Aveiro in Portugal

When you visit Aveiro in Portugal you cannot avoid the feeling of being in a miniature Venice. Crossed by three channels that until recently were used to transport seaweed and salt, it also has an interesting art nouveau architecture and various religious monuments. As if that were not enough, it also offers you the animation of a university city, excellent beaches and the comfort of a small city.

Aveiro is only seventy kilometers from Porto and a direct train is in charge of communicating both locations. This makes many Porto tourists flock to Aveiro in day trips. In any case, all the qualities of this small city have made it one of the favorite destinations in the world. north of Portugal. If you want to know her, we encourage you to follow us on our visit.

Monuments of Aveiro in Portugal

The primitive nucleus of Aveiro is the neighborhood of Beira Mar, with its narrow streets and canals framed by art nouveau houses with striking, profusely decorated facades. They were built at the beginning of the XNUMXth century by Portuguese emigrants who returned after making their fortune in Brazil. But Aveiro has other monuments to show you.

Republic Square

It is the nerve center of the historic center of Aveiro. It is a large urban space with an ornate floor and where you can see the Town Hall building and the church of Mercy, of which we will talk to you shortly. You will also find in this square a statue of the Portuguese politician Jose Estevao, who was born in this city.

Aveiro Cathedral

Also called church of Sao Domingos de Aveiro, was built in the fourteenth century. However, externally from then only one of the walls remains, the rest is due to the reconstruction made in the XNUMXth. Instead, inside the temple you can see the famous gothic cruzeiro of Sao Domingos, which is part of the first building. Also in its interior are the modernist presbytery, the baroque choir, some mannerist chapels and a spectacular pipe organ.

Without detracting from this temple, we find the Church of Mercy, a small XNUMXth century chapel with a beautiful Mannerist portico adorned with tiles. The interior, with more tiles, carvings and paintings, is also worth a visit.

Old ceramic factory Jerónimo Pereyra Campos

This important sample of industrial architecture is one of the most significant monuments of Aveiro in Portugal. His red clay facade and is currently used as a congress center and show venue.

Convent of Jesus and Museum of Aveiro

The conventual enclosure is a magnificent XNUMXth century construction to which Baroque elements were added later. It houses the tomb of the princess Santa Joana, daughter of King Alfonso V of Portugal. But above all it is the headquarters of the Aveiro Museum, where you can see numerous works of art from the XNUMXth to the XNUMXth centuries, as well as historical manuscripts and archaeological remains from the area.

Living Science Factory Museum

Perfect for you to visit with your children, it has twelve interactive rooms dedicated respectively to the robotics, biochemistry and other scientific disciplines. It also offers you several permanent exhibitions very interesting.

Ecomuseum of Marinha da Troncalhada

If you want to know how they worked in the Aveiro salt flats in PortugalYou can visit this site located in one of them that still works. It also serves as a method to preserve this ancient discipline of extraction that has been practiced since 959.

Vista Alegre Museum

La Vista Alegre porcelain It has been in production since 1824 and is one of the most famous in the world, with clients such as the Queen of England. Very close to Aveiro you have this museum where you can see some of its best pieces.

Train station

If you arrive in Aveiro in Portugal by train, the first surprise you will have in the city is the very façade of the station. Because it is covered with large polychrome tiles that recreate scenes typical of the region. For example, the activity of fishermen, the salt flats or the central channel of Aveiro.

Aveiro lighthouse

Located on the Barra beach, which we will talk about later, it will attract your attention due to its height. In fact, it is the highest in Portugal and the second highest in the entire Iberian Peninsula. It has been operating since 1893 and its light has a range of 23 nautical miles.

Rossio Garden

Located on the edge of the Aveiro estuary, it is an ideal park for you to relax after touring the city. In it you can observe an important variety of plant species and magnificent views. Also, if you are a bit lucky, your visit will coincide with one of the many craft markets held in this park.

Infante Dom Pedro Park

Perhaps even more beautiful than the previous one, you have in it several lakes with decorative bridges and many romantic corners. It also has a cafeteria and terrace, as well as tables and benches for free use to have something to eat. You can also take your children to Baixa de Santo Antonio Park, where they have a children's area and even a skate park.

Activities to do in Aveiro

If you visit Aveiro in Portugal, there is something you must do without question to enjoy the city. It is about plowing through its canals in the old boats that were used to transport seaweed and salt. The Aveirenses call them moliceiros and they look similar to the gondolas in Venice, although they are larger.

They have two crew members and, since they can carry enough passengers, they have an economic price of around six euros. The tour lasts 45 minutes and covers the three channels of Aveiro, offering you another perspective of the town.

