I walked both and I wrote books about both. Only 1 % of all pilgrims getting a compostela start in Lisbon, while 17 % start somewhere on the Portuguese Route. I walked both my Caminos in Feb-March when the Camino has a tenth the pilgrims as in the summer months. For 3 weeks I saw only one French couple pilgrims between Lisbon and Porto. I would say that is "empty".
I stayed at albergues where I was the only person in the entire building for the night. After Porto I met up with a series of other pilgrims who I walked and talked with usually for less than a full day. I missed the camaraderie of the French route on my Portuguese Camino, but it was flatter, the language was more lyrical, the Portuguese people were much warmer and friendlier and the food was exponentially better in Portugal. The seafood there is amazing! The best in the world. I would know since I ran a big aquaculture company here in Maine.
Get the
Brierley guide book. Since I am from Maine, every day staring out above freezing and getting up to 50 F was perfect weather in Feb-March. It does rain a fair amount on the Iberian peninsula at that time of year.
I got a frogg-toggs paper thin rain suit that breaths, with a Maine yellow sou'wester fisherman's hat and waterproof Columbia sneakers and a rain cover for my backpack and was good to go in the rain. Also I spoiled myself a bit on accommodations and tried to stay at some very nice Quintas, three and four star hotels and even at the Paradore in Tui. The highlight of my trip was the Templar Castle in Tomar and stopping to spend three days going to museums and Cathedrals in Porto. I took the Central Route from Porto, if if had been summer I might have taken the Coastal route. If you take the Central route you will stay in the incredible lovely towns of Ponte de Lima and Barcelos. Bom Caminho as they say in the Portuguese.
Terence Callery
