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Portugal Another Lovely Trip to Portugal! Aveiro Aveiro Day Trip
Aveiro Day Trip
I planned a short trip to nearby Aveiro, but it ended up longer, as I got tangled up exploring the intriguing old centre...
Roughly an hour-long train ride from Porto Campanha and I was in Aveiro!
It cost me 3.90 EUR from Porto to Aveiro and 3.40 EUR back...
Aveiro has earned the "Portuguese Venice" nickname, but I honestly don't agree with it.
Obviously it has commonalities with Venice, but I think with Amsterdam too.
Aveiro has water canals with boats circulating up and down (but nowadays more for the sake of tourism than for other reasons).
There are only 4 channels in the central part of Aveiro (according to most maps). But, I personally think there's just a single long one (which on the map appears as split two different ones), which also had two dead-end arteries.
Nevertheless, it doesn't have as many water channels as Amsterdam or Venice, nor vast romantic neighbourhoods like the latter. It's still a beautiful small city.
Aveiro is very beautiful. And I also take account of it's size - so it's unfair to compare it with Venice or Amsterdam. It's a Portuguese small city with a strong original Portuguese identity.
Aveiro offers nuanced sights, especially if you take a walk in the historic centre and, even boat trips (they're all motor-powered).
It has around 80,000 inhabitants, but it felt smaller as I walked by foot from the train station to the centre.
Eventually, instead of spending a few hours, I remained "stuck", exploring and admiring. Stunning cute, warm and diverse. Quiet, relaxing, welcoming.
It complemented my escape to Porto.
Aveiro's Beautiful Train Station
The train station of Aveiro wouldn't seem special unless you paid attention to some of the old annex buildings - which too have beautiful painted azulejo tiles on their walls.
Strolling Along Aveiro's Main Avenue
I arrived amid rain and no bus was coming, so I decided to go hooded and rain-coated by foot - all the way to the historic centre. It must have taken around 50-60 minutes or so.
I felt like it was worth looking around on the main avenue and I even paid visit to the pastry shops found near it.
Aveiro's Water Channels and the Boats
Rather simple channels and canoe-like huge motorboats bearing strange decorative paintwork.
Don't expect the romance of Venice, nor the elegance of Amsterdam, just soak up the original Portuguese atmosphere!
The Beautiful Historic Centre of Aveiro
I thought I'd give it 1-2 hours, but eventually exploring the centre of the city consumed more than 5 hours - it's a delicacy for architecture-lovers!
I was aching for a bite, in fact I was starving and it started raining too... so, I entered a nearby mall just to take a few bites and regain my strength for a stroll in the city.
As "Escape Hunter" - the curious incognito traveler with an insatiable drive to explore, I embark on slow and deep travels around
our beautiful World.
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"from within", through my
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Travel Slang Dictionary
Guide to my personal travel slang vocabulary, which seasons my content...