11/07/2024 – Festival of the Canals, in Aveiro, the Portuguese Venice

We all know that Portugal is a country rich in culture, biodiversity, gastronomy and one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe!

And in Portugal, you can find incredible, beautiful places that remind us of other famous destinations, such as Burgau, one of the smallest and most unknown coastal villages in the Algarve, considered by many to be the ‘Portuguese Santorini’, in an analogy with the famous island in the Aegean Sea, and the idyllic image we usually have of Greece or of a dream holiday.

But that is not the only example, as there is also a ‘Portuguese Venice’ not to be missed, Aveiro! The Portuguese city of striped houses, canals and moliceiros boats.

In Aveiro, unlike Venice, where it's common to go on Gondola rides, the rides are made on moliceiros, boats similar to those in Italy, but with small differences. They got their specific name because in the past these small boats were used to collect moliço, a kind of aquatic plant, used in agriculture and from which fertiliser was made for the lands in the region.

And in July, Aveiro hosts the Festival dos Canais, a multidisciplinary meeting of the arts, in a public space, which takes the city of Aveiro as an open stage, where artists from different geographies interconnect with the daily life and life of the territory to present their creations.

With music, dance and theatre performances, sculptures, exhibitions, workshops and much more, this festival promises to be to everyone's taste, and if all you were looking for was an excuse to visit Aveiro, how about going along to the festival, and taking the opportunity to get to know one of the most Instagrammable Portuguese cities ever!