Street parking in Coimbra costs €0.80 an hour (€0.20 per 15 minutes) and is charged Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 19:00 and on Saturdays from 10:00 to 14:00; Sundays and public holidays are free. For a full working day the cheaper option is the ECOVIA park-and-ride: €3.00 covers parking at Casa do Sal or Parque Verde do Mondego and two bus trips. This guide covers the meters, the municipal car parks, the park-and-ride, where parking is free and the restricted streets of the Baixa, with figures read on the operator’s own pages on 13 October 2026.
Do you need a car? Not for Coimbra itself: the centre is compact and steep, and best seen on foot. For the Roman ruins of Conímbriga, the Buçaco forest, the schist villages of the Serra da Lousã or the beach at Figueira da Foz, yes. Compare prices for car rental in Coimbra on DiscoverCars or, if you are flying in, at Porto Airport, the nearest international airport. Our guide to car rental in Coimbra compares the local companies.
Paid parking in Coimbra is run by SMTUC, the municipal transport service that also operates the city buses. SMTUC manages every street meter and six public car parks, and its ECOVIA park-and-ride links two car parks on the edge of the centre with the hospitals and the University. The historic centre sits on a steep hill: the Baixa (lower town) is largely pedestrian, and the University is at the top. The practical plan for a visit is to leave the car at the foot of the hill or at a park-and-ride and continue on foot or by bus.
Planning your trip – do you need a car?
Tick what applies and we’ll tell you if a rental is worth it.
| Option | Price | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Street meters (nine colour-coded areas) | €0.20 per 15 minutes · €0.80 per hour · €4.80 for 6 hours | Paid Monday to Friday 08:00–19:00, Saturday 10:00–14:00 |
| Street meters, Sundays and public holidays | Free | Also free after 19:00 and on Saturdays after 14:00 |
| ECOVIA park-and-ride (Casa do Sal, Parque Verde do Mondego) | €3.00 for parking + 2 bus trips · €5.10 for parking + 4 trips | Minibuses every 10–15 minutes, working days 07:00–20:00 |
| Mercado D. Pedro V car parks | First 30 minutes free (Monday to Saturday) | Open 07:00–21:00; free on Saturdays from 15:00; hourly rate not published online |
| SMTUC car parks at weekends | Free access | Parque Verde, Praça das Cortes, Casa do Sal, Coimbra-B station |
Sources: SMTUC’s parking page and its tariff in force since 1 October 2026, read on 13 October 2026.
SMTUC divides the metered streets into nine areas, each with a colour on the official map: green and brown around the Baixa and Avenida Fernão de Magalhães, grey and yellow from Largo da Portagem up to the Mercado, Avenida Sá da Bandeira and Praça da República, purple at Celas, red in Santa Clara across the river, orange on Rua do Padrão near Coimbra-B station, and two blue areas near the University Hospitals. The colour tells you where you are, not what you pay: the published rate is the same everywhere.
You pay €0.20 for every 15 minutes, which is €0.80 an hour. SMTUC’s table runs in 15-minute steps up to six hours for €4.80; the page does not state a separate maximum stay, so check the meter in the street where you park. Meters are in force Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 19:00 and on Saturdays from 10:00 to 14:00. Sundays and public holidays are free. One exception: on Avenida de Conímbriga and the road parallel to Avenida João das Regras, in Santa Clara, the hours are 09:00 to 19:00 on weekdays and 09:00 to 15:00 on Saturdays.
At the meter, with coins, or from your phone with one of the three apps SMTUC lists as partners: iParque, Via Verde and EasyPark. With an app you do not need to return to the car to extend your time. SMTUC’s page does not mention card payment at the meters, so carry coins if you do not want to install an app.
Parking without paying, or staying beyond the time you paid for, is an offence under article 71 of the Portuguese Highway Code, with a fine of €30 to €150.
ECOVIA is SMTUC’s park-and-ride. Older guides say it was discontinued; it was relaunched in 2021 with electric minibuses and it is in SMTUC’s tariff for 2026. You drive into one of the two ECOVIA car parks, buy a combined ticket and board the dedicated minibus.
| ECOVIA ticket | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| 2 trips + parking | €3.00 | Parking in an ECOVIA car park and two bus trips |
| 4 trips + parking | €5.10 | Parking and four bus trips |
| 2 trips, companion | €1.80 | For a passenger travelling with you |
| Ticket bought from the driver | €2.00 | One journey on that bus only, no parking |
Each “trip” is a one-hour period from the first validation, with changes of bus allowed, and the tickets are valid on the whole SMTUC network, not only on the ECOVIA minibuses. The tariff also lists a €0.60 Viagem conVIDA card, the rechargeable card on which occasional tickets and the parking ticket are loaded. SMTUC has sales points at the Casa do Sal, Coimbra-B station and Parque Verde car parks.
