VENICE OF PORTUGAL IS A STRETCH . . . BUT IT’S A CUTE DAY TRIP

Aveiro, commonly referenced as the Venice of Portugal, is about an hour drive south of Porto - or an 85 minute train ride by the public transit out of Sao Bento. I was excited about going because I love Venice - and also because I was tiring of Porto.

To be honest, I think the nickname does Aveiro a disservice because it’s really nothing like Venice. It’s a smaller city with cute canals surrounded by charming Portuguese houses - and it makes for a really pleasant two hour walk. It doesn’t have the arched bridge splendor of Venice, nor its scale. Without that comparison, Aveiro is nice its own right.

The most memorable part of the city for me was the Lovers Bridge - where people tie colorful ribbons as indicators of love or friendship. It’s a novel spin on the traditional lock bridge - and one that leaves a charming impression.

To me, Aveiro is a worthy day trip if you’re in Porto but have seen everything already - but I wouldn’t extend it into more than that.