From your hotel in Porto, you’re picked up in the morning for the drive to Santa Maria da Feira.
The city's most distinctive feature is its castle, built in the 15th century with a design and layout that is unusual amongst Portuguese castles, looking more like something that has been plucked straight out of a book of fairy tales. You will not miss the tasting of Fogaça, a kind of sweetened white bread with 500 years of history with a shape that resembles the Feira castle.
After Santa Maria da Feira we will proceed to Aveiro city center. The capital of the Ria, Aveiro is intersected by canals, genuine streets of water, along which can be seen gliding the brightly coloured boats known as barcos moliceiros. You will take the Moliceiro cruise in the canals, visit the city center and taste the famous Ovos Moles, an exquisite sweet made from eggs and sugar.
Before lunch we will drive around Ria de Aveiro. A vast lagoon where the freshwater of the River Vouga joins with the sea, the diversity of habitats contained within the Ria is the reason for its enormous ecological wealth. The water provides a habitat for a wide variety of birds and fish. After visiting Costa Nova beach we will stop for lunch at a local restaurant. Towards the end of the 19th century when it became fashionable to bathe in the sea, the local fishermen began to rent out their palheiros in the summer season and the idea then arose to paint the outside panels of Costa Nova wooden houses in bright colours. The lunch includes several tasting starters, local dishes and desserts. Local white or red wines are served.
In the afternoon the tour continues with a visit and walk through Lugar da Vista Alegre, to get to know the Chapel and the Vista Alegre Housing Facilities. The Vista Alegre museum intends to show the factory’s history, the aesthetic evolution of porcelain production and its significance in Portuguese society of the 19th and 20th centuries, through one of the most complete museum collections of that kind. Your Aveiro full-day tour ends with return transport to your Porto hotel.