Costa Nova

Take the bridge just south of Aveiro across to Praia de Barra and you arrive at the ribbon of small resorts strung along the south sand spit of the Ria de Aveiro. Of them all, the most delightful is Costa Nova, which has decked itself out from top to toe in jazzy candy stripes. There are no actual sights, but the town is a pleasant place to walk along the lagoon, have lunch in one of a host of small seafood restaurants, and cross over to the Atlantic side of the dunes for fabulous beaches and rolling waves.