Sightseeing in Aveiro - what to see. Complete travel guide

“The Venice of Portugal” – this is an unofficial name of the ancient city of Aveiro. The city is situated in a truly spectacular place – it is surrounded by salt mines, picturesque lagoons, and gorgeous beaches. Even the entrance to the city is unusual. Tourists need to take a boat ride in the main canal to get to the central part of Aveiro. The canal almost completely crosses the city. From dawn to dusk, the moliceiros, local boats with colorful patterns, swim in the canal.

The history of Aveiro dates back to the Roman Empire times. According to historical records, the city was founded later, in 959. This period marks the start of the region’s development. Aveiro had a fortunate fate. Thanks to the salt vaporizing method, local people started extracting salt from the seawater. During this period, Aveiro was a prosperous and quickly developing port city.

Aveiro’s population was actively involved in fishing. The sea was generous to fishermen, so they could sell their catch and provide food for their families. However, the area started suffering from strong storms later. Storms became so frequent that they caused much damage to local people. A giant sand dune suddenly appeared in the coastal waters. It formed a lagoon and closed the direct access to the sea. The lagoon had a poor underwater world and was not suitable for fishing. This is the reason why fishery became extinct in the region. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Closer to the middle of the 19th century, the city could become successful again. Local authorities gave an order to make a canal that could connect the lagoon and the sea. Numerous beaches at the seaside became an ideal spot for numerous foreign tourists who started arriving in Aveiro to sunbathe.

It is important to respect local rules and traditions during a vacation in Aveiro. A failure to do this will upset or even enrage local people. For example, it is not common to yawn and stretch openly in this city – such actions are considered unacceptable. When talking to a Portuguese person, never discuss such themes as problems with family members or children. Never try to criticize the city and the country in general. Every resident of Aveiro respects their history and traditions. Finally, if you don’t want to insult indigenous people, you should never compare the Portuguese and Spanish. Of course, there are certain similarities between these two nations, but such remarks deeply offend the Portuguese.

Cais dos Botiroes is the most picturesque place in Aveiro. This waterfront starts at the crossing of two canals, namely, Canal dos Botirões and Canal de São Roque. There is a beautiful bridge that was built in 2006. The bridge has an unusual construction – this is a circle with a diameter of 26 meters. The width of the construction is two meters. Surprisingly, this creative bridge is made of wood. Walk on the bridge to get to the other side and enjoy enchanting views.

When taking a stroll along Cais dos Botiroes, it is impossible to fail to notice beautiful buildings that rise proudly along the canal. All these buildings are not tall and have two or three floors. However, bright colors make these buildings truly unique. There are no buildings painted in one color. Walls have bright yellow shades, window frames are blue, and roofs are red. Together with bright red umbrellas at summer terraces, the waterfront is a fantastic kaleidoscope of colors that raises the mood.

Do you like nature? If the answer is yes, don’t forget to visit a beautiful nature reserve - Reserva Natural das Dunas de São Jacinto. This area is famous for local beaches, beautiful dunes, and forests with various species of pines and acacias. Besides that, you will be able to see local reservoirs with fresh water. If you visit the reserve at the right time of the year, you can see migratory birds that come to this area for winter. Reserva Natural das Dunas de São Jacinto is an excellent home for them. To help migratory birds, it was decided to make these reservoirs.

In 1937, the Maritime Museum opened in the city of fishermen. The exhibition of this venue is dedicated to local fishermen and life in the region in the past. In this establishment, visitors can see the exhibition dedicated to different ways of fishing. There is a real fishing boat on the first floor. Visitors are welcome to explore the boat and try to imagine what it feels like to be a Portuguese fisherman.

Tourists can reach Aveiro by train from Lisbon. There is a regular train that will take you to the resort in just two hours. Besides this variant, tourists can choose to take a bus ride from Lisbon. The time in transit will be somewhat longer in this case – 3 hours. However, the ride will not be boring as it is interesting to look at gorgeous Portuguese nature.