Ovar and Aveiro are the two special Cities to begin your discovery of an area where the glorious past still glimmers throughout the areas many charming small towns. Just South or Porto and the Douro river basin, your trip will be blessed with the rich experience of sharing the region's abundant  natural beauty and rich traditions of a people with a proud history.
  
Enjoy these  suggested routes with small town descriptions of many special spots to stop and discover the extraordinary light. 

Ovar is well known throughout Portugal for its wonderfully creative Carnaval as well as the religious processions of the Lenten season which immediate follow as Easter approaches.  
For 2003, Ovar played prestigious host to the year's most important annual Carnaval event, as the 23rd annual FECC Carnaval Convention made its first visit ever to Portugal. (carnaval.com/fecc ), 
Visit Ovar Carnival at http://carnaval.ovar.net

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Starting your journey from Oliveira de Azeméis, follow in the direction of S. João da Madeira, both dynamic towns, and continue north taking the IC2 road, until the exit for Castelo de Paiva. Passing through Pedorido, where the old coal mines of Pejão lie, the road follows the meandering  Douro river. From Castelo de Paiva, proceed to Arouca. At Real, take a look at the local church.

Arouca has a monastery -now transformed into a sacred art museum, and a rich gastronomy; particularly the veal and the convent sweets. The town is surrounded by Serra da Freita, with its picturesque mountain villages and beautiful waterfalls. From Arouca, head to Vale de Cambra, nowadays an important industrial and economic centre, and turn back towards Oliveira de Azemeis, taking the chance to visit the green
park of La-Salette.

Agueda
The town is now an industrial centre. All that remains from the past is the church and some manor houses. The main charms, however, are to be found in the neighboring villages. Peaceful green scenarios. The grandeur of the Lemos Pantheon in Trofa. The magnificent manors and cottages along Valongo do Vouga, Macieira de Alcoba and Prestimo. The idyllic lake of Pateira de Fermentelos.

Albergaria-a-Velha
The town owes its name to a hostel founded in the 12th century, of which there is practically nothing left. Its main charm lies in the luxuriant greenery of the Vouga valley. Alquerubim, sao Joao de Loure, Frossos and Angeja are country villages clinging to the hillsides along the river. Dolmens on the hilltops remind us of ancient times.

Arouca
About 20 km east of Santa Maria da Feira is Arouca's magnificent monastery associated with Queen Saint Mafalda ( founded in 1091 ), now a museum exhibiting a collection of sacred art. The Baroque church holds richly carved choir stalls and a great organ with 1,352 notes. Hidden in the valley, Arouca is surrounded by rugged mountains and picturesque villages where medieval houses and churches can still be found. The Misarela waterfalls pour down from the rocky heights. From Miradouro Monte da Senhora do M6, one can admire endless horizons of mountains and hills.

The Ria runs through Aveiro breathing its energy through this city criss- crossed by canals and grandly embroidered with art nouveau houses and spanned by hump- backed bridges worthy of the title "the Venice of Portugal".  Art and history are reflected in the city's monuments, namely the Convent, now turned into a regional museum, housed in the former Jesus Monastrey, is full of mementoes of King Afonso V's daughter, Santa Joana, who died here in 1490.  Museu de Aveiro, displays a lock of the saint's hair, her belt and rosary, and a complete pictorial study of her life. Her tomb, an inlaid rectangle of marble quarried in Italy, attracts many pilgrims. Deserving a special mention: São Bartolomeu Chapel; 18th century churches of Santo António and São Gonçalo.   Within short walking distance stands the city's 15th century São Domingos cathedral and the Carmelite Church, decorated with paintings depicting the life of St Teresa. Also worth seeing is the Misericórdia Church, which dates back to the 16th century.
Aveiro's glorious days as a rich major Portugal port ended over two centuries ago with the silting and sand buildup of the harbor entry which is still much used by smaller craft. 

Nearby surrounded by salt flats, beaches and lagoons you can find the colourfully painted ‘moliceiro’ boats, which still gather seaweed from the vast saltwater lagoon. Located between the Ria and the sea is the São Jacinto Dune nature reserve filled with beautiful flora and fauna. 
Torreira, a typical fishing village between ocean and lagoon, which can be reached by boat from Aveiro 

A quiet and picturesque town, set among vine covered hills. Nearby, old manors, and the blue ribbon of the Douro, with its old wharves where the " rabelos" (port wine sail boats) are moored. Enjoy the historic villages of Raiva, Sao Martinho,  Santa Maria de Sardoura, and Sao Domingos miradouro where one can admire a beautiful view. The region produces interesting handicrafts such as basketry and copper artifacts. 

ESPINHO
Once a small fish-canning village, the airy seaside town of Espinho 20 km south of Oporto has grown into a fully-fledged holiday resort. Its long stretch of golden sandy beach attracts holidaymakers from all over northern and central Portugal, particularly during July and August when the sea temperature is warmest.
What to see. With several quality hotels, a glitzy neon-lit casino and numerous fish restaurants offer summer visitors an enjoyable stay all within easy reach of the bustling city of Oporto further up the coast.

