Parque Verde do Mondego

The Parque Verde do Mondego is the long green park on both banks of the River Mondego in the middle of Coimbra. It was designed by the architect Camilo Cortesão under the Polis urban renewal programme, along a riverfront of almost 3 kilometres, and the council describes it as free, open to all and closed to cars. The two banks are joined by the Pedro e Inês footbridge, which opened in the summer of 2006.

It’s the city’s main outdoor space for families: somewhere to run, scoot, cycle, have a coffee and watch rowers on the river. On 26 September 2026 the council held the first Jogos Sem Fronteiras here, a team games afternoon for Coimbra’s parishes that drew hundreds of spectators, so it’s very much the city’s everyday park.

The play side of the park is on the left bank, the Santa Clara side. The council lists a sand court used for beach volleyball, a basic-level skatepark, a set of children’s play equipment, a picnic area and four pavilions, three of which house the rowing, canoeing and sailing clubs. That makes the left bank busy with activity at weekends.

The council doesn’t publish a list of the playground equipment. A listings site describes modern play equipment on a synthetic safety surface. Expect a good city playground rather than a big adventure one; the setting by the river is a big part of its appeal.

The basic skatepark is exactly that: a small beginners’ spot. It’s a sensible place for a child on a first skateboard or scooter to try gentle slopes before heading to the bigger municipal park.

Children usually remember the bear. The park has a giant bear covered in grass, known locally as the Urso de Relva. According to its Wikipedia entry, it was first made of real grass for an exhibition and later given to the city; its covering was replaced with artificial grass to make it easier to look after. It was burned by vandals in 2005 and came back in 2006 on a non-flammable base. It’s a popular photo stop.

The right bank is the larger part of the park, with more than 400,000 square metres of green space, according to the council. There are about 4 kilometres of footpaths and 4 kilometres of cycle paths, and a row of café terraces built on a wooden deck over the water. The flat, car-free paths are the reason families with balance bikes, scooters and buggies come here. The Pavilhão Centro de Portugal, designed by Álvaro Siza Vieira and Eduardo Souto de Moura as Portugal’s pavilion at Expo 2000 in Hanover, stands on this bank too.

On the same right bank, under the viaduct of the Ponte Rainha Santa Isabel, is the city’s much bigger Parque Municipal de Skate. The council opened it in May 2022. It covers about 1,500 square metres, uses approved competition elements and is split into four zones:

• Zone 1 is for first contact with skating, with gentle street and bowl features.
• Zone 2 is a beginners’ street course.
• Zone 3 is advanced street, in two sections, the higher one built to national-championship standard.
• Zone 4 is the bowl, with several levels of difficulty.

For its first birthday in June 2023, the council held a weekend of skate workshops, free sessions and demonstrations, working with local skate shops that train young skaters from beginner to competition level. The council pages don’t publish opening hours or rules, so check on arrival and bring a helmet and pads.

• Toddlers: flat paths for walks and balance bikes, the playground and the bear.
• Ages 4 to 7: the playground, scooting on the paths and a first try at the basic skatepark.
• Ages 8 to 12: bikes on the cycle paths and the beginner zones of the municipal skate park.
• Teenagers: the municipal skate park’s street course and bowl.

Entry is free. The riverside can be exposed in summer, so bring hats and water for the middle of the day. The council pages don’t list public toilets, so plan on using the cafés.

UC Exploratório, Coimbra’s hands-on science centre, is inside the park, which makes an easy wet-or-dry combination. Portugal dos Pequenitos, the miniature Portugal of child-sized houses, is on the Santa Clara side of the river. Up in the old town, the Museu da Ciência is good for curious older children. For a relaxed lunch with toys, try The Living Room.

Is the Parque Verde do Mondego free?

Yes. It’s a free public park, closed to cars.

Which side is the playground on?

The council lists the children’s play equipment and the basic skatepark on the left bank, the Santa Clara side.

Is it buggy-friendly?

Yes. The council describes about 4 km of footpaths and 4 km of cycle paths, and the park is closed to traffic.

Where is the Coimbra skate park?

The Parque Municipal de Skate is on the right bank under the Ponte Rainha Santa Isabel viaduct. The small basic skatepark is on the left bank, in the Parque Verde.

Is there food?

Yes. There are café terraces on the right bank over the river.