Porto to Aveiro for the day

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Porto to Aveiro looks like a simple day, and it is, until Costa Nova is added to it. The town is about 1 h 15 from Porto by urban train, for 3.95 euros each way when last checked, and its canals and boats need about three hours. The striped houses that many visitors come for are not in Aveiro. They are in Costa Nova, on the coast 11 km away, a further 40 minutes by bus.

So the day has two halves, and the question to settle first is whether you want one or both. Aveiro alone is an easy half-day by train. Aveiro and Costa Nova together by public transport is a tight full day, and it is the case where a tour or a car earns its place.

How long Aveiro takes

The mistake is to plan eight hours for the town itself. As an Aveiro day trip from Porto by train, the town fills about three hours, plus half an hour for a boat ride, and then the canals have been seen. Aveiro has 78,450 residents and lies 57 km from Porto in a straight line. Counted from Porto the sum is short: about two and a half hours on trains there and back, three hours in the town and half an hour on the water, six hours in all.

What the three hours hold is a short list. The first is the lagoon, the Ria, 47 km of water beside the sea, which reaches into the town as canals. The second is the Art Nouveau route: Aveiro has a number of buildings in the style, many of them along the main canal. The third is the church of the Convent of Jesus, known for its gilded woodwork. The town also lends bicycles, called bugas, for getting around.

That leaves the afternoon. It can go to Costa Nova, or back to Porto, or on a tour to a second town: of the 62 tours from Porto that name Aveiro, several pair it with Coimbra or with the Paiva Walkways.

Train or car

The mistake is to book ahead. The train to Aveiro from Porto is an urban service, so the ticket loads onto a Siga card, which costs 0.50 euros, and is valid on any departure. A single was 3.95 euros when last checked and the journey takes about 1 h 15. Only Braga and Guimarães, at 3.60 euros, are cheaper day trips by rail. Trains leave from São Bento station, and Comboios de Portugal publishes fares and times on the CP site.

Aveiro's station is about 1 km from the canals, which most visitors cover on foot.

By road Aveiro is 75.2 km from Porto, about 54 minutes. The car matters for the second half of the day and not the first: Costa Nova is 83.4 km from Porto by road, about 61 minutes, and with a car the two places are a short drive apart and no bus timetable applies.

The striped houses

The mistake is to expect the striped houses in Aveiro. Reaching Costa Nova from Aveiro means a bus of about 40 minutes for 2.35 euros, over the 11 km to the coast, and the bus fills up in summer.

The houses are called palheiros. They were fishermen's storehouses, and they are painted in coloured stripes. Costa Nova also has a beach more than 9 km long and a boardwalk of 6 km.

By public transport the sum is plain. The train, the walk from the station, the town, the boat, the bus out and back and the train home add up to a full day with little slack. Travellers who want both places without watching the clock take a tour or drive. Travellers who want one should choose by taste: canals and architecture in Aveiro, sea and stripes in Costa Nova.

Boats and sweets

The mistake is to think the boat ride is a long excursion. A moliceiro boat Aveiro sends out takes about 45 minutes, follows the four main canals of the town, and cost about 14 euros for an adult when last checked. It fits before or after lunch.

The town's other speciality is eaten. Ovos moles are egg yolk and sugar in thin wafer shells, and they were the first Portuguese bakery product to receive the European Union's Protected Geographical Indication. The national tourist board lists them, the boat and the Art Nouveau route among the things not to miss, on its page for Aveiro.

The half-day tours from Porto are built around the same two things, the boat and the town, in four to seven hours door to door.

A ride takes about 45 minutes and follows the four main canals.

Which tour, if any

The mistake is to pick a tour by its price alone. The tours differ in what they add to Aveiro, and that decides the day.

The most reviewed pairs Aveiro with the Paiva Walkways and the 516 Arouca suspension bridge in ten hours, and is rated 4.9 out of 5 from 1,918 reviews: a day for walkers. The full day with the boat cruise and Costa Nova takes eight and a half hours and is rated 4.65 from 1,555. The half-day tour with an optional cruise is rated 4.4 from 1,482. A small-group day that adds Coimbra and includes the moliceiro ride is rated 4.74 from 270.

Across the 62 tours that name Aveiro the median rating is 4.93 out of 5, so the choice is about the shape of the day and not about quality. If the plan is Aveiro and nothing else, the train is enough and costs less. The day trips from Porto page compares Aveiro with Braga, Guimarães and the rest.

Common questions

How long is the train from Porto to Aveiro?

About 1 h 15 on the urban train. A single cost 3.95 euros when last checked, and the station is about 1 km from the canals.

Are the striped houses in Aveiro?

No. They are in Costa Nova, 11 km away on the coast, about 40 minutes by bus for 2.35 euros.

How long is a moliceiro boat ride?

About 45 minutes, along the four main canals. It cost about 14 euros for an adult when last checked.

Can you do Aveiro and Costa Nova in one day from Porto?

Yes, but by public transport it is a tight day, and the bus to Costa Nova fills up in summer. A tour or a car makes it easier.