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Aveiro (pop.78,000, urban area 120,000) is a city of Northern Portugal. It is not in the Algarve - I was visiting! It stands about 75km (47 miles) south of the major city of Porto. It is just over 260km (160 miles) north of Lisbon. It is about 85km from PORTO airport.

From Porto Airport to Aveiro

There are no direct buses between Porto Airport and Aveiro.

By metro and train it is fairly frequent, straightforward and inexpensive.Take the METRO DO PORTO Line E from the Airport to Campanhã station. Trains run  about every 20 minutes for most of the day on weekdays, every 30 minutes at other times including weekends and holidays, from around 0600 until 0034 (last train, every night). That will take about 33 minutes and costs €2.60 - a Z4 (four zone) ticket. More details at the METRO DO PORTO website. By the way, don't throw away your 'ANDANTE' ticket if you are coming back to Porto. It is rechargeable. You can use it until it wears out and saves you €0.60 on each subsequent ticket of the same type. Tickets are sold at the Airport tourist office, but if it's not open you will need some coins for the ticket machines.

At Campanhã walk from the Metro station round to the main railway station of CP, Portuguese Railways. That takes only a a minute.

From there, local electric trains of the Porto Urbanos network run to Aveiro about once every hour every day with extra, faster, trains in weekday rush hours. The normal journey takes about 1 hour and will cost €3.50 plus the 50 cent cost of the rechargeable SIGA ticket card. There are simple to use ticket machines in the hall; there were long lines at the ticket office all three times I was there. The machines take notes as well as coins. NB these 'SIGA' tickets are NOT VALID on Alfa Pendular or Intercity trains. Urbanos trains are (mostly) bright yellow!  If you do use one of the Alfa Pendular or Intercity fast trains the trip to Aveiro will cost you 8 - 10 Euros more to save about 25 minutes.

First train from Porto Campanhã to Aveiro is at 0459 on weekdays, 0549 at weekends and holidays. The last trains are at 2305 and 0005 daily, then a later train on some days at 0055. These almost all start from Porto São Bento (city centre) station about 10 minutes earlier. Be sure to check timetables at the Portugal Railways Official website. Trains from Aveiro to Porto run daily from 0440 to 2325 , then at 2356 except on Saturdays.

If you plan to spend some time in Porto before moving on, most of the trains to Aveiro start at the city centre São Bento station. This historic building is in the heart of the city (it has a Metro station also) and is worth a visit in its own right!

The national long distance bus (coach) network Rede-Expressos has no direct service between Porto and Aveiro. There are no direct buses I know of.

From Lisbon Airport and City to Aveiro by train 

If you are not planning to spend time in Lisbon, you will need to get from the Airport to LISBOA ORIENTE station. This is very simple using the Lisbon metro (subway) from the airport station. Trains run to Oriente station every few minutes from 0630 until 0100 every night. The journey takes about 5 minutes. There is also city bus 744 to Oriente. City bus details at http://www.carris.pt/
 
If you are planning to spend time in Lisbon, trains to Aveiro start from the city centre SANTA APOLÓNIA station. Check timetables and buy tickets at www.cp.pt

One way 'normal' tourist (2nd) class fare is €30.70 on Alfa Pendular trains, €20.60 on others. Discounts are available for advance booking - see below.

There is a mix of fast Alfa Pendular and Intercity trains about once each hour on weekdays, slightly less frequent at weekends. The first train is at 0709 and the last train is at 2139 hrs daily. The journey takes about 2 hours on the Alfa Pendular trains, 2hrs 20 minutes on the Intercity trains

All but two of the trains start from the city centre Santa Apolónia station nine minutes before calling at Oriente. These other two call at Lisbon Entrecampos station before Oriente on their way up from the south.

Reservations for train trips in Portugal can only be made up to a MAXIMUM of 60 days in advance. You can reserve on line at www.cp.pt and print your own ticket. A big discount is available on many trains for tickets purchased more than 8 days in advance. DO NOT use RailEurope etc as they cannot issue the required seat reservation for which you will pay extra.

