Holiday in Aveiro

What makes Aveiro special as a destination?

Aveiro, affectionately called the 'Venice of Portugal', impresses with its colorful Moliceiro boats that glide leisurely through the city's canals. The former seaweed collection boats are now adorned with humorous and often risqué paintings and take visitors on a 45-minute boat ride through the main waterways. The Art Nouveau architecture along the canals — with colorful tiles and curved facades — gives Aveiro a unique character. The Museu de Arte Nova documents the remarkable Art Nouveau tradition of the city. However, Aveiro's greatest treasure lies at its gates: The Ria de Aveiro, a 45-kilometer-long lagoon, stretches between the sea and the mainland and offers a unique ecosystem of salt marshes, tidal channels, and fishing villages. The salt pans of Aveiro have been producing the finest sea salt for centuries, which is prized in gourmet cuisine as Flor de Sal. Costa Nova, just a few kilometers away, is famous for its brightly striped wooden houses (Palheiros) that line the beach — one of the most photographed motifs in Portugal. Culinary-wise, Aveiro is famous for Ovos Moles: a traditional sweet made from egg yolks and sugar in edible wafer shells, crafted into imaginative shapes (shells, barrels, fish). The university brings student life to the city, and its central location between Porto and Coimbra makes Aveiro an ideal stopover.