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. The city of Aveiro has a population of approximately 57,000 inhabitants. Part of the city is full of canals, bridges, and painted boats called moliceiros, similar to the gondolas of Venice. For this reason, the city is sometimes called the "Portuguese Venice", although the comparison is a bit exaggerated. The city is home to one of Portugal's most important universities. However, the real charm of Aveiro lies in its coast, with its fantastic sandy beaches. Ihavo, another city near Aveiro also has some beautiful beaches, like Barra and Costa Nova.
Aveiro has humid yet 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.
PLACE TO VISIT
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
WHAT TO DO
Surf at Costa Nova Beach
Windsurf on the river.
Moliceiro tours - leaving from the central canal.
SHOPPING
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.
HOW TO REACH
By car - The city is connected to Autoroute 1 (A1) which is the main road of the country.
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, Lisbon.
By bus - There are coaches that connect Aveiro to a lot of Portuguese cities and also cities in Spain.
