IS AVEIRO, PORTUGAL WORTH VISITING?
That’s something that I admit I also wondered myself. But then we found a house sitting gig for a week watching the most adorable cat, said what the hey, applied, and got it.
So Aveiro it was!



I admit that while Aveiro was an adorable city, it wasn’t exactly my favorite. Ultimately, I don’t think it’s worth it to go out of your way to visit, but if it’s on your way or you’re looking for a cool day trip from Porto, then why not?
If you do decide to check it out, here’s a one day itinerary for a day trip to Aveiro!
DAY TRIP TO AVEIRO ITINERARY
M BAKERY FOR BRUNCH


M bakery is an Instagrammer’s paradise – every detail is so well thought out! The food is beautifully presented and delicious. Pro tip: if you’re there for breakfast, get the M Bakery eggs. We were originally just going to go with regular ol’ Eggs Benny, but our waiter convinced us to try this version because they fry the poached eggs. I’m not normally a huge fan of fried foods, but this was amazing!




I’d also highly recommend getting a croissant from their bakery (or anything from their bakery, really…). My friend and I tried the Kinder Bueno and the Pistachio versions, and both pastries were swirled in chocolate and filled with a cream of the namesake. Do it do it do it!
They also have really good looking drinks and cocktails, which sadly, we didn’t get to try, but I saw them on other people’s tables and they looked amazing.
WALK AROUND DOWNTOWN


From M Bakery, you can easily walk downtown in about 5 minutes. The downtown area of Aveiro is really pretty, complete with cobblestone streets, buildings covered in azulejos (blue tiles) and other colorful tiles, cute little shops (several of which were focused on sustainability, which we were happy to see!), and hipster coffee shops.
ORDER A GALÃO & SNACK DOWNTOWN

If that much milk isn’t for you, you can also try getting a ‘Meia de Leite‘, which is similar to a cappucino (but without the foam), and consists of half milk, half coffee.
TRY ‘OVOS MOLES’


My friend and I both couldn’t get past the (overpowering?) eggy flavor, and we sampled them from different bakeries. While I recommend that you try it for yourself as it’s one of the things Aveiro is most known for, we just couldn’t get into it. But who knows, maybe you’ll love it! I’m sure some people must and that’s why they continue to sell?
You can find the seashell-shaped wafers filled with an egg custard at most bakeries in Aveiro, but the two universal favorites seem to be Casa Peixinho and Maria da Apresentação Da Cruz Herdeiros.
TAKE A GONDOLA RIDE

This is the reason Aveiro is nicknamed ‘The Venice of Portugal’ and while I haven’t been to Venice, I would argue that the name is quite generous. I don’t really think Aveiro looks anything like Venice (from what I’ve seen in photos), and kinda think someone just wanted something to call it? I don’t know, it’s a little confusing, but…Here we are!
CHECK OUT COSTA NOVA

The beach itself wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, but if you like beaches you’ll be quite happy here. We also happened to be there during low tide and found a bunch of shells, so that was pretty cool!


We couldn’t find any good public transportation, so we just took a Bolt from our house sit. Bolt is similar to Uber, but one or the other is cheaper so you may want to check both.
GRAB DINNER DOWNTOWN
There are so many great spots to grab dinner in Aveiro! I’m vegetarian, so unfortunately, I can’t recommend a seafood restaurant. However, we went to this cozy italian spot called ‘Yeah Aveiro!‘ that was awesome! It’s a super cozy spot with a hodgepodge of tables surrounded by comfy chairs and couches. It’s quite popular, so you may need to wait for a table!
ORDER ‘TRIPA DE AVEIRO’ FOR DESSERT

We got ours from a street cart in front of a restaurant below our hostel, Ponto de Abrigo, and it was delicious. It looks like Tripas da Praça serves them, too. Definitely one of the best sweets to try when visiting Aveiro!
WHERE TO STAY IN AVEIRO

GETTING TO AVEIRO

Use the ‘Comboios de Portugal’ site to book them, and the further in advance you do, the cheaper they’ll be!
GETTING AROUND AVEIRO
Aveiro is pretty small, so we found it quite feasible to walk everywhere. However, you can also rent a bike if you wish to go beyond the city limits, which we looked into doing while we were there.
‘Loja Buga‘ offers free bike rentals for 2 hours (however, if I remember correctly, it was closed while we were there), while BICLARIA and Pernalonga look like good paid options if you wanted to rent bikes for a longer period of time.
We originally wanted to bike from downtown Aveiro to Costa Nova, but the bike path would’ve been down a busy road, so we opted to take a Bolt instead.
You can also take Bolt, Uber, and taxis from the train station to your place of accommodation, or just to get around the city.
Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, why not rent a van to explore Portugal with? That’s what we did after we left Aveiro, and it was so fun!
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