Day trip to Aveiro - 9 Must do’s and see

I started my trip to Aveiro having in mind the expectation that I would finally see the ‘Venice of Portugal’ everyone praises so much here. I have already visited Venice before so I also imagined some romantic strolls around the canals, boats mirroring in the water, background passionate singing coming from the boatmen, lovers on the bridges and restaurants and terraces all around the colorful buildings. Actually, Aveiro is something quite different from what I had imagined to see.

As an industrial city on the shore of the Atlantic, Aveiro is known for sea trade, fishing and salt so today it is merely a small town that has an old city center filled with a unique architecture, salt pans, traditional tiles and beautifully painted Moliceiro boats where you can also enjoy a typical dessert called ‘soft eggs’.

Old train station

This was the first building that we encountered after we came out of the train station since there is a modern one that is functioning and this old one that is apparently closed and admired only from the outside. Its beautiful white walls sprinkled with blue tiles and each tile representing a page of Aveiro’s past will immediately transport you in the Portuguese atmosphere of the city.

Art Nouveau

This architectural style is everywhere around the city and mostly in the city center, Rossio. The tall arcades and bow-windows, the decorated columns and frame glasses give a very interesting vibe to the city when strolling around discovering another beautiful spot for your travelling photos.

Moliceiro boat tour

Along the canals of the lagoon you will be able to have an interesting perspective of the city. We managed to negotiate the price of the ride and bring it down to 8 euros from 10 and it was actually surprised we are allowed to do this here since in Romania people find it rude if you try to do this sometimes. It’s always great to have Portuguese speaking friends around you who can help with something like that since tourists are taken advantage of in most of the touristic destinations.

Moliceiros are half moon-shaped gondolas, painted with pictures and even jokes that used to navigate the Ria of Aveiro. Back in the times they were used to gather the river’s seaweed and slime and use them as fertilizers after it was stretched out in the sun to dry. Now, because other chemical substitutes are available on the market and with much less effort, the Moliceiros are used merely for touristic purposes.

The decoration of the boats is an interesting detail you might want to look for since it is something unique of the region: the paintings have humerous phrases that play with the sense of words depicting everyday scenes, personalities or historical events.

The 45 minute tours come with a guide that will explain to you the basic things about the fishermen’s houses, the bridges, the modern buildings and the salt commerce so you will see the main attractions from right from the comfort of ‘your boat’: Pyramids Channel, Sao Roque Canal with the bridge of Carcavelos – the oldest in Aveiro, Canal do Cojo, Simsons’ Bridge, Ribbon Bridge etc.

Forum Aveiro

We discovered this outdoor shopping mall by mistake, looking for a place to enjoy a coffee and we eventually ended up on a beautiful rooftop terrace filled with green spaces, trees and benches to sit on while admiring the upper view of the canals. This mall was opened almost 20 years ago and it was the first outdoor shopping center of Portugal.

BUGA

The best way to discover Aveiro without not much effort or much money (because it is actually free) is to take a bike from the Manuel Firmino market that is just across the Forum Aveiro and enjoy them for the whole day after you leave some ID to their office.

Ties Bridge

Connecting the shopping mall and the market from where you can get the bikes, the Ties Bridge was born after two students tied ribbons to the bridge as a symbol of love and friendship, challenging the ones passing by to leave one as well. Now, it is also known as the bridge of lovers.

The park in front of Fábrica Jerónimo Pereira Campos

This is an old ceramics fabric that now is functioning as the city hall, but what we loved the most about it is how you can admire the whole classic and industrial architecture of the building from the park nearby, especially in the autumn air that is already all around.

Ovos moles

We have never heard of this typical and time-honored Aveiro dessert before. These ‘ovos moles’ are said to have originated from the convents in Aveiro just like the God given ‘Pastel de Belem’ was created in a convent in Belem too. Made of leftover egg yolks, they come in all shapes (sea shells, barrels, fish etc. ) and you can even eat them from small painted wooden or porcelain pots. They are even an officially protected geographical indication of Aveiro.

Costa Nova & Barra beach

I know this is a must of Aveiro and I even have a French friend who told me that he comes here every year with his family since it is so good, but unfortunately we didn’t have enough time so we decided to leave this one for another sunny day and come and enjoy the beach for more than just one hour.

Source

It is a short distance from the city and it is best known for its candy striped houses situated on the promenade and surrounded by palm trees. Enjoy a seafood restaurant, the beach and why not, even the surfers. After a short look on the internet this place convinced be to come back and enjoy Costa Nova itself in another visit to Aveiro!

Moving on to Barra beach, this is an extensive sand that people usually use for sports and it stands out because of the 62m tall Lighthouse of Aveiro that is actually the highest in Portugal too!

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