The dedicated lines run on working days only, from 07:00 to 20:00, every 10 to 15 minutes. At weekends and on public holidays there is no ECOVIA service, but the car parks are open with free access.
Three car parks at the municipal market on Rua Olímpio Nicolau Rui Fernandes, a few minutes on foot from Praça 8 de Maio and the Baixa. They operate Monday to Saturday from 07:00 to 21:00. The first 30 minutes are free from Monday to Saturday, and on Saturdays parking is free from 15:00 to 21:00; in both cases you still have to validate the ticket at the pay machine. You pay at the machine before returning to the car and then have 10 minutes to leave. The underground car park is locked after 21:00 and on Sundays and public holidays, and having it opened out of hours costs €21, so do not leave the car there overnight. The two surface car parks have free access after 21:00 and on Sundays and holidays. SMTUC does not publish the hourly rate on its website.
On Avenida da Lousã, beside the riverside park on the right bank of the Mondego. Controlled on working days from 07:00 to 20:00, when it serves the ECOVIA green line to the University. Free access on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. From here you can also walk along the river to Largo da Portagem and the Baixa.
Two car parks on Rua do Padrão, next to the main road into Coimbra from the north and a short distance from Coimbra-B station. Controlled on working days from 06:45 to 19:15; free access on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, and the Oeste car park also throughout August. The ECOVIA red line connects them with the hospitals.
Car park on Rua do Padrão at Coimbra-B, the station served by the Lisbon–Porto main line. Controlled on working days from 06:45 to 19:15; free access on Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays and during August. SMTUC does not publish its rate online.
On Avenida de Conímbriga, beside the Estádio Universitário on the Santa Clara side of the river, a walk across the Santa Clara bridge from Largo da Portagem. Controlled on working days from 07:00 to 20:00; free access on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. SMTUC does not publish its rate online.
On a working day there is no free car park close to the centre that we could confirm from an official source. The cheapest option for a full day is the ECOVIA ticket at €3.00, against €4.80 for six hours at a meter.
We found no announcement of the date the system went live, and the councillor responsible said that fines had not yet been decided and that there would be an initial period of information rather than penalties. Whatever the state of the bollards, the signs at the entrances already apply. The streets of the Alta, around the University and the Sé Velha, are narrow and steep and have very little public parking; SMTUC’s map marks restricted-access zones there as well. To visit the University, park at Parque Verde and take the ECOVIA green line on a working day, or park at the foot of the hill and walk up.
| You are visiting | Park here | Then |
|---|---|---|
| Baixa, Santa Cruz church, Praça 8 de Maio | Mercado D. Pedro V, or a metered street in the grey or brown area | Walk |
| University, Joanina Library, Sé Velha | Parque Verde do Mondego | ECOVIA green line on working days; on foot at weekends |
| Hospitals (HUC, Paediatric Hospital, IPO) | Casa do Sal | ECOVIA red line on working days |
| Train from Coimbra-B | Estação Coimbra-B car park | Walk to the platforms |
| Santa Clara, Portugal dos Pequenitos, the convents | Praça das Cortes, or a metered street in the red area | Walk |
Parking cost estimator
Check Coimbra on Parclick →Pre-filled with SMTUC’s street rate (€0.80 per hour, €0.20 per 15 minutes). For a full working day compare the result with the €3.00 ECOVIA park-and-ride ticket, which includes two bus trips.
Street parking costs €0.20 per 15 minutes, which is €0.80 an hour and €4.80 for six hours. The ECOVIA park-and-ride ticket costs €3.00 and includes parking and two bus trips. At the Mercado D. Pedro V car parks the first 30 minutes are free.
On Sundays and public holidays all day, on Saturdays after 14:00 and on weekdays after 19:00. Meters are in force Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 19:00 and on Saturdays from 10:00 to 14:00.
Yes. It was relaunched in 2021 and is in SMTUC’s tariff in force since 1 October 2026. The car parks are Casa do Sal and Parque Verde do Mondego, and the dedicated electric minibuses run on working days from 07:00 to 20:00, every 10 to 15 minutes.
SMTUC, the municipal transport service of Coimbra. It manages all street meters and the public car parks at the Mercado D. Pedro V, Parque Verde do Mondego, Praça das Cortes, Casa do Sal and Coimbra-B station.
At Parque Verde do Mondego. On working days the ECOVIA green line runs from there to the University; the €3.00 ticket covers parking and two trips. At weekends the car park has free access and you walk up, or you park on a metered street, which is free on Sundays.
Yes. SMTUC lists three apps for its metered streets: iParque, Via Verde and EasyPark. The meters themselves take coins.
Under article 71 of the Portuguese Highway Code, parking without paying or beyond the paid time carries a fine of €30 to €150.
No, unless you are a resident or delivering. The main streets of the Baixa are restricted, and the city council is installing automatic bollards with number-plate recognition at ten entry points. Park at the Mercado D. Pedro V or on a metered street and walk.
See also: Parking in Portugal (all cities)
