Museu da Ciência da Universidade de Coimbra

About the museum

The Museu da Ciência da Universidade de Coimbra holds the oldest Portuguese museum collection of natural history and scientific instruments, linked to the Jesuit and Pombaline heritage of the buildings in which it is housed. The first objects in the collections date mainly from the 18th century, and the holdings grew with the experimental physics collection of the Colégio dos Nobres in Lisbon and with the Viagens Philosophicas (Philosophical Journeys) of Alexandre Rodrigues Ferreira to the Amazon.

The museum's first phase opened in 2006, with the restoration of the Laboratório Chimico (Chemical Laboratory) and the exhibition Segredos da Luz e da Matéria. Part of the collections can be seen in the original rooms, the Chemical Laboratory and the former Colégio de Jesus, and the museum also holds the academic archive and the collections of the former Museu Nacional da Ciência e da Técnica (National Museum of Science and Technology). In 2008 it received the Micheletti Prize.

The Physics Cabinet, set in an 18th-century environment, was recognised in 2016 as a Historic Site by the European Physical Society. The museum forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage property “University of Coimbra – Alta and Sofia”, inscribed in 2013.

Highlights

• Exhibition Segredos da Luz e da Matéria, with interactive modules
• Visto de Coimbra, on the Jesuits between Portugal and the world
• 18th-century Physics Cabinet, Historic Site of the European Physical Society
• Cabinet of Curiosities
• Mineralogy Gallery
• Café with a terrace in the former Chemical Laboratory

Permanent exhibitions

• Segredos da Luz e da Matéria – Exhibition on light and matter based on scientific instruments of the University of Coimbra, with experiments and interactive modules, from Newton's decomposition of light to the neurobiology of vision.
• Visto de Coimbra – Os jesuítas entre Portugal e o mundo – Exhibition on the Society of Jesus, which occupied the museum's spaces, based on an engraving of the Moon made in Coimbra in 1626 by Father Cristóvão Borri.
• Gabinete de Física – One of the most remarkable physics cabinets in the world, in an 18th-century setting, recognised in 2016 as a Historic Site by the European Physical Society.

Founded

2006

Operated by

Universidade de Coimbra

Admission & discounts

The museum has no ticket of its own: visits are made through the programmes of the University of Coimbra, which are valid from 1 January to 31 December 2026; only adult prices are published. Tickets are bought online or at the UC shop; there are no refunds. The spaces of the scientific circuit can be visited freely, and the ticket is valid for two days.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The museum declares itself accessible: the building has a single floor, with no physical barriers for wheelchairs and pushchairs, adapted toilets and baby-changing facilities. There are two spaces reserved for people with reduced mobility at Largo Marquês de Pombal.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities

The exhibition Segredos da Luz e da Matéria includes experiments and interactive modules. The building has baby-changing facilities and is accessible to pushchairs.

Getting there & parking

GPS coordinates: 40.210167, -8.423770.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

The café operates in the former Chemical Laboratory, in a space about 10 metres high, with a terrace overlooking the city. There is a museum shop.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit