How busy is the camino portuguese route just now?

[Peter462]

Hi everyone,

I start walking the camino portuguese central route on the 19th and was just wondering how busy it is just now? If possible, I'd love to hear from pilgrims who are either on the way just now or have been recently.

Thanks I advance,

Peter

 

[dougfitz]

I can understand your interest, but would advise caution about how you treat any input you get. It's unlikely to be all that relevant by the time you start.

I started in Lisbon on the 25th of Apr, and arrived in Santiago on 29 May. Up to Porto, there were never many other pilgrims walking at the same time as me, but I was starting around 8 to 8:30 am, and quite a few pilgrims were getting away far earlier than that. Some albergues were booked out where they could be reserved, but others with a more traditional approach were nearly empty.

At Porto, things changed as more pilgrims joined, and it was more difficult to find accommodation for the first few days. The general 'vibe' changed as more pilgrims seemed to be focussed on doing longer days than I was contemplating, and a type of 'busy-ness' started to emerge. That settled down for a while, but at Tui, with a major influx of pilgrims, it re-emerged, never completely going away then for the rest of the way into Santiago.

I had no problems finding places to stay on that stretch. If I could, I would book a couple of days ahead, but for some days where I knew I had a shorter day, I would take the chance of getting into a Xunta albergue. That worked.

Other than when I walked the CI, I have found it difficult on the last day into Santiago to walk in quiet contemplation. There is a lot of rushing and noise, and this year was no different. I was tolerant of most of it, although I did find one particular incident disconcerting, and it unsettled me for the rest of the way. Unfortunately, I wasn't prepared for what I saw as fundamentally rude and aggressive behaviour. Whether the individual responsible for that understood that this is how she appeared to others I cannot tell, but I would suggest that you prepare yourself mentally for the worst, and if it doesn't occur, be very thankful.

I had booked accommodation in Santiago before I left Australia, so that wasn't an issue. I didn't think Santiago was all that busy compared to my previous visits, but you will be walking perhaps six weeks later, and the numbers could have increased quite a lot over that time.

Enjoy your walk

Doug

 

[Peter462]

Thanks for your incredibly thorough reply, it was really appreciated.

Cheers,

Peter

 

[Casserole]

I just got back from walking the CP (central) and the Variant. Once you get to Tui/Valenca it gets a little difficult to find a room. I booked all private rooms in advance because it was getting harder to find a place to stay. I would meet people that had to keep walking to the next town because everything was booked.

Also, if you are interested in staying at the monastery on the Variant you have to reserve ahead of time. But I believe there is an albergue in the same little village.

 

[Rita Flower]

I can understand your interest, but would advise caution about how you treat any input you get. It's unlikely to be all that relevant by the time you start.

I started in Lisbon on the 25th of Apr, and arrived in Santiago on 29 May. Up to Porto, there were never many other pilgrims walking at the same time as me, but I was starting around 8 to 8:30 am, and quite a few pilgrims were getting away far earlier than that. Some albergues were booked out where they could be reserved, but others with a more traditional approach were nearly empty.

At Porto, things changed as more pilgrims joined, and it was more difficult to find accommodation for the first few days. The general 'vibe' changed as more pilgrims seemed to be focussed on doing longer days than I was contemplating, and a type of 'busy-ness' started to emerge. That settled down for a while, but at Tui, with a major influx of pilgrims, it re-emerged, never completely going away then for the rest of the way into Santiago.

I had no problems finding places to stay on that stretch. If I could, I would book a couple of days ahead, but for some days where I knew I had a shorter day, I would take the chance of getting into a Xunta albergue. That worked.

Other than when I walked the CI, I have found it difficult on the last day into Santiago to walk in quiet contemplation. There is a lot of rushing and noise, and this year was no different. I was tolerant of most of it, although I did find one particular incident disconcerting, and it unsettled me for the rest of the way. Unfortunately, I wasn't prepared for what I saw as fundamentally rude and aggressive behaviour. Whether the individual responsible for that understood that this is how she appeared to others I cannot tell, but I would suggest that you prepare yourself mentally for the worst, and if it doesn't occur, be very thankful.

I had booked accommodation in Santiago before I left Australia, so that wasn't an issue. I didn't think Santiago was all that busy compared to my previous visits, but you will be walking perhaps six weeks later, and the numbers could have increased quite a lot over that time.

Enjoy your walk

Doug

Simulate experience on CP in terms of numbers and energy in 2018. However i got out of the ‘race to Santiago’ (which for some was a wonderful exciting experience) by staying in a fabulous (new at the time) Abergele about 5 K out of Santiago.
I left at sunrise and had the most peaceful and uplifting walk to Cathedral square. Got lost a few times but all good. I had morning coffee with a fellow Aussie I saw sitting in a cafe just before the square. And then continued to my goal. Bliss.

 

[Jim]

Just finished the Coastal Portuguese route and came into Santiago on May 20th, a Friday. Quite a few pilgrims in Galicia at that time, but not what I would call insanely busy. I'm a slow walker and many other were passing me by. I was glad that I had pre-booked all accommodations. Wait time to get a compostela certificate on Saturday, the 21st, was under an hour. Many people in Santiago that entire weekend, but all went well for that journey.

 

[PBFLough]

Hi everyone,

I start walking the camino portuguese central route on the 19th and was just wondering how busy it is just now? If possible, I'd love to hear from pilgrims who are either on the way just now or have been recently.

