Costa Nova
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Logistics
Getting There
Located about an hour south of Porto, Costa Nova is a cute beach town right on the coast of Portugal. Costa Nova is most easily accessed by car so would recommend renting a car in Porto or stopping in Costa Nova on a road trip through Portugal.
Trains run between Porto and Aveiro which is a town located about 15 minutes from Costa Nova. Aveiro is more inland and is known as the Venice of Portugal. If you choose to take the train, you still need to get from Aveiro to Costa Nova, but can get a taxi for the shorter distance.
Getting Around
Since Costa Nova is just a small beach town, you can get around easily on foot. If you plan to leave the beach town area and head over to Aveiro for meals, you may want to consider renting a car or plan to rely on taxis. As we only stayed here one night, we opted to stay in the beach town for dinner.
Accommodations
When visiting Costa Nova, your main options are to stay in Costa Nova in the beach town or stay in Aveiro. Aveiro has more going out at night with its larger variety of restaurants and bars, but Costa Nova has the beauty of being right on the beach.
Costa Nova Hotel – Hotel in Costa Nova located right off the beach (5 minute walk) and close to the busier part of town (2 minute walk). It serves as a great home base and offers free parking at a street 1 minute away. Shops and different restaurants are also nearby. Book your stay here
Things to do and see
Praia da Costa Nova
Street with cute, picturesque colorful striped houses along the road
Beach
Spend a day on the beach relaxing and enjoying the water
Lighthouse of Praia da Barra
Tallest lighthouse in Portugal sitting right along the beach. There is a long boardwalk that extends in the water in front of the lighthouse to walk on.
Beach Run
There are plenty of nice outdoor areas to run including right on the beach, along the beach boardwalk, on the street with the colorful houses, and into the town over called Praia da Barra where the large Lighthouse is located.
Beach Sunset
Enjoy a gorgeous sunset over the water and bring a picnic or some wine to the beach
Aveiro
This little town is known as the “Venice of Portugal” and is about a 15 minute drive from Costa Nova. It provides a good spot to walk around for an afternoon and grab a bite to eat. You do not need too much time here as we only spent 3 hours, including time to grab lunch. In the canals you will see some large boats that mimic the small gondolas in Venice. These boats provided tours in the canals if interested.
Tiled Walls
All throughout Portugal there are lots of buildings, houses, restaurants, etc with tiled walls on the side. Keep an eye out as they add a nice touch to the towns and are all unique.
Food and Drinks
Bronze | Seafood and Lounge Bar
Lunch
Costa Nova
Restaurant located right on the beach in Costa Nova with indoor and outdoor seating. The staff was very friendly and food was delicious. The menu included a variety of options specifically with nice seafood and fish selections. We were also able to purchase beer and wine to go and enjoy the beverages outside on the beach after our meal.
O Batel
Lunch
Aveiro
This restaurant offers some great Portuguese food and is an excellent restaurant located in Aveiro. We had a nice lunch here and seemed that the owner was also the waiter and the cook! It is a small restaurant, but the food was excellent and the interior is nicely decorated. We tried the shrimp, mussels, fish, jamon and wine and can recommend it all.
Other Notes
Duration
The Algarve Coast can be a long weekend trip if coming from Europe or you can easily spend an entire week. We spent three nights and four days on the Algarve Coast which was a perfect little getaway. If we had more time, we would have gone out to explore the far west side more along with Sagres and the surrounding beaches.
On the day we arrived, we got settled in Albufeira and picked up beach towels from a local shop. Then we headed out to Praia da Marinha for the afternoon. On day 2 we tried to see the Benagil Caves but were rescheduled to the next day so instead we visited Praia Dona Ana, Praia do Camilo, Ponta da Piedade and Lagos as these were all within the same area. On day 3 we again tried to go to the Benagil Caves, but were unfortunately cancelled again so we travelled to Carvoeiro and Portimao where we checked out Praia da Rocha. On our final day, we spent the day at Praia da Falesia before going to the airport in Faro.
Time of year
June through September are high season for visitors on the Algarve Coast. This means the beaches can be packed, and parking may be difficult when visiting some of the more picturesque and touristy beaches. If you have flexibility in your travel time, I recommend going in shoulder season which is right before or after high season. We visited at the beginning of October which proved to be the perfect time. The weather was beautiful, shops and restaurants were all open, but the crowds were completely manageable. For the most part, we did not have issues finding space on beaches for ourselves or spots at restaurants.