Visit Aveiro - On the shore of a lagoon, Aveiro is a maritime city with water in its soul. The cityscape is crisscrossed by canals that you can navigate on painted gondola-style boats known as moliceiros. And on the quaysides in the older part of the city are charming Art Nouveau houses in pastel shades. The big attraction is the Mosteiro de Jesus, a monastery with a royal connection and replete with religious art in its museum. But the Atlantic is also on your doorstep and you’re minutes from ocean-swept sandy beaches and the adorable little resort of Costa Nova.

Convent of Jesus - Aveiro’s prized monument is this convent built between the 15th and 17th centuries. Its fame comes from one of its residents, Joanna Princess of Portugal, and daughter of Afonso V. Because she was in the royal line she was never able to take her solemn vows, and instead lived out a modest life at the convent and bequeathed her estates to it when she died in 1490. She was beatified in the 17th century, and her stunning tomb in the lower chancel blends marble and ceramics. Also fantastic is the nave and apse of the church, with amazing floor tiles and every surface covered with gilded woodcarving.

Have a Boat Tour - included in the Tour price - These colourfully painted boats are a constant in Aveiro, and you can board one for a 45-minute tour of the city by water. The moliceiros were originally made to harvest seaweed in the lagoon. This was used as a fertiliser in the local sandy soils. The trade died out when modern fertilisers were introduced but the old boat building techniques were revived to craft a fleet of tourist vessels. The paintings on the bow and stern depict traditional scenes around Aveiro, and on the journey you’ll get a good summary of the city along its canals and by the salt farms that border the lagoon. The canals, fed by Aveiro’s lagoon, are what give Aveiro its character and deserve a couple of hours of your time. There are several branches to stroll by, through both historic and newer city quarters. Along the quays in the Rossio area there’s some wonderful Art Nouveau architecture, which we’ll come to later. The Jardim do Rossio is a canal-front park with lawns and palm trees, and a very pretty spot to bring a book. The pastel-coloured houses are the icing on the cake, and there’s no lack of tuk-tuks to carry you off on a quick tour.

Visit Aveiro city center - At the start of the 20th century emigrants who had made their fortunes in Brazil returned to Aveiro and built themselves stylish houses in the Art Nouveau style. Some elegant properties to look out for are the Casa do Major Pessoa, now the Art Nouveau Museum and with lovely wrought iron gates and balconies. See also the Casa dos Ovos Moles by the water on Rua João Mendonça 24 and 25, with its little ornamental balconies and a gable with a curved window at the top. On the same street the Cooperativa Agrícola building at 5, 6 and 7 has fabulous tile work with foloral patterns.

Visit the Carmelite Church, this opulent building was part of a major convent that was almost completely destroyed when Aveiro’s urban plan was reworked at the start of the 20th century. The church dates to the start of the 1700s and was heavily embellished in the decades that followed. This was a period of extreme wealth, when many churches around Portugal were decorated with dazzling gilded woodwork. And once you pass the stern facade, this church is no different, with gilding framing paintings on the walls and ceiling. The lower half of the walls in the nave is decorated with glorious blue and white azulejos.

Aveiro’s prized monument is this convent built between the 15th and 17th centuries. Its fame comes from one of its residents, Joanna Princess of Portugal, and daughter of Afonso V. Because she was in the royal line she was never able to take her solemn vows, and instead lived out a modest life at the convent and bequeathed her estates to it when she died in 1490. She was beatified in the 17th century, and her stunning tomb in the lower chancel blends marble and ceramics. Also fantastic is the nave and apse of the church, with amazing floor tiles and every surface covered with gilded woodcarving.

Visit the Carmelite Church, a opulent building that was part of a major convent that was almost completely destroyed when Aveiro’s urban plan was reworked at the start of the 20th century. The church dates to the start of the 1700s and was heavily embellished in the decades that followed. This was a period of extreme wealth, when many churches around Portugal were decorated with dazzling gilded woodwork. And once you pass the stern facade, this church is no different, with gilding framing paintings on the walls and ceiling. The lower half of the walls in the nave is decorated with glorious blue and white azulejos.

These colourfully painted boats are a constant in Aveiro, and you can board one for a 45-minute tour of the city by water. The moliceiros were originally made to harvest seaweed in the lagoon. This was used as a fertiliser in the local sandy soils. The trade died out when modern fertilisers were introduced but the old boat building techniques were revived to craft a fleet of tourist vessels. The paintings on the bow and stern depict traditional scenes around Aveiro, and on the journey you’ll get a good summary of the city along its canals and by the salt farms that border the lagoon.