On the other hand, if you visit Aveiro in summer, you are interested to know that it has two beaches. That of Costa Nova stands out for its unique risky casinos, One striped painted houses, and for its mobile food stalls. Refering to Barra beach, where the lighthouse we were talking about is located, is surrounded by a boulevard where you have numerous bars and restaurants.

Near the first of these beaches is the Sao Jacinto Dunes Nature Reserve. It is about nine hundred hectares of nature where you can observe unique seabirds, as well as the dunes themselves, which are spectacular. It is a perfect place for you to do Hiking while watching those species. Among its routes, the call stands out Descoberta da Naturaleza Trilho. However, to visit this natural reserve you must request it in advance.

Finally, if you want to feel the true pulse of Aveiro, you have to go through the Plaza do Peixe. During the day, there is a populous fish market and, at night, it is the concentration point for students to have a drink in its many bars and restaurants. And this brings us to the typical cuisine of the Portuguese city.

Gastronomy of Aveiro in Portugal

Although it seems that we begin our culinary recommendation at the end, the most typical thing in Aveiro in terms of gastronomy is a dessert. It is about the sweets that they call ovo moles, whose recipe is simple: egg yolk, sugar and water.

As for the fish, you must try the cod, typical of all Portugal, but that in Aveiro is prepared in a thousand ways. And also the ray in pitaú sauce, fried pickled molho, different stews, eel stew or the grilled sea bass. Regarding meats, the tender lamb, which is prepared in clay containers called black caçoilos, as well as the crispy suckling pig.

To drink, you must try the famous wine of the Bairrada Designation of Origin. And, among the desserts, in addition to the ovo moles, you have some excellent cakes and also the guts, a kind of crepes filled with honey, chocolate or even cheese.

Aveiro's climate

The Portuguese city has a climate temperate, with an average annual temperature of almost fifteen degrees. Winters are pleasant, with minimums of about five over zero and averages of almost ten. But it is also the rainiest season, especially the month of January.

Summers are warm but not hot. Average temperatures in these months are around nineteen degrees, with a minimum of fifteen and a maximum of twenty-three. The least amount of rainfall occurs in July.

Therefore, the best times for you to visit Aveiro in Portugal are spring and summer. Fall is also a good time, but it rains more. And, if you do not like concentrations of tourists, it is better that you opt for spring, since in summer the city receives many visitors both from inside and outside of Portugal.

How to get to Aveiro in Portugal

The closest aerodrome to the Portuguese town is that of Porto. Once there, you can take the metro, which reaches the center in about XNUMX minutes, or a bus, although the latter takes longer. Subsequently, from the Campanha station in Porto they depart direct trains to Aveiro, whose journey takes about an hour and a quarter. For its part, the station of the latter city is about fifteen minutes from the center.

As you can see, it is a route in which you must make several transfers. Therefore, it may be better for you to go to Aveiro in your private car or in a rental car. In addition, this way you can move freely around the surroundings.
If you come from the east or the north, the highway that takes you to the city is the A25, while if you travel from the south you will enter it through the A17. However, if we talk about road transport, you are also interested in knowing that there are bus lines that arrive directly to Aveiro from different cities in Spain. This is the case of La Coruña, Valladolid or even Bilbao.

On the other hand, the Portuguese city is small. Consequently, you can explore it on foot. However, you also have a free municipal service of bike loan, popularly known as bugs. Aveiro is flat so it won't take much effort for you to pedal.

Other information of interest about Aveiro in Portugal

The Portuguese city celebrates two festivities throughout the year. In January the feast of San Gonzalito, which pays tribute to sailors. And in July, the estuary festival, with numerous activities such as moliceiros races and regional dances.

On the other hand, if you travel to Aveiro in your vehicle, you are interested in knowing that the A25 motorway, which takes you to the city, is Toll. In Portugal, these can only be paid by credit card. But you can also buy a prepaid card that they sell at many gas stations. When it comes to parking in the Portuguese city, you will have no problem outside the center, where it is regulated. On the other side of the estuary but also close to the historic center you have several free parking.

As for the restoration, you must be careful with the appetizers that you put before eating. If you don't try them, nothing happens. But if you do, you they will charge apart of the price of the food. If, as usual, it is butter or olives, it is cheap. But, if instead it is ham, it will be much more expensive.

Finally, the Portuguese fully understand the Spanish so you won't have trouble understanding yourself. However, we mention some words that you are interested in knowing, especially when ordering in a bar. They call coffee in general spout, but if it is cut you have to ask for a poofed. For its part, coffee with milk is honey milk. And, if you want precisely a glass of milk with a drop of coffee, ask for a gallon.

In conclusion, Aveiro in Portugal It is a beautiful city that is worth visiting. It offers you beautiful monuments, magnificent beaches, a pleasant climate and delicious cuisine. But above all, it gives you the feeling of being in a miniature Venice.