Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sixties Irish Pub
( 231 472 475; Travessa Arrais Manuel Patrão 14; 8pm-2am Mon-Thu, 7.30pm-4am Fri & Sat, 3pm-2am Sun)
Tucked into a classic pub-crawler's alley a block from the beachfront, this cosy spot has
multiple beers on tap and a lively old-school Irish atmosphere.
PUB
Information
The
turismo
( 231 480 550; turismo@cm-mira.pt; Av da Barrinha; 9am-1pm & 2-5pm Tue-Sat, 2-5.30pm
Sun, daily & extended hours in high summer)
, 450m south of the main drag, beside the lagoon,
shares a wooden house with a little ethnographic exhibition.
Getting There & Away
Most transport only stops inland at Mira (7km east).
Joalto
( 233 422 648;
www.transdev.pt
)
runs from Coimbra to Praia de Mira via Mira three to five times daily, with extra services
in summer. There are two buses on weekdays from Aveiro to Praia de Mira (€3.70, one
hour); otherwise you'll have to change (or get a taxi) in Mira. Buses also run regularly
from Figueira da Foz to Mira (€3.80, one hour).
TOP OF CHAPTER
Aveiro
POP 54,400
Hugging the edge of the Ria, a shallow coastal lagoon rich in bird life, Aveiro (uh-
vey
-
roo), whose name might come from the Latin
aviarium
(place of birds), is a prosperous
town with a youthful, energetic buzz. It's occasionally dubbed the Venice of Portugal
thanks to its high-prowed boats, humpbacked bridges and small network of picturesque
canals. It's a lovely little place best explored on foot or aboard a
moliceiro
- the tradition-
al seaweed-harvesting boat now converted to tourist use.
A prosperous seaport in the early 16th century, Aveiro suffered a ferocious storm in the
1570s that blocked the mouth of the Rio Vouga, closing it to ocean-going ships and creat-
ing fever-breeding marshes. Over the next two centuries, Aveiro's population shrank by
three-quarters. But in 1808 the Barra Canal forged a passage back to the sea, and within a
century Aveiro was rich once more, as evidenced by the spate of art nouveau houses that
still define the town's old centre. Salt harvested here was taken to Newfoundland to pre-
serve cod that came back as
bacalhau
(dried salt-cod).
