Out of all the towns we visited in Portugal, I think Aveiro was one of my favourites. It was just the right distance from Porto for baby to nap and be in good spirits when we got there.
I was told it's essentially The Portuguese version of Venice. I've never been to Venice, but I loved absolutely everything about Aveiro, the feel of the town, the size, the look, the people, and the idea that everything is connected through 2 canals. These are still active salt mines and the salt is unbelievably delicious. I could've easily stayed here longer than a few hours. It was just so colourful, vibrant, and picturesque! Our Airbnb hosts in Porto actually live in Aveiro so they gave us a few recommendations and oh man, were those recommendations ever good!
We obviously couldn't resist and got the canal tour just in time for baby's nap. Again. What a life.
After we got our fair share of Ovos Moles pastries local to this town, we drove 20 minutes towards the coast to make a pit stop at Costa Nova, another little picturesque town known for its photogenic striped houses. We walked the beach a bit, found some houses, got some photos, and then went on our merry way towards our next destination in Nazare.
Yeah, we could retire here.