Aveiro

Aveiro is a city in Portugal.

Understand

Aveiro is situated 68 km to the south of Porto and 58 km north of Coimbra, straddling the "ria" Aveiro and the river Vouga a few kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean, where you can easily reach by car (5 minutes) or by bus (every hour).

The city of Aveiro has a population of approximately 57,000 inhabitants, where 14,000 are students at University of Aveiro, one of the most important Portuguiese Universities

Part of the city is bathed through canals, bridges, and painted boats called moliceiros, similar to the gondolas of Venice. For this reason, the city is called the "Portuguese Venice", although the comparison is a bit exaggerated.

The real charm of Aveiro lies in its coast, with its fantastic sandy beaches has São Jacinto, Barra and Costa Nova. This local coast is well knwon as Silver Coast, due to the beautifull and clean beaches.

Aveiro has humid wet temperate climate, coolish in the summer and not so cold in winter. November, December, and January make up the rainy season, while July and August are the driest months. Autumn and Winter tend to have strong coastal winds, excellent for kyte or wind-sruf, as well as sailboat amazing consitions.

Getting there

By car

The city is connected to highway number 1 (A1) which is the main road of the country.

You can easily reach to Aveiro through A17 highway, which is linked to A8 highway from Lisbon and A25 highway, that comes from Spain through Salamanca.

By train

A newly inaugurated central train station is positioned near the center of the city, with regional and fast trains to most chief cities, such as Porto, Coimbra or Lisbon. You can walk through Avenida Lourenço Peixinho for 10 minutes and you are on the main central spot o Aveiro - Rotunda das Pontes.

By bus

There are coaches that connect Aveiro to a lot of Portuguese cities and also cities in Spain.

Traveling around

On foot

Aveiro is easily navigable on foot. The local bus terminal can be found about 15 minutes walk from the canal zone.

By bicycle

A very convenient way to see Aveiro is to use the BUGA (Free-use Bicycles of Aveiro) service. There are 2 BUGA shops (lojas) spread about the city. If there are bicycles available, you simply have to give to the BUGA shop employee your ID and you'll have a bike to take a free ride.

Bikes can be used within a certain BUGA area of the city, delimited by signs. When you are finished with the bike, just return it to the shop (loja) and take your ID back. You have until 7 pm to return your bike to the BUGA shop you took it from, nice, free and easy!!!

By bus

• The Aveiro City Tour bus loops past the principal tourist zones and monuments of the city.

See

• Aveiro Cathedral

• Convento de Jesús

• Aveiro Museum

• Igreja de la Misericordia

• Cámara Municipal

• Capitania

• Santo Antonio Park

• Dom Pedro Children's Park

• Sao Gonçalinho Chapel

• Museum of the Republic

• Carmelite Church

• Fish Market

• Fisherman's Wharf (Bairro de Pescadores) at the seaside

Things to do

• Surf at Costa Nova and Barra Beach - You can rent a suite and a bord on local surf shops.

• Windsurf and Kytesurf on the river and on the sea - You can rent this material on local windsurf shops.

• Moliceiro tours - leaving from the central canal.

• Sailing at Costa Nova Beach - There's a local Sailing club - CVCN - where you an find sailing lessons.

• Kayak at Ria de Aveiro or Rio Vouga - It is quite easy to find local guides that takes you for a different afternoon experience.

• Walking tours - There is a local walking tour shop that has 3 way-outs every day.

• Take some sun at Costa Nova and Barra Beach

Eat

• Ovos moles - A traditional product made from egg yolk. Sold at most of the local bakeries.

The area with the most restaurants sits between the Old Neighborhood (Bairro Antigo) and the fish market plaza (Mercado do Peixe). There are also some decent restaurants and seafood shops at Barra and Costa Nova beaches.

Budget

• Café Ramona, Rua Eça de Queirós, 12. Frequented by students and youths, this place offers perhaps the best hamburgers in town. Try the hamburguesa Ramona - meal for 4€

• Pizzarte, Rua Eng.º Von Haffe, 27. Pizza shop decorated with chess pieces. Popular with the young set. Have a glass of champanhada with your pizza - meal for 7€

• Cervejaria O Augusto, Largo do Rossio, In the main central area of Aveiro you can find an amazing steack or just some day dishes for 5€.

• Ferro, Rua Tenente Resende 30. Very close to the fish market, this place serves meat and fish dishes at affordable prices.

• Barrigas, Rua Eng. Von Haff, 36-C. Popular restaurant where the special is "francesinhas", a dish more typical of Oporto. It is a type of ham, meat and cheese sandwich covered in melted cheese and a spicy sauce. Flame-roasted meats are also on offer, and you might catch some live Brazilian music.

• Galetos Dourados, Rua Eng.º Von Haff, 7. Brazilian-style chicken restaurant.

• Cafe Zig-Zag, Avenida Dr. Lourenço Peixinho Good cafe for a quick lunch. Standard menu with daily specials.

Mid-range

• La Mamaroma, Cais do Alboi 21. Italian restaurant with a wood-fired oven. One of the house specialties is a stone-cooked fillet-- an enormous beef fillet cooked slowly on a hot stone.

• Restaurante a Barca, Largo Jose Rabumba, 5. Specializing in fish.

• Travessa do Peixinho, Rua Eng. von Haff, 34. Seafood.

