Days in the Sun | Palheiros Costa Nova

We visited Aveiro today for a few things we can’t buy locally. Coming home, we took a slight detour along the coastline of the Ria de Aveiro to visit the town of Costa Nova. Delightful!

The houses here, known as palheiros, wear brightly coloured, striped pyjamas! It’s an Instagram fan’s utopia.

Coloured Haystacks

Palheiros means haystacks in Portuguese.

The striped buildings were former warehouses for storing fishing nets and equipment and some as warehouses for salting sardines.

Throughout the 19th century, most palheiros underwent restoration into beautiful houses for holidaymakers and you can see their bright colours all over the town.

It’s worth going off the main street and exploring the areas towards the beaches and dunes.

Palheiros Costa Nova|Location

Costa Nova is a short drive, taxi or bus ride from Aveiro in central Portugal. It’s a popular attraction for tourists and a convenient day trip destination for locals.

As well as the attractive houses, Costa Nova backs onto a few kilometres of Atlantic coast white sand beaches with boardwalks along the dunes. It’s a great location and a very relaxing day out.

The calçada paved Rua de José Estevão is the main road through Costa Nova and is where you will find the majority of palheiros facing the Aveiro lagoon. Why not grab a drink on board the Costa do Sal moored on the lagoon?

We are here in March. It’s relatively quiet at the moment. I suspect the whole area will be busy with tourists in the summer months but don’t let that put you off. It will be worth your visit. It’s a vibrant, picturesque Portuguese town with a great atmosphere.

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