Aveiro is one of the most recognizable places in the north of Portugal. Nicknamed Portugal’s Venice, the city adorns postcards and wins tourist rankings time and time again. Right next to Aveiro is another gem – Costa Nova with its beautiful colorful houses and lovely beach. Below are all the ways to travel from Porto to Aveiro.
How to get from Porto to Aveiro by train?
Travel time: one hour.
Cost: from 3.55 euros to 12 euros.
The train is the most common mode of transportation from Porto to Aveiro. Aveiro is covered by the metropolitan railroad of the Porto metropolitan area and the cost of buying a ticket is extremely low – it costs only 3.55 euros one way. In addition to the metropolitan train, it is possible to use high-speed intercity trains, but these cost 12.10 (Intercidades) and 14.70 (Alfa Pendular) euros, respectively.
Trains to Aveiro depart from two stations – Porto-São Bento and Porto-Campanha. The purchase of tickets for metropolitan trains (marked with a U on the timetable) is available only at the station’s vending machines and ticket offices. Tickets for intercity trains, on the other hand, can be purchased online. Purchase of tickets and train schedules is available at cp.pt.
If this is your first trip on Porto’s metropolitan trains you will have to buy a Siga card. If you had to deal with the Viva Viagem card in Lisbon, the operation of the Siga card is very similar – you can ride as many times as you want on the card only by “bouncing” it at stations and topping it up at vending machines. Unfortunately, just as the Viva Viagem card allows you to travel both on the subway, trains and ferries, the Siga card is for rail travel only. If you already have an Andante card, you can get to Espinho first (and stop at a beautiful beach!) and then purchase a ticket to Aveiro.
How to get from Porto to Aveiro by car?
Travel time: one hour.
Cost: 6.45 euros (gates).
As with the trip from Lisbon to the Algarve, we have several options on the way from Porto to Aveiro.
a) choosing to take the A1 express highway, the driving time should be about 50 minutes and the cost should be 6.45 euros.
b) choosing to take the A44 highway and then the A29, the driving time should be about 55 minutes, and its cost will close at about 5.50 euros.
c) taking the national road bypassing the toll highways – the travel time should be about 1.5 hours.
Personally, I recommend choosing option B along with a stop along the way in Espinho, a town with a nearly seventeen-kilometer-long beach, considered by many guidebooks to be the most beautiful in the Porto area.
Foto: sergio_burnout_oliveira flickr
How to get from Porto to Aveiro by bus?
Travel time: 2-3 hours.
Cost: 8.60 euros.
The bus is the least popular means of transportation to get from Porto to Aveiro. Due to the convenience of the train service, none of the carriers allow direct access to Aveiro, extending the trip from Porto to up to three hours.
Buses to Aveiro depart from the Renex bus station in Porto (Campo 24 de Agosto 125) and arrive at the Aveiro bus station (av. Vasco Branco), where the train station is right next door. Services are operated by Rede Expressos and Citi Express, tickets as well as schedules, check the Rede website.