Top Choice Museum in Aveiro
Aliança Underground Museum
Between Aveiro and Coimbra, in the village of Sangalhos in the Bairrada wine-producing region, this magnificent place is part adega (winery), part art museum. Guided tours take you beneath the winery to a vast 1.5km…
Top Choice Beach in Aveiro
Praia de São Jacinto
Sandwiched between crashing Atlantic breakers and endless sand dunes, this magnificent beach forms the western flank of the São Jacinto nature reserve. To get here, you'll need to take a bus from Aveiro to Forte da …
Top Choice Concept Store in Aveiro
Cais à Porta
This warehouse concept store down by the canalside is a browser's delight. Carrying a selection of Portuguese brands and artisanal wares, it stocks everything from men's shirts and sunglasses to frocks, bags, costum…
Top Choice Seafood in Aveiro
A Peixaria
It might not be the easiest to get to but there's never a shortage of diners at this no-frills fish restaurant, reckoned by many to be the best in the area. Situated a block back from the waterfront in São Jacinto, …
Top Choice Nature Reserve in Aveiro
Reserva Natural das Dunas de São Jacinto
This gloriously tranquil nature reserve extends north from São Jacinto, between the sea and the placid lagoon west of Aveiro. A network of trails runs through the pine woods and dunes, including an 8km (three-hour) …
Museum in Aveiro
Museu de Aveiro/Santa Joana
This fine museum, housed in the 15th-century Mosteiro de Jesus, owes its finest treasures to Princesa Joana (later canonised), daughter of Afonso V. In 1472, 11 years after the convent was founded, Joana ‘retired’ h…
Museum in Aveiro
Museu Marítimo de Ílhavo
The wonderful Museu Marítimo de Ílhavo is in a modern, award-winning building in the town of Ílhavo, 8km south of Aveiro. It covers the history of Portugal's maritime identity, from cod fishing (with superb fishing …
Seafood in Aveiro
Maré Cheia
Maré cheia means ‘high tide’ in Portuguese, but 'cheia' (full) applies equally to this popular seafood eatery. You'll often have to elbow your way through a crowd of locals just to get your name on the waiting list.…
Portuguese in Aveiro
O Bairro
Classic Portuguese cuisine gets a fusion makeover at this smart, tiled eatery near the fish market. Bag a table in the spacious, light-filled interior and go for innovative dishes such as tiger prawns (camarão) serv…
Cathedral in Aveiro
Catedral de São Domingos
Aveiro's cathedral was formerly part of a Dominican convent and contains a Manueline stone cross of Saint Domingo. The cathedral's sober white interior contrasts with the impressive facade centred on a portal flanke…