Lisbon - Aveiro by bus (coach) 

You will need to make your way from the airport to the SETE RIOS bus terminal. This is about 3 miles/5km from the airport and is linked to it by the underground metro line. Take any train to the end of the line at São Sebastião then change to the Blue Line for a two stop ride to Jardim Zoológico station, which is adjacent to Sete Rios. Trains run every few minutes from 0630 daily. The journey will take around 25 minutes and cost €2.

There is also a direct special bus, Aerobus 2, running about every 20 minutes. Consult the Aerobus website for details. For your bus options from elsewhere in the city check the city bus website at http://www.carris.pt/

Consult the long distance bus website www.rede-expressos.pt for Lisbon - Aveiro times, remember it's LISBOA SETE RIOS on the timetable search. One-way fare is currently €15,70 and the journey takes about 3hrs 15 minutes. There are about 6 journeys every day, from 0830 to 1930. Rede Expressos website also covers journeys to Aveiro from many towns and cities through Portugal. Tickets can be bought on line up to 30 days in advance at the Rede Expressos website www.rede-expressos.pt

Arriving in Aveiro by train or coach (long distance bus)

The railway station in Aveiro is on the eastern edge of the city centre, about 10 minutes walk from the centre. There is a taxi rank outside, to the left as you exit the station. Numerous city buses stop outside the railway station across the road from the taxi rank.

Aveiro has a new regional and long distance bus station at Rua de Artur Almeida Eça on the east side of the railway station. This is therefore a 10 minute walk from the city centre. A tunnel under the railway tracks connects this facility with stops for city buses - see below.

The tourist office is located at Rua João Mendonça, 8 which is beside the canal, in the city centre.Map here.

Getting around in Aveiro

Aveiro is a walkable city, and mostly flat. If you need local buses around the city and immediate suburbs, consult the city bus company website at www.aveirobus.pt this is however only available in Portuguese. Timetables can be downloaded and there is a diagram of routes. Timetables for most routes are irregular in nature, some are infrequent and very little service is provided on most routes at weekends and also public holidays. Cash fare is €2,05 for one zone, €2,70 for longer trips across two zones. A pre paid ten journey ticket reduces those prices considerably. Various monthly passes are also available.

Aveiro is flat and bike hire is readily available. Buga Aveiro Rent-a-Bike has its main shop outside the Mercado Manuel Firmino in the centre, with bike stations in various locations.

Further afield from Aveiro - local trains, regional buses and ferry

Aveiro is well connected to the north and south by the railway. There is also the narrow gauge line inland, to Oliveira de Azaméis, part of the Linha da Vouga. This is a proper railway, not a heritage or tourist line. It is a pleasant ride into wooded countryside and is operated as part of the national railway system. Timetables here - link to CP railway website.

The website www.aveirobus.pt also has a link for the buses to outlying suburbs - click 'Rede Interurbana'. You will be redirected to the website of the Transdev bus company which is only in Portuguese and not easy to use. These and other Transdev  regional buses leave from the new bus station at Rua de Artur Almeida Eça, next to the railway station and thus a little way from the centre. Some do make other stops in town.

Aveiro is not quite on the coast. In summer a ferry runs out to the main beaches, details are also on the Aveirobus website.

Football Stadium in Aveiro

The stadium of SC Beira Mar Aveiro is the Estádio Mário Duarte, Rua do Sport Clube Beira-Mar, 3810-193 Aveiro. Capacity is 12,000. This is to the south of the city centre, but not far. The club currently plays in the fourth tier of Portuguese football, where attendances are numbered in hundreds. Club website is no longer being regularly updated but is http://www.beiramar.pt/

The large stadium built outside the town for the Euro 2004 championships is no longer in use. It remains the only stadium I have ever been to, anywhere, which was impossible to get to except by car! One could not even walk there.

Comments and updates

If you have any comments or updates for this page, I will be pleased to receive them by email. For more about Aveiro as a city, please see this article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aveiro

I take no responsibility for any inconvenience caused as a result of later changes to times etc. This page is for general guidance only and you must check details before making commitments and decisions!