Beaches are within an easy walk from the town center. Praia Baia is closest and most crowded followed by Praia Azula,  Praia Pop and  Praia do Costa Verde which all offer clean sunbathing areas and not particularly dangerous surf. For calmer waters, there's the town's swimming-pool complex, Solar Atlântico, adjacent to Praia Baia (tel. 22/734-01-52). Open from mid-May to September.
Nearby. Within 3 km of Espinho lies one of the oldest golf courses in the world. Opened in 1890, the Oporto Golf Club is a par-71 course of 5,668 metres in length, most noted for its brisk Atlantic winds and spectacular ocean views. 
Built in the 16th century, the Monastery of São Salvador at Grijó 6 km inland contains the tomb of Rodrigues Sancho, illegitimate son of King Sancho and his mistress, the beautiful Ribeirinha
Espinho Map at viajar.clix.pt  

Estarreja
 Its whitewashed houses cling to the hillside overlooking the Antua river. Avanca, near Estarreja, is rich in monuments and proud of its museum celebrating Egas Moniz, the Portuguese Nobel Prize winner for his contribution to science. The local handicrafts are charmingly colourful and gay. 

Ilhavo & Vista Alegre ( (3 miles (4.75km) south of Aveiro on the IC1)
Manor houses, a charming parish church and a museum tell us the history of a town, 8 km south of Aveiro, that has always lived on fishing and salt. The importance of the Ria and the sea is still visible today all along the Barra and Costa Nova beaches. Costa nova is also well known for its typical wooden cottages painted with bright colours. Visit the maritime museum, Museu do Mar, (avenida Dr. Roca Madahil (tel. 23/432-17-97) where the region's long seafaring history is told through displays of  vessels and related equipment. 
Vista Alegre is 3 km further south. This is the famed village of the porcelain works on a branch of the Aveiro estuary, the village is the site of an open market held on the 13th of every month, a tradition dating from the late 1600s.The Vista Alegre museum  and is famous for its beautiful chinaware which traces the history of Vista Alegre porcelain from the 1820s to the present day

Murtosa
Home of seafarers and Ria fishermen as one can apprehend from the seaweed barges and cargo vessels (called "moliceiros" and "mercanteis") anchored along the Bico wharf. Just in front, the mirrored water of the Ria and the long sweeps of sand of Torreira.

Oliveira de Azemeis
Now a prosperous industrial town; however, one can still find a bucolic charm in the leafy park of Senhora de La Salette and the picturesque villages that nestle amid the greenery. Pinheiro da Bemposta, an old town that has preserved its pillory and town hall, is worth visiting, and so is the Ferreira de Castro Museum in Ossela.

Oliveira do Bairro
The palette of greens is endless. Pine trees and eucalyptus cover the highest points, whilst down in the plains, the rice and corn fields, and the vineyards, bear witness to the agricultural nature of the town and surrounding villages. At Oi:i, the church has magnificent carved and gilded wood altarpieces. At Palha~a, a museum shows the local customs.

The streets are alive with trade as the region's metro center as City father's moving forward with an impressive amount of infrastructure a visitor will appreciate.  Surrounded by green fields, the ocean and the lagoon the colourful "azulejos" often take their inspiration from nature. The many decorated houses make the city a living museum of the azulejo. The unusual Chapels of the Stations of the Cross bear witness to strong religious traditions. 

Ovar FEASTS, FAIRS AND PILGRIMAGES Attractions

Beaches (Praia) of Ovar  Places to Stay Links

Santa Maria Da Feira
Conveniently situated just off the A1 motorway, midway between Oporto and Aveiro, Santa Maria da Feira derives its name from a long tradition (beginning in 1117) of holding large fairs and weekly markets in the Rossio town square.  Its winding streets are lined with 18th- and 19th-century merchants houses.
Tradition claims that the Castle rises on the place where a native temple dedicated to the god Bandeveluco-Toiraeco was located. Crowning a wooded hill on the southern edge of town, Santa Maria da Feira's castle dominates the skyline with its four towers topped with a confection of domes. On the way down from the castle (it takes about 15 minutes to walk up), the grand Convent of Loios features blue 17th-century azulejo glazed tiles decorating the façades of its two symmetrical belltowers.
 Monument Guide

São João da Madeira
The city proudly evokes its industrial past, particularly in the footwear and hat businesses. The green park of Nossa Senhora dos Milagres invites us to a stroll. 

Sever do Vouga
An interesting church dating from the Middle Ages takes us back to ancient times. Nearby, green hills covered with pine trees, and blue rivers meandering calmly through cornfields and vineyards. Attesting for over a thousand years of human presence, dolmens and other traces of ancient times can be found in the picturesque hamlets of Rocas do Vouga, Cerqueira, Cedrim and vila Seca, to say nothing of the carved stone of Forno dos Mouros.

Vagos
The whitewashed cottages stand out against the green of the fertile pasture around town. In the distance, one can behold the blue of the Ria, long stripes of sand covered with pine trees, neighbouring the sea. The century-old pilgrimage to Nossa Senhora de Vagos animates its leafy park. At Vagueira, boats preparing for the traditional fishing art of the « Xivega »bring joyful activity to the beach.

Vale de Cambra
Green hills and fertile valleys, intermingled with vineyards stretch out as far as the eye can reach. In the neighboring old village of Madeira de Cambra, we call your attention to a pillory and a Roman bridge, the interesting cross of Roge and the Castelo Dam.