Aveiro is a charming Portuguese city famed for its canals and colourful fishing boats. Close to Aveiro is Costa Nova, one of the prettiest beach villages in Portugal, known for its distinctive striped beach houses. Aveiro and Costa Nova are both fascinating tourist destinations that combine to create an enjoyable day trip from Porto. Though not as famous as Braga or Guimarães, I always recommend Aveiro to friends who have a longer stay in Porto.

Aveiro is connected to Porto by a frequent and inexpensive train service, which I have taken on numerous occasions since I first visited in 2001. I have made this journey with my older parents, as well as my brother and his young family, and the train is the option I suggest to friends who want to visit Aveiro as a day trip.

This guide provides practical advice based on my experience of the journey, including station information, fare details, and links to current timetables. The final section explains how to travel directly from Porto Airport to Aveiro.
Related articles: Guide to Aveiro

Aveiro on a hot summer’s day

Aveiro is 57km to the south of Porto, and the fastest method of travel between the two cities is by car. Having a car is particularly useful for a day trip to Aveiro, as it removes the need to catch the bus from Aveiro to Costa Nova, which can get very busy in the summer months.

If you are using public transport, the train is the recommended means of travel, providing a direct service with frequent departures. In Porto, the train to Aveiro departs from São Bento train station, which is conveniently located in the heart of the city and close to the main tourist areas.

There are two types of train service from Porto to Aveiro: the Urban trains and the express trains (Intercidades (IC) or Alfa Pendular (AP)). For a day trip, I would recommend the Urban train.

The Urban train is significantly cheaper at €3.95 for a single, compared to €13.00 (IC) or €16.10 (AP). Tickets can be purchased at the station and are valid for any departure, so you can simply turn up and catch the next train. The express trains, by contrast, require a reservation for a specific departure and seat, which removes the flexibility to extend or shorten your day in Aveiro.

The express trains also depart from Campanhã station rather than São Bento, meaning you need to catch a connecting train first. Once you factor in this connection, the Urban train from São Bento takes 1 hour and 15 minutes compared to 54 to 60 minutes for the express route, a small time saving that I do not feel justifies the extra cost and hassle.

Another option is to hire an Uber (around €50 each way), which is particularly useful as it removes the need to travel back to Aveiro from Costa Nova. The main drawback is that there can be extremely high demand at the end of the day when everyone is returning from the beach.

The train to Aveiro in São Bento train station

The train services between Porto and Aveiro are operated by Comboios de Portugal (CP), the national train company of Portugal. Their website is www.cp.pt/

The urban train is the service most visitors take when travelling between Porto and Aveiro. This service departs from São Bento train station in central Porto and terminates at Aveiro station.

The journey takes approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes, which may seem lengthy for 57km and is due to the numerous stops along the route. I find the journey always passes relatively quickly, as the route is scenic, crossing the Douro river and following the coastline south of Miramar.

A single ticket from Porto to Aveiro costs €3.95 for adults and €2.00 for children (Zone 9 on the Porto urban network). There are no return tickets, so a return fare is the price of two singles: €7.90 for adults and €4.00 for children. All fares are loaded onto a rechargeable smart card known as the "Siga" card, which costs €0.50 and is purchased the first time you buy a ticket. If you plan on taking another day trip (such as to Braga or Guimarães), keep the card and simply top it up at the machine to save the €0.50 fee next time. Train tickets can also be purchased from the Comboios de Portugal website, and these are saved as a PDF.

Insight: You must validate your card before every journey by touching it against the yellow pedestals located on the station platforms.

There are at least two departures every hour (Monday to Friday) with at least one per hour at weekends and bank holidays. The latest timetable can be seen on the CP website at:
www.cp.pt/info/documents/d/cp/comboios-urbanos-porto-aveiro

Insight: When looking at the timetable above, be aware that some services run daily while others are weekday or weekend only. The search feature on the Comboios de Portugal website lists all services (Urban, IC and AP), so check which type of train you are selecting and buying tickets for.

The route is also safe to travel late at night. In all my years of using this service, I have never heard any reports of it being unsafe, even on the late services.

The interactive map below shows the route of the train from Porto to Aveiro and marks all of the stations along the route. The orange line shows the connecting service between São Bento station and Campanhã station. (Note: zoom in or out to see all of the points)

Key: 1) São Bento 2) Campanha 3) Vila Nova de Gaia 4) Granja 5) Espinho 6) Esmoriz 7) Aveiro

If this is your first visit to Aveiro, a small group tour is a wonderful way to discover the city and ensure you don't miss any of the key sights. I have worked with GetYourGuide for the past eight years, and some of the best tours they offer for Aveiro include:

All urban trains to Guimarães depart from São Bento train station (GPS 41.145, -8.610) (link to Google Maps). This station is conveniently located near Porto's main tourist areas, just a short walk from the Ribeira district, and is served by the D (yellow) metro line, the main north-south route.

São Bento station offers standard facilities, including an ATM, coffee shop, luggage lockers, ticket offices, and a small waiting room. The ticket machines at the station provide instructions in all common European languages and accept both cash and card payments. Be aware that the main ticket office in São Bento train station can become very busy, particularly during rush hour.

While passing through São Bento train station, don't miss the stunning azulejo tile paintings adorning the waiting room walls. Dating from 1907-1913, the tiles reflect the eras before and after the 1910 Portuguese revolution. The classic blue and white tiles predate the revolution, while the coloured tiles, introduced after the revolution, were considered modern and progressive, symbolising the newly formed republic in 1911.

If you are already staying near Campanhã, or arriving by intercity train from Lisbon or Coimbra, you can also board the Guimarães train here (GPS: 41.150, -8.584). However, I always recommend starting from São Bento. It is a small terminus station, so all platforms are just a short walk from the ticket hall, and trains tend to be waiting well before departure. Campanhã is a much larger through station, where you need to navigate tunnels or bridges to reach your platform, and trains arrive with less time to spare.

Aveiro is a busy train station, as it lies along the main north–south railway of Portugal. The station lies to the east of the city, GPS: 40.643, -8.640 and is a 1km walk along the Avenida Dr. Lourenço Peixinho to the historic area of Aveiro.

Insight: The modern train station of Aveiro sits next to the older one which is decorated with beautiful azulejo tile paintings.

The old train station in Aveiro adorned with beautiful tile paintings

It is possible to hire an Uber or Bolt from Porto to Aveiro but due to the distance it will be an expensive fare, starting from €50 (however will be more expensive depending on demand). The ride-hailing apps are particularly useful when travelling with children or in a group of four, as they provide a comfortable and direct door-to-door service.

The biggest advantage of Uber or Bolt is the flexibility they offer at the end of the day. You are not tied to train departure times and can leave whenever you are ready. After a long day of sightseeing, the comfort of a direct ride back to Porto is hard to beat.

However, be aware that there can be very high demand at the end of the day, especially at the weekends in the summer when everyone heads back from the beaches of Costa Nova. At peak times drivers may not want such a long ride, and fares will be significantly more expensive.

Aveiro is not the easiest place to reach from Porto Airport, as there is no direct public transport.

The best method of onward travel is to take the metro from the airport to Campanhã train station and then catch the urban train to Aveiro.

A single metro ticket from the airport to Campanhã costs €2.30 (plus €0.60 for an Andante card), and there are departures every 20 minutes. The journey from the airport to Campanhã station takes approximately 40 minutes. Alternatively, you may wish to take an Uber, Bolt or taxi for this stage of the journey.

In my opinion there is no point in taking the intercity bus from Porto to Aveiro as the journey is much longer, the fares are more expensive, and there are fewer departures.

The intercity bus network is operated by Rede Expressos, and their fastest route takes 1h25, but some services take over 2 hours.

Rede Expressos uses dynamic pricing with fares varying based on demand, but a single ticket is typically around €12. Further information and ticket bookings can be found on the Rede Expressos website: www.rede-expressos.pt

In Porto, the intercity bus station is the Terminal Intermodal de Campanhã (TIC), which is connected to the Campanhã train and metro station, GPS 41.151, -8.582.

The departure level of the Terminal Intermodal de Campanhã bus station