4 Best Sights in Coimbra and Central Portugal, Portugal

The fairy-tale Castelo de Santa Maria da Feira sits 8 km (5 miles) northeast of Ovar. Its four square towers are crowned with a series of conical turrets in a display of Gothic architecture more common in Germany or Austria than in Portugal. Although the original walls date to the 11th century, the present structure is the result of modifications made 400 years later. From atop the towers you can make out the sprawling outlines of the Ria de Aveiro.

The exterior of this late-17th-century church is completely covered with blue-and-white azulejos.

Occupying an old house in the town center, the small Museu de Ovar has displays of traditional tiles and displays scenes from provincial life over the centuries. There's also a collection of mementos relating to popular 19th-century novelist Júlio Dinis, a native of Ovar and its most famous son.

Ovar is a veritable open-air art gallery of azulejo tiles, and the city's Rua do Azulejo (literally, "Street of Azulejos") is a guided route by the Atelier for the Conservation and Restoration of Tiles (ACRA), leading to some of the city's most notable examples of the distinctive style. The tourist office can provide information about start times, locations, and themed events, such as tile painting.