Private Full Day Guided Tour to Aveiro and Coimbra from Porto
Porto, Portugal
Trip Type: Private Tours
Duration: 10 hours
Discover the charms of the Centre region of Portugal: Costa Nova, Aveiro and Coimbra in this specialized full day guided tour.
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Discover the charms of the Centre region of Portugal: Costa Nova, Aveiro and Coimbra in this specialized full day guided tour.
You will discover the beautiful Costa Nova, Aveiro and Coimbra.
Costa Nova is famous for its typical striped and colorful houses 'palheiros' and its beautiful beaches. 'Palheiros' are traditional constructions of this coastal area. In the past, they were used as shelter to fishermen and storage to their equipment and animals used to drag the boats from the river to the beach. Later, in the late 19th century, it became fashionable for the middle and upper classes to go to the beach, and so the fishermen began to rent their 'palheiros' in the summer and started painting them in various colors such as the well-known colorful boats 'moliceiros' sailing, even today, the Aveiro’s estuary waters.
Aveiro is called 'the Portuguese Venice', due to its watercourses and broad estuary. The local vessels 'moliceiros' express in their pictorial originality the identity, religiousness or concerns of their owners. But Aveiro is also by the sea. Its traditional salt fields, extensive dunes of white salt, add extra charm to this pitoresque town. Aveiro is rich in Art Nouveau architecture and typical rich-egg based pastries, created in Middle Ages local monasteries by nuns.
Coimbra, a trading town bordering the Christian north and the Arabian south for centuries, it had a strong Mozarabic community. Later it became first capital of the Kingdom of Portugal. In Coimbra lie the founding kings and also the Queen Saint Isabel, compelling figures of Portuguese Middle Ages. Coimbra is forever linked to the tragic love story of King Pedro I and Inês de Castro. It also has one of the oldest universities in the world (Unesco World Heritage), famous as well for its extraordinary and breathtaking library. Academic city, its male students sing a typical fado. The most emblematic one speaks about their distress in leaving Coimbra and how this city "has even more charm when it is time to say goodbye."
In each destination you can admire its rich culture and monuments like the 'Palheiros' in Costa Nova, the Covent of Jesus, old and new cathedrals, art nouveau buildings and the historic center in Aveiro; the Santa Cruz Church, Santiago Church, Barbaca Door, Almedina Tower, Sub-Ripas Palace, the medieval quarter, the old Cathedral and Paço das Escolas at Coimbra's University in Coimbra, among others.
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