The fado concert
What it is
About 50 minutes seated in a small house on Rua Quebra Costas: Fado de Coimbra, stories from the city's history and a glass of port.
Who it suits
Anyone who wants to hear the music and has an hour.
Coimbra fado, in short
What is Coimbra fado, and how is it different from Lisbon fado?
The short answer
Coimbra fado is the fado of the city's students: traditionally sung by men in black academic dress, to a Coimbra guitar and a classical guitar, in the manner of a serenade. Lisbon fado is the capital's style, heard in fado houses and on the concert circuit. This concert, in a small house below the Old Cathedral, gives you the Coimbra kind in about 50 minutes.
- What it is
- A concert of Fado de Coimbra with moments from the city's history between songs, ending with a glass of port tasted with the musicians.
- What it isn't
- Not a dinner, not a street serenade and not Lisbon-style fado. It is a short, seated concert in a small room.
- Check before you book
- The street to the door climbs by steps, the ticket is the concert and a glass of port with no meal, and each date on the calendar has its own time.
The concert in four facts
- The house
- Fado ao Centro, on Rua Quebra Costas below the Old Cathedral.
- The concert
- About 50 minutes of Fado de Coimbra.
- The glass
- A glass of port, tasted with the musicians.
- The host
- Speaks English and Portuguese.
What you may hear and see
What you may hear and see
The ingredients of a Coimbra fado concert, in the order they tend to arrive. This is a guide to the style, not a setlist: songs, order and stories change from one concert to the next.
- Strings
A Coimbra guitar and a classical guitar
Coimbra fado is accompanied by the guitarra and the viola, a type of guitar, Wikipedia says. The Coimbra guitar has a longer string length than the Lisbon one, 470 mm against 445 mm, and a tuning a major second lower.
- Voice
One singer in the dark cape
Wikipedia says Coimbra fado is sung exclusively by men and describes it as traditionally sung at night, almost in the dark, in squares and streets. An indoor concert is a different setting from that tradition.
- Cape
Black academic dress
In the tradition the singers and musicians wear the traje académico: a dark robe, a cape and leggings. The organisers say the musicians here are or were students in Coimbra, and photographs of the house show black capes.
- Serenade
The song at the window
Wikipedia says it is customary to organise serenades, in which songs are performed before the window of a woman to be courted. A Coimbra hotel's guide adds that clapping is not welcome at serenades and that the hoped-for reply is a light switched on and off three times.
- Stories
Moments from the city's history
Between songs the concert adds moments from Coimbra's history. Wikipedia records that the city was Portugal's capital from 1131 to 1255, a period that left buildings you can still see on the climb to the house.
- Port
A glass with the musicians
The evening closes with port, tasted alongside the musicians. Wikipedia describes it as a wine from the Douro Valley, usually sweet and red.
Songs, order and stories change from one concert to the next.
Three ways to spend time here
Three ways to spend time in Coimbra
A walk with a local student
What it is
About two and a half hours on foot, led by a student from Coimbra.
Who it suits
People who want the city's streets explained and are comfortable on hills.
A panoramic train tour
What it is
A seated tour of the old town by train, with a lower rating than the other cards on this page.
Who it suits
Visitors who prefer not to climb. Read the booking page first.
From booking to the glass of port
From booking to the glass of port
The evening in five steps. When the day comes, your confirmation message is the sheet of instructions to follow.
- 1 Book
Choose a date
Pick a day from the calendar, which lists a time beside each one. Free cancellation closes 24 hours before the concert.
- 2 Climb
Find Rua Quebra Costas
Fado ao Centro is at number 7. The street runs between the Almedina arch and the square in front of the Old Cathedral, and its upper end is a staircase.
- 3 Settle
Meet the host
The host speaks English and Portuguese and sets the evening going.
- 4 Listen
The concert
About 50 minutes of Fado de Coimbra, with moments from the city's history between songs.
- 5 Taste
Port with the musicians
The concert ends with a glass of port tasted with the musicians.
The ticket in detail
What the ticket settles
Seven things to know before you choose a date.
- Ticket
- A concert of Fado de Coimbra and a glass of port.
- The house
- Fado ao Centro, Rua Quebra Costas 7, below the Old Cathedral. Its organisers describe it as a cultural project founded in Coimbra in 2010.
- The musicians
- Students or former students of Coimbra, say the organisers. The walls are decorated with the musicians' belongings.
- Length
- About 50 minutes.
- Language
- A host who speaks English and Portuguese.
- Not included
- A meal or further drinks. The ticket lists the concert and one glass of port.
- Cancellation
- Free until 24 hours before the concert, through GetYourGuide.
