Aveiro has been called the Venice of Portugal because of its canals and the colorful moliceiro boats that carry tourists along the canals.
Moliceiros are long open boats that were originally used to collect seaweed. The brightly colored boats are right at home on Aveiro’s canals, and fit nicely in a city where Art Nouveau and Art Deco buildings are everywhere.
It was raining on our first day in Aveiro, but that didn’t keep us from exploring the city. One thing the inclement weather did do was cut down on the number of people wandering along the canals, so we pretty much had the area to ourselves.
All the moliceiros were docked when we walked by, but the next day the weather was much nicer so they were back to carrying tourists up and down the canals.
Mostly True 