Moliceiro Boat Cruise in Aveiro

Explore the picturesque canals of the so-called Portuguese Venice when you take our traditional moliceiro or mercantel boat trip along the Aveiro.

Moliceiro or Mercantel Boat Trip

Meet us at the Jardim do Rossio Pier for our traditional boat trip through Aveiro. Throughout the journey, we'll learn about the differences between the two main boats that cruise the canals - the moliceiro vessel and the mercantile vessel - and their origins and history.

During the journey in the moliceiro, we'll pass some iconic locations of Aveiro, such as the Art Nouveau style buildings, the Aveiro salt pan, the traditional fishermen's neighborhood, the Jerónimo P. Campos ceramics factory, and the Fish Market.

Our itinerary concludes returning to the same point from where we departed. But the experience includes tasting raivas, a typical local cookie.

Type of Boats

Depending on the availability of boats, we'll travel on a moliceiro and a mercantel. Both are typical boats of the city.

A moliceiro is a traditional boat of the Ria de Aveiro, similar to a Venetian gondola, used to transport and collect moliço, a type of seaweed used as fertilizer.

The mercantel ship was used to transport sand and mud for the salt pans. They are larger than the moliceiros and have simpler decorations.