The eternal "Portuguese Venice", the light-bathed city of Aveiro was elected by The Guardian readers as "the most romantic city in Europe". Embraced by the Aveiro Lagoon - Ria de Aveiro - Aveiro can be discovered by boat, on foot or by bike, riding one of the several free bikes of the city, the BUGA. Aveiro bursts with colour and joie de vivre!
Award-winning Nobel prize writer Saramago brilliantly described Ria de Aveiro as "a living body that connects the land to the sea like a huge heart." In fact, Aveiro Lagoon is the central element of the city's identity. It defines the pace of the city, filling it with all the colours of the typical "moliceiros", boats that were used in the past to transport sea weed to fertilise the agricultural lands. Nowadays, these boats are a true tourism icon of Aveiro, transporting the city visitors on unforgettable trips.
Just like Paris or Amsterdam, visiting Aveiro can be healthy, sustainable and affordable, in addition to being fun. All you need is a BUGA, a free use bike of Aveiro, made available by the city hall. This way you can enjoy the area’s flat topography, recreating an ancient tradition of the inhabitants of the city, who used to go to the factories or to the fields by bike!
When in Aveiro, it is mandatory to taste the one-and-only "ovos-moles", a sweet that was created by the nuns of the ancient convents of Aveiro. In addition to its deliciously sweet taste, it is the shape of ovos-moles that makes them a truly peculiar pastry. Confectioners were inspired by their closeness to the lagoon and sea elements to transform, with their magic fingers, thin layers of host into shells, whelks, fish or clams and fill them with this golden voluptuous dough. Visitors can buy them on the city's patisseries. It is a sin not to taste them !
Our suggestions for your Easter holidays in Center of Portugal: