Winding canals, colourful buildings and waterside cafés are synonymous with the maze-like city of Venice. But they can also be found in a lesser-known European gem.
That fact will come as a relief to some travellers, after the popular Italian destination confirmed plans to double its entry fee for day trippers earlier this month.
This means that the current €5 (£4.20) fee will increase to €10 (£8.30) for travellers who book less than four days in advance.
It comes amid the city’s struggles with overtourism — Venice attracts roughly 30 million visitors per year and, on its busiest days, up to 120,000 million pass through the city.
It’s no surprise that travellers are looking for destination dupes that offer Venice’s charm without the crowds and the tourist fees.
If you can’t afford the trip to Vietnam’s Grand World, a Venice-like entertainment complex on the island of Phu Quoc, there’s somewhere much closer to home you can check out.
Enter Aveiro, also known as ‘the Venice of Portugal’.
Located on the west coast, just a short train ride from Porto, Aveiro boasts picturesque canals, gondola-esque boats and stunning Art Nouveau architecture.
The city’s moliceiro boats are one of the most widely recognised symbols of the region and have drawn comparisons to Venice’s gondolas, thanks to their colourful artwork and curled fronts.
During the 19th century, they were used to harvest moliço, a type of seaweed found in the Aveiro lagoon – hence the name. After being dried, the seaweed was used as a fertiliser.
Nowadays tourists can take a traditional boat tour for a unique view of the city. The journey around the main canals lasts around 45 minutes and adult tickets cost €15 (roughly £12).
Elsewhere, the city is famous for its ovos moles, which translates to ‘soft eggs’. These are traditional Portugese sweets made with egg yolks, sugar and water.
Created centuries ago by nuns in Aveiro, they can be found at Confeitaria Peixinho, the oldest bakery in the city, as well as other pastelarias all over Aveiro.
Other attractions in and around the city include the salinas, where visitors can walk around the salt pans and find out how the mineral is harvested. Alternatively, the intricate ceramic tile paintings (azulejos) at the old train station and the gold-leafed chapel and marble mosaic tomb at the Museu de Aveiro are popular spots.
A 10-minute drive outside Aveiro is Costa Nova, a beach famous for its colourfully painted fishing cottages and pristine sand dunes.
How to get to Aveiro
Aveiro doesn’t have an airport — the closest one is in Porto, roughly 80 kilometres from the city centre.
The easiest way to reach this Venice-like gem is to fly to Porto and take the train to Aveiro from Porto Campanha station.
The journey takes between 30 minutes and one hour, depending on timings, and costs from €5 (roughly £4) when booked in advance.
Ryanair offers flights to Porto from as little as £19 (one way) from airports across the UK, meaning the whole journey could set travellers back just £23 each way.
The Portuguese city has proved popular on social media for its comparisons to Venice, as well as its own enduring charm.
One user said: ‘I’m sorry what?!?! This place exists?!? Wish I knew before I went to Portugal last year!’
Another wrote: ‘Is this a movie set? Or a postcard maybe? Because whaaaat’, while one commenter added, ‘This little town looks like pure happiness. Love how vibrant and colourful it is too’.
Social media users who have already visited the city sang its praises, with one person saying: ‘Loooved Aveiro! Would go back any time!’
Overtourism in Europe
Venice isn’t the only holiday spot struggling with overtourism.
Destinations all over Europe have seen locals take a stand against the overcrowding and soaring costs caused by increasing numbers of visitors.
Last month, an activist group known as the Robin Hood Band staged protests across Italy, fighting against the impact of platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo.
The vigilante group has targeted cities including Rome, Florence and Naples, where locals say tourism is driving up rents and pushing out long-term residents.
Elsewhere in Europe, thousands took to the streets of Madrid in October last year to protest extortionate house prices and the impact of holiday rental sites.
In the summer, protestors in Barcelona armed with water pistols demanded ‘tourists go home’, while tens of thousands protested in the city in November demanding lower house prices.
More recently, Málaga has taken action with a new three-year law that prevents the registration of new holiday rentals in some areas.
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