Welcome to Aveiro
Situated on the edge of an extensive coastal lagoon system, Aveiro (uh-vey-roo) is a prosperous town with a good-looking centre and a youthful, energetic buzz. It's occasionally dubbed the Venice of Portugal thanks to its small network of picturesque canals. But where the Italian city has gondolas, Aveiro has moliceiros – colourful boats traditionally used for seaweed-harvesting but now used for canal cruises.
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Aveiro activities
Porto to Aveiro Half-Day Tour with Moliceiro Canal Cruise
Leave your central Porto hotel by luxury coach, and then travel south along the coast to Aveiro, an old fishing town on northern Portugal’s scenic Rota da Luz. Now a vibrant university town, Aveiro has retained its charming fishing port roots, and its myriad of canals and beautiful architecture attribute to its nickname – the Venice of Portugal.See its sights on a walking tour, admiring the attractive Art Nouveau homes that line Aveiro’s canals. Pass Museo de Aveiro, housed in a gorgeous Dominican convent, and then stop for photos by Aveiro Cathedral. As you walk, listen to tales about the town’s history, from its days as a small Roman settlement to a thriving medieval seaport.Finish your walking tour by a canal and hop aboard a moliceiro – one of the brightly colored gondola-style boats that bob around the canals. Relax as your guide navigates, allowing you to sit back and admire Aveiro’s sights from the water during your 1-hour canal cruise.Finish your cruise at Costa Nova, one of the town's beautiful sandy beaches, and enjoy some free time before returning to Porto. Admire the candy-colored fishing houses that line the beachfront, enjoy a snack in a café (own expense), and then meet your guide at the pre-arranged time for your journey to Porto. Your tour then finishes with a drop-off at the start point in central Porto.
Aveiro, Costa Nova Tour, Moliceiro River Cruise from Porto
ItineraryThis is a typical itinerary for this productStop At: City Sightseeing Aveiro, Aveiro, Aveiro District, Northern PortugalDiscover Aveiro known as the portuguese venice with a large influence of the estuary (ria) and a network of channels.Duration: 1 hourStop At: Aveiro, Aveiro, Aveiro District, Northern PortugalPanoramic cruise in the Moliceiro boats which are typical from Aveiro and unique in the world. Duration: 45 minutesStop At: Praia da Costa Nova, Ilhavo, Aveiro District, Northern PortugalSee the famous haystacks of Costa Nova. These traditional structures were used by fishermen to store their fishing materials and have also been used as beach houses throughout the years. Built near the beach, they welcome the sea with their façades painted in bright coloured stripes.Duration: 10 minutes
Aveiro and Coimbra Day Trip From Porto
In this tour you start to visit the city of Aveiro, the so called "Portuguese Venice", name given because of the seawater channels that flood the city center. Once in Aveiro the tour goes to Costa Nova, by the seaside, where you can appreciate the typical fishermen houses full of colored stripes. Next you will visit Barra's beach. Here you will learn about the influence of the sea over the population of Aveiro during the 17th and the 18th century. Following that, we will take you to visit the city center, where you will see the 15th century cathedral, the old train station with it's 19th-century portuguese tiles and the fish market. To finish, you will take a boat tour at the city channels on a typical "moliceiro" boat. After lunch, the tour continues towards the "city of knowledge", Coimbra. This historical city was the birthplace of six Portuguese kings and the capital of Portugal. Visit the first Portuguese university from the 13th-century, and walk on the narrow streets of the medieval city center. Here, visit the 12th century Santa Cruz church, where is placed the tomb of the first Portuguese king. Moreover, meet Café of Santa Cruz (in the place of a former gothic church), Mosteiro of Santa Clara a Velha and Portugal dos Pequeninos. Come and enjoy the mixture of nature and history!
Porto plus Aveiro, Costa Nova, Douro, and Braga 3-Day Tour
ItineraryDay 1: Airport transferStop At: Porto Airport Transfer, Porto, Porto District, Northern PortugalTransfer from airport to the hotel. Duration: 30 minutesNo meals included on this day.No accommodation included on this day.Day 2: Porto city tour Stop At: Livraria Lello, Porto, Porto District, Northern PortugalVisitDuration: 30 minutesStop At: Clerigos Tower, Porto, Porto District, Northern PortugalVisitDuration: 30 minutesStop At: Pelourinho Se Catedral Porto, Porto, Porto District, Northern PortugalVisitDuration: 1 hourStop At: Burmester, Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto District, Northern PortugalVisit and wine tasting Duration: 1 hourNo meals included on this day.No accommodation included on this day.Day 3: Douro Valley full day tour Stop At: D'Origem, Casal de Loivos, Vila Real District, Northern PortugalVisit and wine tasting Duration: 1 hourStop At: The Douro River, Northern PortugalCruiseDuration: 1 hourStop At: Pinhao Railways Station, Pinhao, Vila Real District, Northern PortugalVisitDuration: 30 minutesStop At: The Douro Valley, Pinhao, Vila Real District, Northern PortugalWine tasting Duration: 2 hoursMeals included: • LunchNo accommodation included on this day.Day 4: Aveiro and Costa Nova half-day tour Stop At: Mercado Do Peixe Da Costa Nova, Costa Nova, Ilhavo, Aveiro District, Northern PortugalVisitDuration: 30 minutesStop At: Praia da Costa Nova, Ilhavo, Aveiro District, Northern PortugalStopDuration: 30 minutesStop At: Ria de Aveiro, Aveiro, Aveiro District, Northern PortugalCruiseDuration: 1 hourStop At: Aveiro, Aveiro, Aveiro District, Northern PortugalStopDuration: 1 hourNo meals included on this day.No accommodation included on this day.Day 5: Airport transferStop At: Porto Airport Transfer, Porto, Porto District, Northern PortugalTransfer from accommodation to the airport. Duration: 30 minutesNo meals included on this day.No accommodation included on this day.
Porto to Aveiro, Coimbra Small-Group Day Tour with Boat Cruise
ItineraryThis is a typical itinerary for this productStop At: Ria de Aveiro, Aveiro, Aveiro District, Northern PortugalMoliceiro cruise 1 hour.Duration: 1 hourStop At: Mercado Do Peixe Da Costa Nova, Costa Nova, Ilhavo, Aveiro District, Northern PortugalVisitDuration: 1 hourStop At: Praia da Costa Nova, Ilhavo, Aveiro District, Northern PortugalLunchDuration: 1 hourStop At: Se Nova Catedral de Coimbra, Coimbra, Coimbra District, Central PortugalVisitDuration: 1 hourStop At: University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Coimbra District, Central PortugalVisitDuration: 1 hour
Porto to Averio with Moliceiro River Cruise: Private Tour
We leave your hotel in Porto and head south. Start off this tour with an hour-long ride on a moliceiro, the typical boat used to collect seagrasses in the Aveiro lagoon. Then admire the Art Nouveau architecture, especially the buildings near the Praça do Rossio (Rossio square). Cobblestone can still be found on many streets near and around this square. Satisfy your sweet tooth with the famous ovos moles, a legacy of Aveiro's conventual sweets tradition made with water, sugar, and egg yolks.We also recommend a visit to the Art Nouveau Museum and the Mercado do Peixe (Fish Market).The tour then continues to Costa Nova, with its extensive beaches and a paradise with several species of birds. You will have time to visit the lighthouse and the famous old coloured fishermen's beach houses.On the way back, your private driver will leave you at your hotel, or any other location of your choice.