If you’re wondering what to see in Aveiro, you’ll find a city that is best explored both on foot and from the water. With its canals, colourful boats and houses with flower-decked façades, Aveiro has earned the affectionate nickname ‘the Portuguese Venice’.
Whether you’re planning a short break or have settled in the area, this guide will help you discover the city’s essential sights without missing the highlights. Aveiro is small enough to explore over a weekend, but has enough to keep you coming back.
We’ve put together a concise and practical guide featuring the highlights of the city and its surroundings. Bring comfortable shoes and a healthy appetite: the ovos-moles are waiting for you.
Take a moliceiro trip on the lagoon
There is no more iconic way to explore Aveiro than aboard a moliceiro, the traditional boat with its high bow and bright colours, once used for harvesting moliço (seaweed).
Nowadays, these boats offer sightseeing tours along the central canals, with commentary on the city’s history. It’s the city’s best calling card and a fun way to understand Aveiro’s connection to the water.
Lose yourself in Art Nouveau architecture
Aveiro is home to one of the finest examples of Art Nouveau architecture in the country. These early 20th-century façades, with their curves, tiles and floral motifs, bear witness to the city’s prosperous past.
It’s well worth visiting the Art Nouveau Museum, housed in an emblematic building, and simply wandering the streets of the centre, looking up for details.
Try the ovos-moles
It is impossible to talk about Aveiro without mentioning ovos-moles, a convent sweet made from egg yolk and sugar, wrapped in a thin wafer shaped like shells and sea creatures. They have Protected Geographical Indication status, which means they can only bear that name if they are made here.
While you’re there, do make sure to try the eels and the famous suckling pig from the Bairrada region, which is right next door.
Soak up the sun at Costa Nova and the lighthouse
Just a few minutes from the centre lies Costa Nova, known for its ‘palheiros’: colourful striped wooden houses, former fishermen’s warehouses that have now been converted into homes and cafés.
It’s the perfect setting for photographs, a walk by the sea and a swim in summer. Nearby, Praia da Barra is home to Portugal’s tallest lighthouse.
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Explore the lagoon’s surroundings
The Ria de Aveiro lagoon stretches across several municipalities, and it’s well worth venturing further afield:
- Torreira and São Jacinto: nature, dunes and the São Jacinto Dunes Nature Reserve.
- Bico and Murtosa: quiet fishing villages, ideal for sampling fresh fish.
- Ílhavo: the Maritime Museum tells the epic story of cod fishing.
If you enjoy Portuguese culture in everyday life, have a look at our article on the Portuguese words that are disappearing: many of them can still be heard around here.
Aveiro has the rare gift of appealing to everyone: those seeking culture, those looking for a beach, and those who simply want to unwind by the water. A weekend is enough to fall in love with the place, but it’s hardly enough to see everything.
Pack your bags, choose a good time of year (spring and early autumn are ideal) and let the canals carry you away. To plan your trip, the official Turismo Centro de Portugal website brings together up-to-date itineraries and suggestions.
Raquel Correia