• Porterhouse, Rua João Afonso 13/15. Tucked away but worth looking for (ask at a hotel, they know where it is). The BBQ ribs are amazing and unlike anything else you'll find in town.

• La Piazza, R Conselheiro Luís Magalhães 46-A. Another hidden gem. Top-notch casual Italian food just off the main avenue.

Splurge

• Restaurante Mercado do Peixe, Praça do Peixe (the fish market plaza). Situated in the upper part of the fish market, this place specializes in fish.

• Adamastor, Travessa Lavadouros, 1. Fish and seafood in the fish market.

Drink

The most famous area for night bars is Praça do Peixe (fish plaza).Here you will find a good variety of bars typically open til 3AM in winter, and 4AM in summer. Note that all the bars in Praça do Peixe have free entrance. Clubs are best on Friday and Saturday nights from 1AM to 5AM. Women usually pay no admission fees, but for men it is usually around €5. Drinks are fairly cheap, around 4 or €5. Try a caipirinha with strawberries (morangos).

• Botirão, Canal de São Roque (near Praça do Peixe). Great sangria and bossa nova in a clean and beautiful traditional style bar. Sangria costs €7 and has a very mild taste, but don't be fooled-- it packs a punch.

• Clube 8, Canal do Paraiso, . The only club in the city center, open til 8AM.

• Clandestino, Praça do Peixe, . Alternative music.

• Estaçao da Luz, . Somewhat outside of town, this is the dance club preferred by the locals. House with some mainstream pop as well. One of the smaller dancefloors/bars features salsa music. It is somewhat selective, so it is possible that tourists are sometimes denied entry.

• Mercado Negro, Praça do Peixe. An alternative space with a bar, good music, and modern design in an old art nouveau building.

• Quest, . This club is on the outskirts of Aveiro, in a small city called Oia (also an industrial area). This club has four floors and 5 bars. One bar is outside, there is a nice terrace with patio furniture. The dance floor has lights, a large TV screen, and features mostly house music.

Sleep

Budget

• Aveiro Rossio Hostel, +351 234 041 538, +351 234 041 538, Largo do Rossio - Rua de Joao Afonso de Aveiro, No 1, The first and only hostel in the city opened in 2009. It is run by a local Portuguese couple who are extremely accommodating and helpful. The Hostel has everything you need and is very modern with a kitchen, terrace area, cable TV, free Internet and Wi-fi. Private rooms are available.

Mid-range

• Pousada de Torreira / Murtosa - Ria de Aveiro, Nature Hotel , +351-234 860 180, +351-234 860 180, Bico do Muranzel 3870-301 Torreira, Located in the isthmus that connects Murtosa to the beaches of São Jacinto, the Pousada de Murtosa Torreira, Ria de Aveiro is set in a preserved area with a unique natural beauty. Surrounded by water, this is the ideal spot for fishing, water sports or going to the beautiful beaches which are near the Costa Nova's typical colourful houses.

• Hotel Afonso V, Rua Dr. Manuel das Neves 65. Situated 10 minutes on foot from the town center, this hotel has a good quality-to-price ration. The hotel has two annexes, one of which is a little older with cheaper and more simple accommodations.

• Hotel Mercure Aveiro*** , (+351)234 40 44 00 , (+351)234 40 44 00 , Rua Luís Gomes de Carvalho 23

• Hotel Imperial, Rua Dr Nascimento Leitao. Downtown.

• Residencial Azevedo, at Costa Nova Beach, .

• Hotel Barra, Avenida Fernandes Lavrador, 18 (at Barra Beach), (+351) 234 369 156.

• Pension José das Hortas, Avenida Jose Estevão (at Costa Nova Beach), (+351) 96 600 25 78. Shared baths. Doubles 45€.

Splurge

• Hotel Moliceiro , +351 234377400, Rua Barbosa de Magalhães - Nº 15/17 Directly in front of the Praça do Peixe (fish market) a few doors down from the tourism office., An excellent hotel in central Aveiro. Convenient to everything, helpful staff, beautiful building recently expanded and renovated.Its a great pleasure to have the opportunity of presenting the Moliceiro Hotel, the most recent unit of the City of Aveiro.Each one of our customers is Unique, deserves a personalized treatment, adjusted to their needs and pleasure.The Moliceiro cultivates this philosophy supported by the efforts a wonderful Staff, committed to go beyond your expectations on each visit. Charming, romantic and familiar, radiates an atmosphere of rare comfort in each one of its rooms. Carefully decorated, offers a view over the Ria, the interior garden or for the idyllic “Art Noveau” Fish Square.Rely on our attention to the minimal details to enjoy an unforgettable stay. Looking forward to your soonest visit.

• Hotel as Americas, Rua Eng. Von Haff 20. Close to the train station and 15 minutes from the city center.

• Hotel Melia Ria, Cais da Fonte Nova. Newly-constructed four-star hotel situated at a 10 minutes' walk from the center. Spa, good breakfast.

Buy

• Forum Aveiro,(shopping mall) the central market, is situated downtown near the canals. Shops are open daily until 11PM.

• Rua dos Combatientes da Guerra and Avenida Dr. Lourenço Peixinho are the main shopping streets in town.

• Salt from the nearby salt flats.

• Vista Alegre - Famous and somewhat pricey local ceramics. You can also visit the Vista Alegre factory in the neighboring municipality of Ilhavo, 10 km away.

Get out

• Coimbra

• Figueira da Foz

• Oporto

• Viseu

• Bucaco