Venice of Portugal: 21 things to do in Aveiro, Portugal exploredbymarta.com

Looking for the best things to do in Aveiro, the Venice of Portugal? We spent a week exploring this city, so read along to discover all best spots to see there!

With its scenic city canals, lively boats cruising around, charming bridges, delicious ovos moles, stunning architecture, glazed tile facades, and some of the best hidden gems in Portugal, Aveiro has so much to offer!

There is one main reason why Aveiro is called the “Venice of Portugal” – its system of canals winding through the city center. These waterways allow for transportation in special traditional boats called Moliceiros, which are quite similar to the gondolas in Venice, Italy.

These Moliceiro boats were once used for harvesting seaweed (moliço), but today they are primarily used for tourism. The most common Moliceiro tours follow four urban canals: Canal Central, Canal da Pirâmides, Canal do Cojo, and Canal de São Roque.