Today we visit Aveiro.
Aveiro
Aveiro
Aveiro train sation
Aveiro is a typical day trip from Porto and the most comfortable way is by train. The timetable is very long, from 7am to 10pm.
We take the 8.40 train from Sao Bento Station to Aveiro. In summer there is a train almost every half hour. You can buy tickets at the station itself. We leave on time.
Aveiro
The road is interesting, sometimes with sea views and dreamy cottages.
The old Aveiro train station is beautiful. Although it is under construction and we can't see the inside, the façade is spectacular.
Aveiro train station
Aveiro is also known as the Portuguese Venice thanks to its canals and its boats known as moliceiros, traditionally used for seaweed harvesting, are now used for tourism.
Canal
Canal
We walk along Avenida Dr. Lourenco Peixihno until we reach the Friendship Ties Bridge where the bike rental kiosk is located. It's free for two hours but you can't leave the city centre.
Series recording
We stopped at a terrace for a drink before taking the bikes and to our surprise they were filming scenes of a Portuguese series of young people in love on the bridge and a robbery. It creates a lot of expectation.
Series recording
We take the bikes and ride through the city. We ride down Cais do Cojo parallel to the Canal do Cojo. The boats are very cool. We arrive at the General Humberto Delgado square, where the most beautiful art nouvoeau buildings in Aveiro are located and which houses the city's Museum of New Art.
Art nouvoeau buildings
Aveiro
Next to it is the tourist office, also in a very interesting building.
Capela de Sao Gonçalinho
Aveiro
We cycle through the interior of the old town visiting the Capela de Sao Gonçalinho, the Church of Nossa Senhora da Apresentaçao and the Peixe Market. The latter is still bustling with activity. We love walking around the markets. The building is really cool.
Peixe Market
Peixe Market
Peixe Market
We return the bikes and take the bus to Costa Nova. We took it in front of the tourist office, on the other side of the Canal, on Rua Clube dos Galitos.
Aveiro
The bus to Costa Nova, takes about an hour depending on traffic and leaves every hour. You can only pay in cash and coins.
Moliceiro
Costa Nova is a picture postcard village with its houses painted white with coloured stripes. They were originally red and are known as palheiros, old houses where the fishermen kept their gear. They were originally one-storey houses but over time they were converted into summer houses. The promenade where the main ones are located is beautiful.
Costa Nova
Costa Nova
Costa Nova
We ate at the Costa Nova seafood restaurant, spectacular. We recommend it for quality, quantity and good price. A delicious grilled cod with potatoes and olives and sardines with potatoes and salad, washed down with a good Portuguese green wine.
Sardines
Cod
After lunch we go to the beach for a while. To get to the beach of Costa Nova you have to cross a park of dunes through wooden walkways. The beach is huge and joins the beach of Barra, what waves!
We walk along the shore, there are people fishing and sunbathing, it is quite windy.
Beach
Dunes
We return by visiting the fishermen's quarter of Costa Nova.
We sit on a terrace of the Gelataria Rimini, an ice cream and an iced coffee. Delicious.
Costa Nova
We take the bus back to Aveiro, we still have some things to see. We stop at the salt mines. It is worth seeing how they are still exploited by hand with wooden rakes and carrying the heavy sacks on their shoulders. The reflection of the sun on the water makes the salt pans a beautiful place. The salt collected here was taken to Newfoundland to preserve the cod, which was then returned to Portugal. They also sell salt retail.
Salt mines
Salt miners
Salt mines
We continue through the Remadores Olímpicos Park to visit the Carcavelos bridge. A group of kids practising kayaking.
Salt mines
Dos Carcavelos bridge
Finally we visited the Misericordia Church and the Cathedral of Sao Domingo which has a religious art museum, we only entered the Cathedral.
Sao Domingo Cathedral
Aveiro
On our way back to the train station, our attention is drawn to an old brick factory which now houses the Averio Congress Centre, a very beautiful building.
Aveiro Congress Center
As soon as we arrive at the station our train departs, we arrive at Porto to watch the sunset.
First we stop at the beautiful Cathedral.
Oporto Cathedral
Views from the Cathedral
This time we went up to the top of the Dom Luis I bridge, just ten minutes away from Sao Bento Station. What a beauty.
Oporto Cathedral
Pelourinho
The upper part is pedestrian and tramway, the light is spectacular and the views are marvellous. We walk across the bridge to the end and return to the flat.
Dom Luis I bridge
Oporto
A spectacular end to a wonderful day.
We buy in Pingo Doce some things we were missing and they inform us that due to Covid's restrictions alcohol cannot be bought after 8 pm.
Accommodation: Sky Guest House Aliados flat 99,33€ three nights for two people (including tourist tax of 2€/pax).
Train tickets from Porto to Aveiro: €7.1/pax return.
Brewery Tico Tico: a soft drink and a beer 2,80€.
Free bike rental.
Bus ticket from Aveiro to Costa Nova: 2,45€/pax.
Gelateria Rimini: 1 scoop of ice cream and 1 coffee with ice cream €4,30.
Restaurant Marisqueira da Costa Nova: grilled cod, sardines and vinho verde half bottle 31,50€ two pax.
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