Inês de Castro in Coimbra

No story in Portuguese history is better known than that of Pedro and Inês, and Coimbra is where it happened. Inês de Castro was a Galician noblewoman who came to Portugal in the entourage of Prince Pedro's wife, and became his lover. King Afonso IV disapproved of the relationship, which threatened to give Castilian nobles influence at court, and in 1355 Inês was murdered, according to tradition at the Quinta das Lágrimas, the Estate of Tears, on the left bank of the Mondego. The legend says that her blood stained the stones of a fountain, the Fonte das Lágrimas, and that the fountain still flows with her tears. Pedro, who became king in 1357, took his revenge on the killers and, according to tradition, had Inês declared queen after her death and her tomb placed opposite his own at Alcobaça. The estate is real, and you can still find the Fonte das Lágrimas in its garden, beside the Fonte dos Amores, the Fountain of Love, in a shaded setting of old trees and quiet paths. The poet Luís de Camões immortalised the story in the Lusiads, which gives the place a literary weight.

The quinta today is a historic hotel and garden, and the main house dates mostly from the nineteenth century, built over earlier structures. Access to the grounds depends on the season and the arrangements of the property, so check in advance, since some visits are limited to guests, restaurant customers or organised groups. The hotel has long been a favourite for weddings and dinners, and the garden has been maintained as a romantic park with ponds, statues and exotic trees.

A guided walk through Coimbra that tells the story of Pedro and Inês makes sense of the places that matter. It usually visits the university area, the Sé Velha, the lower town and the Santa Clara side, where the Santa Clara-a-Velha monastery originally held Inês's tomb. A good guide adds the political background: the rivalry between Portugal and Castile, the role of the nobility and the way a love story became a symbol of national feeling. The story is not quite as romantic when told in full, and guides are honest about the violence involved.

Why does it matter for visitors? Because the legend runs through every layer of the city, from the Fountain of Tears to the monastery ruins and the cathedral, and understanding it deepens a visit. In Alcobaça, where the lovers' tombs face each other, the story reaches its end, and many travellers combine a Coimbra walk with a day trip to the monastery.

Plan to spend an hour or two at the quinta if you can enter, or choose a themed walk of about two hours. Wear comfortable shoes, especially for the left bank slopes. Evening is a good time to be in the gardens, when the light softens and the fountains are quiet, Those who want to see where the story ends can add a day trip to Alcobaça, where the tombs of Pedro and Inês stand foot to foot so that, according to the legend, they will see each other first on the day of judgement.

A dinner at the hotel restaurant is a fitting way to end a day spent in the company of Portugal's most tragic couple.