Some people prioritize food when they travel, others focus on the local music scene. But for a certain group of visitors, there is nothing more absorbing than settling down in front of a striking scene and putting pen or paintbrush to paper.
15.01.2025 - 18:21 / lonelyplanet.com
Jan 15, 2025 • 10 min read
Elegant, energetic and just a jump from dune-ribboned beaches and bird-sheltering salt pans, Aveiro is perhaps Portugal’s least “Portuguese” city break – and not in a bad way.
Abundant art nouveau delivers an alternative backdrop. Gondola-esque vessels supersede vintage trams. And ovos moles, the local nun-devised eggy sweet treat, push pastéis de nata (custard tarts) out of the picture. All of this makes it an endearing change of scene between Lisbon and Porto.
That’s not to say Aveiro eschews the country’s classics. There’s enough baroque gilding, seafaring stories, hand-painted porcelain and provincial wines (or a seaweed-infused beer?) to keep this university city undeniably Portuguese. Here’s how to experience the best of Aveiro, from canal to coast.
Aveiro’s canal-crawling, high-prowed moliceiro boats might have earned the city a cliché comparison with Venice. But while these multicolored, gondola-like crafts now ferry groups, they were locally designed in the 19th century to gather moliço (aquatic fertilizing plants) from the Ria de Aveiro, the hulking lagoon caressing the city.
Sporting four painted panels depicting anything from religious symbols to questionable humor – the decor brightened the boats for the workers who often slept aboard – there were once thousands of these vessels scattered across the lagoon, a far cry from their 2025 nomination to UNESCO’s urgent cultural safeguarding list.
So, while some would argue that gliding along the canals under ribbon-dangling bridges by moliceiro has become a little touristy, I’d say who cares. It’s a fun and picturesque introduction that helps keep the time-honored boat-building industry alive. Most leave Canal Central on 45-minute trips along the four main urban channels – for a more typical lagoon experience, depart from Murtosa with Terra d'água.
Detour: To glimpse a moliceiro master and be part of their preservation, make an appointment with José Rito at the Monte Branco Shipyard, one of only five workshops still operating.
Salt has shaped Aveiro’s story since Roman times. From conserving Newfoundland’s bacalhau (cod) odysseys in the 16th century to a booming colonial trade with Brazil, the city’s salinas have worked overtime. Today’s task? Take your pick. For a curtain-raiser, creep atop the ridges of the open-air Ecomuseu Marinha da Troncalhada, watching the marnotos (salt workers) and learning about the ancestral methods on panels.
Then, choose how to get stuck in. Fancy a float? Or a full-body salt scrub or mud spa? Cale Do Oiro and Marinha da Noeirinha (complete with a sandy “beach bar”) offer seasonal bathing and wellness experiences alongside more in-depth tours. If you’re all in on the white gold, book a stay in a
Some people prioritize food when they travel, others focus on the local music scene. But for a certain group of visitors, there is nothing more absorbing than settling down in front of a striking scene and putting pen or paintbrush to paper.
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