The Aveiro lagoon (Ria de Aveiro)

Rhapsody of colors, variety of species - birds, fish; flowers, mixture of sea and mountain landscapes, blue and green, wild but cultivated this all Ria de Aveiro. This lovely lagoon is maybe the most important water surface in the northern Portugal. It is home for various bird species, a fishermen paradise, cyclists and hikers love it as well.

Hopefully you liked the video. It shows the best things that Aveiro region can offer to all of us. Ria de Aveiro is 45 kilometers long and covers the surface of 75 km2. From Ovar in the north to the Mira in the south, this ria is one of the biggest in Europe, and definitely the biggest in Portugal. Named after the city of Aveiro, Ria de Aveiro is home of many bird species and it's an unofficial paradise for fishermen. Since the Atlantic ocean is so close (at some places less than a kilometer) fishermen find it a quiet zone and shelter from the wild ocean and its huge waves. So, Ria de Aveiro besides being an ornithological and fishing spot, is also a place for a nice and quiet vacation, a laid-back type of vacation.

What makes this place specific is this water surface is neither sea nor river. The big confusion starts when people think that this is actually a river (in Portuguese river is rio). Ria de Aveiro consist of salty water because represents the ocean water that stayed on the continent when the ocean water retreated, thousands of years ago and the lagoon got its shape in the 16th century. Because of its salty water, Ria de Aveiro is the home for salt collectors. *Flor de sal** is harvested here. On the outskirts of the city of Aveiro, you can visit salinas - the place where the finest salt is produced. You can walk around those natural salty pools, and kindly ask the worker how they collect the salt. Salt from Aveiro is very famous and together with a little barrel of ovos moles, a little bag of salt should definitely be a part of your souvenir pack.

Fleur de sel ("flower of salt" in French; French pronunciation: ​flœʁ də sɛl) or flor de sal *(also "" in Portuguese, Spanish and Catalan) is a salt that forms as a thin, delicate crust on the surface of seawater as it evaporates

In Ria de Aveiro you will see many boats, little ships, molicieros boats (typical traditionally decorated boats from Aveiro on the first photo bellow), fishing barks... all of them floating easily on the water surface making this place peaceful and quiet refuge and place where you will rest your body and soul.