Aveiro & Costa Nova

Aveiro and Costa Nova are the city and the lagoon coast of the Ria de Aveiro, a shallow lagoon on the Atlantic coast of central Portugal. The city of Aveiro is crossed by canals where the moliceiro boats run, and Costa Nova, in the neighbouring municipality of Ílhavo, is known for its wooden houses painted in coloured stripes.

Between the two lie the salt pans, the beaches of the sandbar and the channels of the lagoon.

What to see in Aveiro and Costa Nova

Canals of Aveiro: the central canal and its side channels, with trips on the moliceiros.
Art Nouveau buildings: the houses of the early 20th century along the canals, and the Art Nouveau Museum.
Salt pans: the salt pans of the lagoon, still worked by hand in summer.
Monastery of Jesus: the convent where Princess Joana lived, with her Baroque tomb, now the city's museum.
Costa Nova: the row of striped wooden houses, the palheiros, along the Mira channel in Ílhavo.
Beaches: the ocean beaches of the sandbar, from São Jacinto in Aveiro to Barra and Costa Nova in Ílhavo.

Visiting Aveiro and Costa Nova

Moliceiro trips: boats leave from the central canal in the city centre for trips on the lagoon.
By bicycle: cycle paths run along the lagoon and the sandbar between the beaches.
Ovos moles: the egg and sugar sweets of Aveiro, sold in the shops of the old town.