Visitor Info

Opening hours, tickets, getting there and access — everything you need to plan a visit to the Biblioteca Joanina.

Entry to the library is timed to the slot on your ticket. Arrive at the ticket kiosk on Rua Larga at least 20 minutes early — late arrivals are not admitted.

Choose your ticket

Ticket options

The general ticket gives you a timed library slot plus the rest of the Palace of Schools and the Science Museum, valid over two days. The guided tour takes you through the Palace of Schools with a university guide at 11:00 or 15:00, in Portuguese or English.

With a guide

Guided tour of the Palace of Schools

€35 / adult · youth 6–25 €28

1h30 guided

A university guide takes you through the library, the chapel and the Royal Palace at 11:00 or 15:00, in Portuguese or English.

  • Guide in Portuguese or English
  • Library, chapel, Royal Palace
  • Science Museum on the same ticket
  • 11:00 or 15:00

Children under 6 go free. On the guided tour, youth aged 6–25 pay a reduced price. Photography is not allowed on the library's Noble Floor.

Tickets & entry

Visit the library

Timed entry to the Joanina Library plus the Royal Palace, St Michael's Chapel and the Science Museum — or a guided tour of the Palace of Schools. Booked online in a couple of minutes.

Tickets from €27

Book your tickets

Pick your date and library entry time below. Arrive at the ticket kiosk on Rua Larga 20 minutes before your slot.

After dark

Getting to the library

The Palace of Schools is at the top of Coimbra's old town, a steep 15-minute walk from the river or a short ride on the funicular. Coimbra is 1h45 by train from Lisbon and 1h15 from Porto. The ticket kiosk is on Rua Larga, opposite the Faculty of Medicine.

Access & comfort

Accessibility

The library's Noble Floor is reachable by wheelchair with staff assistance — ask at the kiosk. The Royal Palace and the tower are not accessible, and the prison level involves stairs.

Plan your visit

Ready to visit the Biblioteca Joanina?

Choose your date and entry time and we handle the rest. Entry to the library is timed; the rest of the university route can be seen over two days.