The street, the cathedral and the house
Coimbra from the cathedral square to the stage
The Old Cathedral at night, the Almedina arch, two views of the house, a student in the black cape and the steps of Rua de Quebra-Costas.
Ways to spend a Coimbra day
The concert, and three other ways to fill the day
The first card is the fado concert this site covers. The others fill the hours around it: a walk with a local student, a seated panoramic train tour and an entry ticket to a miniature park.
Fado de Coimbra concert with a glass of port
A concert of about 50 minutes at Fado ao Centro on Rua Quebra Costas, hosted in English and Portuguese, with a glass of port tasted with the musicians at the end.
A guided walk with a local student
A guided outing of about two and a half hours led by a student from Coimbra: the streets on foot, where the concert sits you down.
A panoramic train tour of the old town
A seated tour for visitors who prefer to see the old town without climbing its hills. Its rating is the lowest of the four, so read the booking page before you choose it.
Entry to the Portugal dos Pequenitos miniature park
An hour's outing for families at the miniature park, in the same city as the concert.
Other tickets in Coimbra
Practical notes
The street, the steps and the glass
01
Finding the house
Fado ao Centro is at Rua Quebra Costas 7. The city's inventory says the street is bounded by the Almedina arch and the Largo da Sé Velha, in front of the Old Cathedral, and is the shortest way between the lower town and the cathedral.
02
Steps
The inventory says the top of the street has been a staircase mainly since the eighteenth century. Wear shoes with grip. If a member of your party cannot manage steps, put the question to GetYourGuide's support first.
03
How long to allow
The concert lasts about 50 minutes. Allow a little more for the climb and for the glass of port at the end.
04
Language
The host speaks English and Portuguese. Fado de Coimbra is a Portuguese-language tradition, so the songs themselves are in Portuguese.
05
Dinner
No meal is included, only the concert and a glass of port. Eat before the climb or afterwards in the lower town.
06
Changing your plans
Free cancellation holds until 24 hours before the concert, so plans can still change without cost until then.
Keep reading
Six guides to Coimbra fado
- Start here
Coimbra fado vs Lisbon fado
What Coimbra fado is, who sings it and why it sounds different from the fado of Lisbon, with the facts a first-time listener needs before booking a concert. Read the guide → - Compare
Fado concert or a student walk?
A concert of Fado de Coimbra or a guided walk with a local student: how long each takes, how much climbing each asks for and which suits your Coimbra day. Read the guide → - Getting there
Reaching Quebra Costas on foot
How the street to the Old Cathedral runs, what the Almedina arch is and what to expect underfoot on the way up from the lower town. Read the guide → - The instrument
The Coimbra guitar explained
What the Portuguese guitar is, how the Coimbra model differs from the Lisbon one, and what to listen for when the guitars start in a Coimbra fado concert. Read the guide → - The glass
A glass of port after fado
What port is, why it ends so many fado evenings in Portugal and what to know before you sip the glass that comes with the Coimbra concert. Read the guide → - Before you go
What a 50-minute concert holds
How the evening runs from the climb to the door to the glass of port, what to bring and how to listen when the singer and guitars begin. Read the guide →
FAQ
Questions about the concert
What sets Coimbra fado apart from the Lisbon style?
Coimbra fado is the style of the city's students, traditionally sung by men in black academic dress to a Coimbra guitar and a classical guitar, according to Wikipedia. Lisbon fado is the capital's style, heard in fado houses and on the concert circuit, with a brighter-toned guitar.
How long is the concert, and what is included?
The concert lasts about 50 minutes. The ticket covers the concert and a glass of port, tasted with the musicians at the end. No meal is included.
Are the musicians really students?
The organisers say every musician and collaborator is or was a student in Coimbra. In the Coimbra tradition, Wikipedia says, singers and musicians wear the black academic dress.
Is the concert in English?
The host speaks English and Portuguese. Fado de Coimbra is a Portuguese-language tradition, so expect the songs themselves in Portuguese.
When do I get the glass of port?
At the end. The concert closes with a port tasting with the musicians, so the glass comes after the music and not at the door.
Is the booking refundable?
Yes, up to 24 hours before the concert, when you book through GetYourGuide.
Is the street steep?
The city's inventory says the top of Rua Quebra Costas has been a staircase mainly since the eighteenth century. Wear shoes with grip, and if someone in your party cannot manage steps, put the question to GetYourGuide's support before you book.
Is a fado concert the same as a street serenade?
No. A serenade is an older, open-air custom in which songs are sung before a window at night. This is a seated concert in a small house.
Fifty minutes of Coimbra's own fado, a glass of port, and a short climb to hear it.
Book the concert ↗Each price on the calendar shows in the currency you pick, with taxes and fees already included.