We will visit Aveiro, the “Venice of Portugal”, located in the bay of the Aveiro River. It is criss-crossed by a network of canals on which the painted boats “moliceiros” float. Aveiro also has a number of Art Nouveau buildings worth seeing and of course the “striped houses” in Costa Nova. Our must-see is also the Municipal Museum of Aveiro, housed in the Convento de Jesus, where you can admire the mausoleum of Princess St. Joana and the gilding of the wooden carvings that decorate the interior of the church.
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On the way to Coimbra we will stop at the village of Mealada, which is famous for its suckling pig dishes and Bairrada wines. Here those who wish will have lunch.
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We set off to get acquainted with the city of Coimbra – a very cozy city, with its special, unique student atmosphere. The narrow streets snaking up the hill will lead you to the Old (Romanesque) Cathedral and, through the arch of the Arab town of Al-Medina to Baixa (Lower Town) – the commercial part of the city and the Church of the Holy Cross, where the remains of the first Portuguese king, Alfonso Henry, rest. The oldest University in the country (formerly the Royal Palace), the first in the country and one of the oldest in Europe, rises above the city. Today about 23 thousand students are studying at its 8 faculties. The University Library is one of the oldest and largest in Europe. Among the attractions of Coimbra you can also notice many religious buildings. One of them is the monastery church of Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz), founded in 1131. The first Portuguese king Afonso Henriques and his successor Sãocho are buried in this church. The monks of the Santa Cruz monastery initially cared for students at the University of Coimbra. The Romanesque monastery later fell into disrepair, but was renovated in 1502 by King Manuel I.
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