One day in Aveiro!

We have arrived in Aveiro, an adorable little fishing town about 40 minutes south of Porto which is the perfect overnight stop over on our way to Lisbon as it has been described as overwhelmingly charming and picturesque. It has been known as the ‘Venice’ or Portugal due to its scenic waterways, where colourful gondola-style boats pass through.
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We got the train from Porto this morning at 11am costing $8NZD pp for the 1hour 10 min journey South, and we recommend booking a day in advance as the train was fully booked and lots of people were standing the whole journey. 

We arrived just after 12pm and walked to our accommodation in the heart of the town next to the Aveiro Museum – the Aveiro Arts house. Now, this has to be one of the most unique accomo’s we have ever stayed. It’s the former home of Vasco Branco, a beloved and well-respected artist from Aveiro and his work has won awards worldwide including film awards in NZ – a truly wonderful place. 

​From there like every day, it was grabbing a picnic and wandering through town. Simply wandering through the quaint and colourful streets of Aveiro was probably, in our eyes the best thing to do in the town, especially if on a budget! You can take a trip on the colourful canal boats, otherwise known as “moliceiros”, where you can get that ‘Venice’ gondola experience, but on a much smaller scale. These cost $20NZD for a 45-minute ride but we opted against as it looked underwhelming and we prefer to walk. In fact, if you are a quick walker you can literally walk next to the boat and get the guides speech for free! Each building is uniquely different from the next, and you can admire a wide range of tile-work and colour combinations through each tiny street.

​Back to walking the town, Portugal is known for its tall and narrow buildings, and beautiful tilework, and Aveiro definitely holds true to that look. There are tons of beautiful cafes and bars located throughout the town and I would highly recommend grabbing the traditional ‘Ovos Moles de Aveiro’ which is a local delicacy from Aveiro District, made of egg yolks and sugar. It sounds so gross BUT I tried it, didn’t like it, tried it again and it grew on me so within about 45 seconds I demolished a full cake. The mixture is often put inside of small rice paper casings lie shells and all sorts of other wee things which made it ‘fun dessert’. You can pick these up for about 30c in any of the bakeries so add it to your must do!

​We finished the day by watching the sunset over the river and it was truly beautiful. We would really recommend this as a quick stop over in Portugal as even for a few hours it is a great place to explore and soak up some Portuguese traditions at their finest.