Portugal's Agueda Has it Covered, with Umbrellas!
You might not know Agueda, but chances are, you will have seen its umbrella-canopied streets in tourist guides to Portugal. A municipality and city, this pleasant more Northern surprise has a diverse range of attractions, including the said umbrella theme, charming lanes boasting a multitude of independent shops and eateries, as well as an excellent location.
Given city status in 1985, Agueda's 15,000 or so inhabitants enjoy good major road and railway connections, positioned 240 km from Lisbon, 72 km from Porto and just a 20 km trip to nearest large city, Aveiro. The IC2/EN1 and E333 routes come through here and the railway line is functional and scenic.
Agueda is situated in the Vouga river basin, between coast and interior, offering the best of Portuguese coastal and traditional culture. Nearby is is the 'Pateira' natural lake, the largest in the Iberian peninsula, rich in bird, fish and plant life.
An important commercial and industrial focal point, known for motorbikes and bicycle production, Agueda is also known for its vineyards, wine production and roasted suckling pig - all signature features of local Bairrada culture.
We are less than 20 km away in our hometown of Curia and have Agueda on our favourites list, especially at Christmas with the resident mega-Santa, and are looking forward to the Summer festival, next year. As a place to settle, it's worthy of consideration, offering a lot of life-enhancing features for a more modest budget.
Even on this dullest of days, Agueda is a riot of colour and eye-catching detail
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| The umbrellas that Agueda is famous for! |
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| Agueda in the national scheme of things |
Agueda is situated in the Vouga river basin, between coast and interior, offering the best of Portuguese coastal and traditional culture. Nearby is is the 'Pateira' natural lake, the largest in the Iberian peninsula, rich in bird, fish and plant life.
An important commercial and industrial focal point, known for motorbikes and bicycle production, Agueda is also known for its vineyards, wine production and roasted suckling pig - all signature features of local Bairrada culture.
The vibrant heart, and most umbrella'd part of the city is easy to miss when passing through by car. The market-end of town, that hosts a very impressive Christmas fair, is not is most attractive aspect and visitors are well advised to park up in one of Agueda's many free parking spaces and wander on foot into the more intimate lanes.
These colourful pedestrian-dominated areas are brought to life by vivid and quirky street art., and the trademark brollies, even on the dullest and dampest of days. They are also a brilliant backdrop for the annual AgitÁgueda event - a stunning, multi-layered arts festival that is well worth a visit.
As you can probably tell, I am a fan. There are some very interesting properties for sale in the middle of town, and my friends at LifeTime Imobiliara have one 4-bedroomed, 2-balconied listing, just 1.2 km from the centre at a very modest €88,000.
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| An €88,000 foothold, 1.2 km from Agueda's centre |
Contact me if you need more specific help in this area or elsewhere in Portugal.
Even on this dullest of days, Agueda is a riot of colour and eye-catching detail
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| Agueda on the rail network (East of Aveiro) |
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