In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Aveiro is a CP train from Porto Campanhã, about 1 hour 5, €6.55 Regional or €7.20 InterRegional each way, about hourly. The town’s draw is the moliceiro boat (45 minutes through four canals, capped at €15 for adults) and Costa Nova, a BusWay line 36 bus of about 40 minutes with striped beach houses. The line is under works: look up your train on cp.pt, because some Alfa Pendular and Intercidades trains have a road transfer until 1 November 2026. Or book a tour: the Aveiro half-day tour with an optional cruisead is from €35 for 4 to 7 hours, and the Aveiro, Cruise, Costa Nova & Capela da Pedra full dayad from €37 (GetYourGuide).
Getting there on your own
- Train: CP’s urban and regional trains run from Porto Campanhã to Aveiro about every hour, from 04:55, with the 04:55 reaching Aveiro at 06:00 and the 05:59 at 07:05. The journey takes about 1 hour 5. Times are from CP’s timetable valid since 26 July 2026, and the last trains reach Aveiro as late as 00:08. From Aveiro to Campanhã the first train leaves at 04:31.
- Fare: €6.55 Regional or €7.20 InterRegional each way, so €13.10 or €14.40 return. The Alfa Pendular is from €17 each way and is not worth it. Andante tickets cover the city zones only, so the Aveiro train is a CP ticket.
- Line works: Infraestruturas de Portugal began renewing 19 km of the northern line between Espinho and Válega on 24 June 2026, a three-year job (Público). CP lists a road transfer between Porto Campanhã and Aveiro for some Alfa Pendular and Intercidades trains until 1 November 2026. Look up your train on cp.pt.
- From the station: the walk along Avenida Dr. Lourenço Peixinho to the main canal takes about 10 minutes.
A tile panel of a bridge at Aveiro railway station. Photo: OPHIUSSA2019, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Tours from Porto
A tour sells the transport, a guide and Costa Nova in one booking. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices for one adult, and the boat is an optional extra on the first two.
Half day with an optional cruise
From €35 · 4.4 stars from 1,592 reviews · 4 to 7 hours
Aveiro Half-Day Tour from Porto with Optional Cruisead leaves from a meeting point near São Bento station. The itinerary is an hour’s drive, an hour of guided tour and free time in Aveiro, the optional 45-minute moliceiro cruise, 30 minutes at Costa Nova and the drive back.
Full day with Costa Nova and a chapel
From €37 · 4.7 stars from 1,864 reviews · 8½ hours
Porto: Aveiro, Cruise, Costa Nova & Capela da Pedra Full Dayad spends an hour on a guided walk in Aveiro, 45 minutes on the boat, an hour and a half of free time, an hour at Costa Nova and a photo stop at the Capela do Senhor da Pedra, a chapel on a beach near Porto.
Aveiro with the Paiva Walkways
From €108 · 4.9 stars from 2,216 reviews · 10 hours
From Porto: Aveiro, Paiva Walkways, & Suspension Bridge Tourad is a small group of up to 8 and a different trip: the morning is in the hills at Arouca, on the 516 m suspension bridge (crossing is optional) and a 5 km downhill walk on the Paiva boardwalk, then lunch, Costa Nova for 30 minutes and Aveiro for an hour and a half.
The boat, Costa Nova and the cost
| On your own | Tour | |
|---|---|---|
| Transport | €13.10 Regional train return | Included |
| Moliceiro boat | Up to €15 | An optional extra on both tours |
| Costa Nova | BusWay line 36, about 40 minutes | 30 minutes to an hour on the tours |
| Total | About €28 plus the Costa Nova bus | From €35 |
On your own, the train and the boat come to about €28. The tours are from €35 and add the guide and the transfer to Costa Nova.
Moliceiro boats on the Central Canal. Photo: John Samuel, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What to see, in order
- The canals by moliceiro. The 45-minute boat ride covers the four main canals, the Central, Côjo, Pirâmides and São Roque, with a sailor commenting on board. The boats were once used to gather moliço, a seaweed spread on fields as fertiliser, and now carry painted panels. Prices are capped at €15 for adults and €8 for children aged 5 to 12, and booking ahead online is a little cheaper (Turismo in Aveiro).
- The town on foot. Aveiro’s Art Nouveau buildings and its egg-yolk sweet, ovos moles, are part of the full-day tour’s route.
- Costa Nova. A beach village of houses painted in vertical stripes, 40 to 45 minutes from Aveiro bus terminal on BusWay line 36. The bus stops at the Forte da Barra ferry and lighthouse, then at Costa Nova itself, and runs every day of the week (BusWay).
- Leave out: the Paiva Walkways, which are a day of their own: see the tour above.
Striped houses at Costa Nova. Photo: Einaz80, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A day, hour by hour
| When | What |
|---|---|
| Early | Train from Campanhã, arriving about an hour later |
| Morning | Walk to the canal, moliceiro boat, town on foot |
| Midday | Lunch in the centre |
| Afternoon | Bus 36 from the bus terminal to Costa Nova, beach and houses |
| Late afternoon | Bus back and the train to Campanhã |
- Boat booking: the boat ride needs 48 hours’ notice on the Turismo in Aveiro voucher, so book ahead or take it on a tour.
- The bus back: from Costa Nova, the evening buses to Aveiro leave at 18:10, 18:45, 19:40 and 22:30 every day of the week, and the 22:30 is the last. Buses to Costa Nova run roughly every hour or two from the bus terminal, the last at 23:15.
Before you go
The northern line is under works, so look up your train on cp.pt. Day trips from Porto compares Aveiro with Guimarães, Braga and the Douro Valley, and Coimbra is on the same line, an hour further south. What to book before you go to Porto has the city tickets, Porto in 2 days shows where a day trip fits, and where to stay in Porto covers the areas near Campanhã.
Common questions
How do you get from Porto to Aveiro?
Take a CP train from Porto Campanhã. It takes about 1 hour 5, runs about hourly, and costs €6.55 on the Regional train or €7.20 on the InterRegional each way on CP's 2026 price list. Do not take the Alfa Pendular, which costs from €17.
How much is the moliceiro boat in Aveiro?
The ride lasts 45 minutes through four canals, and the price is capped at €15 for adults and €8 for children aged 5 to 12. Booking ahead online is a little cheaper. Tours from Porto that include the boat start at €35 for the half day.
How do you get from Aveiro to Costa Nova?
BusWay line 36 runs from Aveiro bus terminal to Costa Nova in about 40 to 45 minutes, every day of the week, and stops at the Forte da Barra lighthouse on the way. The half-day tours from Porto also stop at Costa Nova.
Is the train line to Aveiro closed?
Parts of it are under works. Infraestruturas de Portugal began a three-year renewal of 19 km between Espinho and Válega on 24 June 2026, and CP has listed a road transfer between Porto Campanhã and Aveiro for some Alfa Pendular and Intercidades trains until 1 November 2026. Look up your train on cp.pt before you go.
What are the Paiva Walkways?
A 5 km wooden boardwalk in the hills near Arouca, an hour from Aveiro, and a different trip from Aveiro town. The Aveiro and Paiva Walkways tour from Porto is from €108 for 10 hours and also crosses the 516 m Arouca suspension bridge.
