Aveiro, Portugal: 10 Things You Must Do!
Just be with us in charming Aveiro, Portugal. While staying there for four days, we created a blog about “Aveiro Portugal: 10 Things You Must Do!” travel guide and our first impressions of Aveiro. In this blog, we want to share with you the top ten best things to do while visiting Aveiro. Just be with us.
1. Take a Boat Ride
The most popular thing to do here in Aveiro is a boat ride. These boats are called “Moliceiro,” and they were traditionally used to transport kelp or seaweed that was used for fertilization. These boat rides run very often, every 15 minutes, and the ride lasts for 45 minutes. It is very affordable, costing only 13 euros per person. It takes you around different canals and makes a few stops around the city. While you’re on this boat ride, there is a tour guide, either in Portuguese or in English, who will tell you more about Aveiro, its history, and all the attractions that you’re passing by.
Another boat tour that you can take is on the orange boat right behind me. It’s called “Mercantel,” and the tour is the same and costs the same. However, it’s just a different type of boat. Mercantel boats were used to transport salt, while Moliceiro boats are more beautiful, painted with different designs. Mercantel boats are simpler and larger. If you don’t want to take any of these boat tours, you can simply walk around the city. It is beautiful, with so many bridges. It’s a great view to stroll around the city, admiring the amazing buildings and bridges.
2. Tuk-Tuk Ride
The second most popular attraction in Aveiro is the tuk-tuk ride. They are very affordable; a half-hour ride on this tuk-tuk right here is only 7 euros and 5 cents. They will take you around the most popular attractions here in Aveiro. This price is per person, and you can also get a combo of a boat ride and tuk-tuk ride for only 15 euros per person.
3. Free Bicycle Rentals
Can you believe there are actually free bicycles here in Aveiro? All you need to do is come to the bicycle station, which is located right next to Forum Mall. You provide your passport information, and you can ride them for two hours and bring them back. This bicycle station is open from 9 AM to 5:45 PM, and in two hours, you can explore the entire city or reach the farthest points. If you don’t want to walk to the salt pans, you can take the bicycle or ride to the train station. The return process is pretty simple: you come in, dock your bike, walk into the office, and pick up the form that you filled out when you initially came. This form does have your passport information. They give you back this form, and you’re on your way.
4. Visit the Old Train Station
If you don’t come to Aveiro by train, be sure to make time to visit the old train station; it is absolutely beautiful. It has recently been restored, and the new train station is right next to it. If you enjoy strolling through parks, Aveiro has you covered as well. Just a quick 15-minute walk from the city center, you can find Infante Dom Pedro Park, also known as Parque da Macaca or the Monkey Park. The reason why they call it the Monkey Park is that years ago, there was a wild monkey living in this park. The monkey is not here anymore, but the park is really beautiful. There are ponds, a beautiful tree walk with columns, and plenty of shade. You can bring some food for your picnic or just enjoy walking around.
5. Marina Salt Museum
Just a quick 18-minute walk from the city center, or a quick free bike ride away, you can come to the Marina Salt Museum. Yes, I know it just looks like a field with water, but this is actually considered a museum. As I mentioned before, Aveiro is really big on salt mining, and this is just a portion of their salt pans. It looks like dirty, crusty water. If we just get closer and grab some of this crystallized salt, it’s really cool how it forms. Throughout this museum, you will find posters and boards where you can read in English more about the salt production here. It is amazing how salt forms into these perfect cubes and crystals.
6. Try Ovos Moles
This store is called “Pataniscas,” and this is the oldest “Ovos Moles” store. The direct translation of “Ovos Moles de Aveiro” is “soft eggs of Aveiro,” and they were invented here in the Monastery of Jesus, where nuns used to use egg whites to press their clothes. They had a lot of leftover egg yolks, so they decided to make desserts out of just egg yolks. They would beat egg yolks with sugar and bake them. In the 19th century, Portugal started closing all their church and religious institutions, and this dessert began to be passed to different bakeries. The first bakeries in Aveiro started producing “Ovos Moles” for the general public. Originally, it was made here in Aveiro, which is why “Ovos Moles” is known to be from Aveiro.
