Day 2 – Sunday (08/21/2022)

Day to explore Costa Nova and Aveiro!

We had a great breakfast at our hotel, Ilhavo Plaza Hotel & Spa – read more about our arrival at the hotel the day before in this post – and we walked to the playground next to the hotel so the kids could have some fun (and get tired before getting in the car…lol). Absolute success!

(This day trip was part of a 9-day trip through the Center and North of Portugal. To learn more about this trip, read the article 9 days through the Center and North of Portugal)

Getting to know Costa Nova

Then we drove to New Coast to see the typical colorful striped houses. We parked the car in one of the first spaces we found facing the Aveiro Lagoon, because we saw that there was a lot of traffic, and we went straight to it. Coza Nova Bakery buy a burger for Ju to have lunch. I bought it to take away and met the rest of the people near the kiosks overlooking the Lagoon.

After having a snack on some chips bought at one of the kiosks, we walked along the lakeshore to the colorful houses. They are on a street facing the Aveiro Lagoon and there are few of them, but they are really cute. There are a few that are restaurants, but most seem to be residential or local accommodation. We tried to have lunch at the restaurants in Costa Nova, even calling a few, but unfortunately they were all full. It was a bit of a panic, of course.

Revisiting Aveiro

Since Ju slept in the car, we decided to go to Aveiro because we knew there would be more restaurant options and we wanted her to have a good nap. On the way there, we called a few places, but most of them were full or had already closed their kitchen. Desperation again…lol. In the end, we found one that didn't accept reservations, but still had tables available and off we went. Phew!

We stopped the car under the Aveiro Forum and as the children were sleeping and we didn't want to wake them up, I stayed with them while Celo and my mother-in-law went to the restaurant line. Northwind. Soon we were together eating delicious and leisurely dishes, overlooking one of the city's canals. I don't know if there was an important event happening in the city or if it was just August, but Aveiro was FULL of people! We had already been there last year – read more about our tour here -, but as we went in October and it was a little cold, the city was very pleasant.

This time, I was really worried about all the commotion and the heat. We even gave up on the moliceiro, the typical city boat, and just took a leisurely stroll through the streets, just to give you an idea. We stopped at the playground at Fórum Aveiro so Paddy could play a bit and when he was tired, we drove to Ílhavo.

Returning to Ílhavo

We stopped at the market to buy snacks and soups for dinner in our rooms and since we arrived before dinner time, I managed to go down with Paddy to the indoor pool and we stayed there for 1 hour (we needed to make a reservation). We left there feeling exhausted, had dinner and slept really well.

All posts from this trip

If you want to know more about this 9-day trip through the Center and North of Portugal, see the posts below:

• An afternoon in Leiria
• 1 day in Costa Nova and Aveiro
• 1 day between Aveiro and Barcelos
• Getting to know Ponte de Lima and Viana do Castelo in 1 day
• Our 1-day itinerary in Braga
• 1 day in Guimarães, the birthplace of Portugal
• 1 day in the Entre-os-Rios region, in the Douro
• Getting to know Águeda and the famous Bairrada roast suckling pig
• Stopping in Nazaré on the way to Cascais