portugal: ovar

As a brief overnight stop between Alcobaça & Porto, I wish I’d had more time to explore Ovar. Situated at the northernmost tip of the Aveiro estuary, this city without tons of tourists was a welcome change… but between its beautiful tiles, great food & proximity to the ocean, I’m sure Ovar will be on the beaten path soon.

With a somewhat radial layout, Ovar is easy enough to explore on foot. A grand city hall presides over the Praça da República, but my favorite municipal building by far was the tribunal court just down the street. In spite of needing some TLC, this late-Português Suave masterpiece by Januário Godinho de Almeida is shaped like an L to form its own mini-plaza. The staircase & corner entrance look fantastic, but the highlight would be all those tile panels by Jorge Barradas. Wowza.

Lots of other great architecture in Ovar as well, with most covered in a fantastic array of tiles. So many designs & color variations!

Although John & I visited in shoulder season, we still wanted to see the Atlantic Ocean & hopped in a taxi to windswept Praia de Furadouro. Watching the sunset was great, but there was a small problem… no taxis around to return to Ovar. What to do? We could have walked back, but those 5 km would have taken an hour & it was already close to dinnertime. I managed to find a service to call, & my Portuguese was good enough to convey where to pick us up. Those views were worth the worry.

I’ll have to return to see museums, but at least we picked up a pão-de-ló cake to have later. I’d love to see more of the estuary as well. Até à próxima, Ovar!