Now that you know the first bakery that started selling “Ovos Moles,” you can actually come to a workshop and learn how it’s made. It takes three days to make “Ovos Moles,” and you can participate in the second day of making them, which consists of filling the custard inside the waffle molds. It is done here in “A Fábrica do Doce.” You do have to make an appointment, especially if you need an English guide. They offer three languages: Portuguese, English, and French. It is a must to make a reservation, and it is very affordable, costing only 3 euros and 9 cents per person. The workshop takes about 30 to 45 minutes, during which you will learn more about the history of “Ovos Moles,” the entire process of making them, and also participate in making them and trying “Ovos Moles” as well.
7. Visit Costa Nova and Barra Beaches
Aveiro is located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, and one of the things to do here during summer is to come to the beaches of Costa Nova and Barra. These two beaches are located right next to each other. You can walk from one beach to the other. There is a lighthouse at the end of Barra Beach. The sand is really fine and powdery, and it is very soft and super wide. There is no shade on the beach; most people bring their own umbrellas, but there is also a small area where you can find umbrellas for rent. There is a really nice boardwalk that stretches alongside the entire beach—actually, two beaches—which is what we’re walking on right now. The sand is to our left, and the beach is to our left while the sandbanks are to our right, so it’s really nice.
8. Explore Colorful Buildings
These picturesque, colorful buildings behind me are another reason to come to Costa Nova at any time of the year. They used to be fishermen’s homes back in the day. As I mentioned before, Aveiro originated as a fishing village, where fishermen would come to sleep over while fishing. To identify their homes, they would paint them with colorful striped designs: white and blue, white and red, yellow, and many other colors. Here’s a tip for you: if you would like to take nice colorful photos, be sure to come to Costa Nova before 2 PM. The way the sun sets, it comes from the lagoon. All these houses are facing the lagoon, so the sun shines from the lagoon towards the Atlantic Ocean. After 2 PM, as you can see right now, these buildings cast shadows, so the colors are not as bright and vibrant. However, if you come here later, you can watch the sunset over the Atlantic Ocean, which is really beautiful.
9. Seafood Restaurants
Costa Nova is renowned for its seafood restaurants serving the fresh catch of the day. It is a must to come for lunch or dinner. We made it to “Cantinho da Praia,” which had really good reviews. We came in and were seated just ten minutes before the official closing. They closed at 3 PM and then reopened at either 7 or 7:30 PM for dinner. They specialize, of course, in fresh seafood. Our waiter told us our options for the fresh catch of the day. We chose sea bass, and the way it works is that it goes by weight. He brought us the entire fish to show us what it looks like and what the size is, and it costs 65 euros per kilo.
Our fish came; we ordered it grilled. You can have several options: deep-fried, grilled, or fried, and they will prepare it to your liking. Our server brought the fish to us. We ordered it grilled, and he’s removing all the bones, so he’s basically filleting it for us. Our fish came with two side options, so we decided to order vegetables and potatoes. Here’s a tip for you: whenever you’re in Aveiro and ordering fish, make sure you ask for garlic butter if it doesn’t come with it. We know a lot of places just automatically bring it to you, but if they don’t, ask for garlic butter because it complements the fish amazingly. The potatoes? Oh, this is like liquid gold the way they make it.
10. Final Thoughts
To die for! The moment you put the fish in your mouth, before you even really bite into it, you can taste the freshness. Wow, incredible! This place is definitely JBO approved, and we will leave the link down in the description. So when you come here, you need to visit. Our total was 45 euros; the fish with two sides was 39 euros, plus the drinks: two beers and a bottle of water. This restaurant is just like all the other fishermen’s buildings here in Costa Nova; it is painted with blue and white stripes. It is really adorable, and inside the restaurant, it is really small and very cozy, decorated with blue and white paintings.
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See you in the next blog!
Bye
