The boat trip itself is absolutely uninteresting. You do not go to the estuary, you do not venture outside the city. You go back and forth in 2 canals without anything worth seeing. The comparison with venice and amsterdam is beyond ridiculous. The sole reason the trip gets two stars is because of Antonio, our guide. He tried his best in reasonably good English, telling about the few places of interest and the history of aveiro. He also gave good restaurant tips and allowed kids to sail the boat. Had I known that this boat trip was the highlight of aveiro I would not have gone to Aveiro given the time (1h10 from porto) and cost. The city center is nice but nothing special in portugal.
Great guide, with great knowledge. He explained everything in detail and gave enough time for us to take pictures. I would recommend !
Great way to see Aveiro and to get a venice-like feel to a day out. Well organised and some information given. Highly recommended if in Aveiro.
I did enjoy the boat ride, despite the 3 star rating. It felt a little ragtag, and touristy. The canals are manmade, and this is definitely a moneymaker for this city. The art on each hull is quite risqué & entertaining! Make sure you keep an eye out for the naughty art! I’m probably a bit biased because I was inherently comparing it to Venice. It’s a fun time, probably more so for those who haven’t been to Venice, or for families. The town is super cute, and if you need something kitschy to do, do this.
Difficult to find the boat meet up location due to a temporary construction site. We were lucky that our boat had only one other couple on it so it felt private. Our tour guide boat captain was really knowledgable. He grew up on these boats. We were shown all of the important sites and had opportunity to ask questions and receive a personal explanation. He even took our pictures! The canal is beautiful. The neighborhood is really cute and worth a day trip. There is a free parking lot if you are driving. It’s across from a footbridge into town and along the highway. We learned you cannot park in the actual town so this parking lot was a great solution and steps away anyway. This trip is worth it!