the aqueduct that connects the old upper city to the botanical garden
It sits between the Alta de Coimbra and the Jardim Botânico, cutting across Praça da República and Avenida Sá da Bandeira. The arches run in sequence over the drop between the two sides, tracing a route you can see from below along the avenue and walk on top from the garden. It dates from the second half of the 16th century, built during Dom Sebastião's reign (hence the name), to reinforce the water supply to the upper part of the city, partly following the route of a Roman aqueduct that served Aeminium in the same direction.
What you see today is the result of several interventions over the centuries, but the general form holds: round arches in stone, lined up in sequence, with the water channel running above. It's not a monumental piece in the way of the Aqueduto das Águas Livres in Lisbon or the Amoreira in Elvas: it's more discreet, embedded in the urban fabric, and works as a natural passage between two levels of the city. For anyone who doesn't know Coimbra, it's one of those things that confirms the city has historical layers in every direction you look.
The best way to see it is to come down from the Jardim Botânico via the staircase that passes beneath the arches, or climb the same staircase from Sá da Bandeira. At the top, on the garden side, you can walk right alongside the historic channel, with the old pines of the botanical garden on one side and the city at your feet on the other. Below, the receding perspective of the arches is the classic photographic frame of the place.
what you'll find
- arches in sequence connecting the Alta de Coimbra to the Jardim Botânico
- built in the 16th century over the route of a pre-existing Roman aqueduct
- walkable on top, from the garden side
- a passage between two levels of the city, more than a standalone destination
- always open, public thoroughfare, no opening hours
