Aveiro Train Station (Estação De Aveiro)

Aveiro is a city of canals and lagoons, famous for its colourful moliceiro boats and its salt pans, and its railway station offers a small taste of the region before you even leave. The station lies on the main line between Lisbon and Porto and on branch lines to other parts of the region, and it consists of an older building and a more modern addition. The original structure dates from the middle of the 19th century and has the simple, regular lines typical of Portuguese railway architecture of the time.

The feature that draws attention is the tilework on the main building's facade. In the early 20th century, when decorating stations with azulejos became fashionable, panels were installed on the front and sides of the building, completed around 1916. They were designed by local painters and show scenes of the region in blue, yellow, and white. The images illustrate the life of the area: moliceiro boats on the lagoon, salt workers on the pans, fishermen and women in traditional dress, and landmarks of the region such as the lighthouse at the coast and distant monuments. Together they form a kind of picture book of the area's trades and places, and they are charming in their simplicity.

The station is a working one, with commuter and long-distance trains and a bus station nearby, so the panels can be seen without any fee and are accessible at all hours. It is about a ten-minute walk from the centre of the city, along the Avenida Dr. Lourenço Peixinho, a wide avenue lined with Art Nouveau buildings and cafés. At the end the main canal and the old town begin, with the boats, bridges, and pastry shops that make the city popular.

Aveiro rewards a stay of a day or more. Moliceiro boat rides along the canals are the best-known activity, with guides explaining the history of the boats once used to harvest seaweed. The sweet pastry called ovos moles, made of egg yolks and sugar and served in small shells, is the city's speciality, and there are good beaches nearby on the coast at Costa Nova, with its striped houses, and at Barra.

The station suits railway enthusiasts, tile lovers, and anyone arriving by train. A look at the panels takes ten minutes, and gives a good introduction to the region.