Aveiro is the provincial capital city of Beira Litoral province, nestled next to a ria, or salt water lagoon and the Vouga River delta on the Atlantic coast of Central Portugal. Its origins go back to pre-Roman times. From the 8th until the 11th century, the region was under Muslim control. The charter elevating the town to city status was conferred in 1759 by King João I.

Aveiro was already a major salt producer in Roman times and later on, mainly due to the age-old dry codfish industry, continued to be so until the 1970s. It also played a major role in ceramics, ship building, metal working and machinery manufacture as well as being a natural shipping port for centuries.

The real charm of Aveiro's lifestyle lies in its coast, with its fantastic sandy beaches of São Jacinto, Torreira, Barra and Costa Nova. This local coast is branded as Costa da Prata or the Silver Coast.

- Wikivoyage