Aveiro is a city on the west coast of Portugal set along a lagoon called Ria de Aveiro. The coastal lagoon is rich in bird life and that’s where Aveiro got its name from, the Latin aviarium (place of birds). It’s distinguished by its canals navigated by colorful boats (barcos moliceiros), reminding Venice. The boats were traditionally used to harvest seaweed.
I’ve been to Portugal a few years ago (in Lisbon) and was considering at some point in the future to visit Porto but then a good chance comes up to travel to Aveiro for a business meeting. I’ve heard of Aveiro before but never thought of going there. Travelling to Aveiro from Cyprus was quite exhausting since we had to take 3 flights (Larnaca – Athens, Athens – Barcelona, Barcelona – Porto) and then a train from Porto to Aveiro.
The city
Part of the city is bathed through canals, bridges and painted boats called moliceiros which are very similar to the gondolas of Venice. They also say that Aveiro has some fantastic sandy beaches which I didn’t have the chance to visit. You can walk around Aveiro since it’s a small town and most of the places are near each other (restaurants, bars, shops). Since I visited Aveiro for business purposes I didn’t have enough time to explore Aveiro apart from walking around the canals and the old city.
Hotel
We stayed at the Hotel Moliceiro which is located very centrally and you can reach the hottest spots within a short walking distance. The room was very clean and comfortable. The breakfast buffet was amazing with a large variety of options to choose from. The staff was helpful and friendly. The price was very good by what you eventually get so I would recommend this place to anyone traveling to Aveiro.
The food
Ovos moles is almost sold everywhere and it looks like you are about to eat something sweet so I though to give it a try but I didn’t like it was made from egg york and the taste of egg is very strong. You will find most of the restaurants between the fish market and the old neighborhood.
Places visited for dinner:
- Restaurant Marisqueira Mare Cheia (amazing fresh fish. you are able to select the fish you want to eat).
- O Bairro (amazing small place with excellent dishes)
- O Batel (cozy place, nice Portuguese cuisine)
Photos from my travel to Aveiro
