Accessibility
An honest picture of a hilltop built in the Middle Ages — what is fully accessible, what is partial, and how we can adapt your visit.
The honest picture
The university sits on a steep hill and much of it was built centuries before accessibility was a word. Some spaces are fully accessible, some partially, one not at all — here is exactly how it stands today.
Space by space
- Royal Palace (Paço das Escolas): the courtyard is accessible; the state rooms upstairs involve stairs.
- Joanina Library: the ground floor is reached by steps — access is partial.
- University Tower: not accessible. The only way up is roughly 180 narrow steps, and there is no lift.
- Science Museum: fully accessible, step-free throughout.
- UC Exploratório: fully accessible, including the planetarium.
- Botanical Garden: main avenues are step-free, though the terraces mean some slopes and gravel paths.
- Casa das Caldeiras: step-free access.
Adapted visits
An adapted guided tour is available on request — the Guided Tour of the Palace of Schools has an accessibility option that reworks the route around steps wherever possible. Tell us what you need when you book and we will plan the visit around it, not the other way round.
Facilities and contact
Accessible WCs are available at the Science Museum and the Botanical Garden. For specific needs — mobility, sensory or otherwise — contact the tourism office before your visit; the more we know in advance, the better the day we can build for you.