AVEIRO MUNICIPAL

Venue Capacity: 31,200 Cost: �28.5m Home Club: SC Beira Enlarge Image

SC Beira Mar's existing Mario Duarte stadium can only cram in 14,000 people, whereas the new venue is able to house more than double that number.

The stadium, which has full covered seating, is already a local landmark.

It is located on the outskirts of Aveiro in an area known as City Park, which includes a golf course, tennis courts, swimming pool and six hotels.

There is more than a hint of Venice about this charming city, on the edge of a lagoon.

It is dissected by canals, and the brightly coloured local seaweed-collecting boats, known as Moliceiros, helped inspire the designs for the new stadium.

Aveiro is known for its sweets, most famously the 'ovos moles' (soft eggs), sweetened egg yolk in candied casings shaped like fish or barrels.

For those who like something a bit stronger, there are plenty of canalside bars; while to the south is the world-famous porcelain factory of Vista Alegre.