Things to Do in Aveiro

Aveiro is built on a lagoon system and was once a major medieval port before a sandbar nearly destroyed the city in the 16th century.

The city's iconic moliceiro boats—hand-painted wooden vessels with high, curved prows—were originally designed to harvest seaweed (moliço) from the lagoon.

Aveiro's Art Nouveau architecture, concentrated along Rua de João Mendonça and around the central canal, ranks among the finest examples in Portugal outside Lisbon.

The city is Portugal's largest salt-production hub, with traditional salt ponds (salinas) still operating in the surrounding wetlands.

Costa Nova, a picturesque beach village 10km away, is famous for its striped candy-coloured wooden houses that line the seafront.

Aveiro's sweet eggy pastries, ovos moles, were invented by nuns at a local convent and remain the city's signature delicacy.