32 Quirky College Towns Where Every Street Feels Like a Movie Set

21. Coimbra, Portugal – A Romantic Hilltop City of Fado and Literature

Coimbra, home to Portugal’s most prestigious university, is a city of poets, scholars, and musicians, set on a hilltop overlooking the Mondego River. The town’s old university, with its baroque Joanina Library, looks like something out of a historical adventure film, while the steep, winding streets lined with whitewashed buildings and ancient alleyways make Coimbra feel like the set of a nostalgic European drama. Fado music, Portugal’s hauntingly beautiful folk tradition, fills the air at night, creating an ambiance that is both melancholic and mesmerizing.