likely to point you toward Pombal, 25 miles away. If you only see one attraction here, make sure it’s History Museum of Popular Art Portuguese. (But we’re also huge fans of Pombal Castle and Castelo de Pombal.)