Coimbra, Portugal

Coimbra sits on the Mondego River in central Portugal with roughly 140,000 residents, and it served as the country's capital from 1131 to 1255. The University of Coimbra, founded in 1290 in Lisbon and relocated here in 1537, ranks among the oldest universities in continuous operation worldwide, and its 1728 Joanine Library shelters 70,000 books behind gilded doors. The 12th-century Old Cathedral, known as Sé Velha, is a fortress-style Romanesque church, while the 16th-century Convent of Santa Cruz holds the tombs of Portugal's first two kings, Afonso I and Sancho I. UNESCO added this ensemble to its World Heritage list in 2013, and the steep lanes climbing above the river still conceal surprises few visitors reach.