Thanks I advance,

Peter

I was there two weeks ago. It wasn't very busy at all. Lots of spare beds and no real need to book. I did the Central and the Spiritual and then on to Finisterre and Muxia

 

[Roz.K]

I can understand your interest, but would advise caution about how you treat any input you get. It's unlikely to be all that relevant by the time you start.

I started in Lisbon on the 25th of Apr, and arrived in Santiago on 29 May. Up to Porto, there were never many other pilgrims walking at the same time as me, but I was starting around 8 to 8:30 am, and quite a few pilgrims were getting away far earlier than that. Some albergues were booked out where they could be reserved, but others with a more traditional approach were nearly empty.

At Porto, things changed as more pilgrims joined, and it was more difficult to find accommodation for the first few days. The general 'vibe' changed as more pilgrims seemed to be focussed on doing longer days than I was contemplating, and a type of 'busy-ness' started to emerge. That settled down for a while, but at Tui, with a major influx of pilgrims, it re-emerged, never completely going away then for the rest of the way into Santiago.

I had no problems finding places to stay on that stretch. If I could, I would book a couple of days ahead, but for some days where I knew I had a shorter day, I would take the chance of getting into a Xunta albergue. That worked.

Other than when I walked the CI, I have found it difficult on the last day into Santiago to walk in quiet contemplation. There is a lot of rushing and noise, and this year was no different. I was tolerant of most of it, although I did find one particular incident disconcerting, and it unsettled me for the rest of the way. Unfortunately, I wasn't prepared for what I saw as fundamentally rude and aggressive behaviour. Whether the individual responsible for that understood that this is how she appeared to others I cannot tell, but I would suggest that you prepare yourself mentally for the worst, and if it doesn't occur, be very thankful.

I had booked accommodation in Santiago before I left Australia, so that wasn't an issue. I didn't think Santiago was all that busy compared to my previous visits, but you will be walking perhaps six weeks later, and the numbers could have increased quite a lot over that time.

Enjoy your walk

Doug

Hello Doug, I am a fellow Aussie (from Melbourne) and just wanted to know what covid protocols you came up against flying into Portugal. We are fully vaxxed and are planning to do the coastal route from Porto, later in the year.
Did you need any tests when you arrived and how does our Australian vaccination certificate stack up over there? Basically, did you have any problems anywhere? Regards, Roz.

 

[Former member 88968]

Hello Doug, I am a fellow Aussie (from Melbourne) and just wanted to know what covid protocols you came up against flying into Portugal. We are fully vaxxed and are planning to do the coastal route from Porto, later in the year.
Did you need any tests when you arrived and how does our Australian vaccination certificate stack up over there? Basically, did you have any problems anywhere? Regards, Roz.

My understanding - and that of our travel agent - is that you don't need to be vaxxed to get into Portugal or Spain. You will need to have a negative RAT in the preceding 24 hours though. I have been told that cafes and restaurants are open to all. As for accommodation, it seems to vary from place to place on an individual basis. We are traveling from Melbourne in August, starting in Lisbon.

 

[Roz.K]

My understanding - and that of our travel agent - is that you don't need to be vaxxed to get into Portugal or Spain. You will need to have a negative RAT in the preceding 24 hours though. I have been told that cafes and restaurants are open to all. As for accommodation, it seems to vary from place to place on an individual basis. We are traveling from Melbourne in August, starting in Lisbon.

Did you find reasonable airfares? We are planning on Sept./Oct and the fares are so high now.

 

[Former member 88968]

Did you find reasonable airfares? We are planning on Sept./Oct and the fares are so high now.

"Reasonable" is relative I think, but not really. We found that travel agents could get us cheaper fares than we could find online. I will PM you

 

[dougfitz]

Hello Doug, I am a fellow Aussie (from Melbourne) and just wanted to know what covid protocols you came up against flying into Portugal. We are fully vaxxed and are planning to do the coastal route from Porto, later in the year.
Did you need any tests when you arrived and how does our Australian vaccination certificate stack up over there? Basically, did you have any problems anywhere? Regards, Roz.

I had both the Australian 'International Vaccination Certificate' and PCR test results, but I only needed the vaccination certificate. It wasn't a problem, even though at the time I don't think the vaccination certificate was recognised (formally) by Portugal. I was asked to produce it again somewhere before flying from Santiago. Some albergues wanted to see it, and perhaps the hotels, but even that got less frequent towards the end.

There were no problems entering Spain and then the UK, although there were some more procedures to follow before flying from Santiago and then Heathrow.

 

[dougfitz]

My understanding - and that of our travel agent - is that you don't need to be vaxxed to get into Portugal or Spain. You will need to have a negative RAT in the preceding 24 hours though. I have been told that cafes and restaurants are open to all. As for accommodation, it seems to vary from place to place on an individual basis. We are traveling from Melbourne in August, starting in Lisbon.

I would visit https://www.visitportugal.com/en/content/covid-19-measures-implemented-portugal regularly to keep up to date with what the requirements are. There is a wider range of ways to satisfy the entry requirement, including being vaccinated, right now. This site gets updated reasonably regularly as the rules change in Portugal.

Don't rely on anything like advice in threads like that that can age quickly. I have shared my experience, but note that the most recent updates to the rules took place well after I travelled to Lisbon.

 

[Roz.K]

I would visit https://www.visitportugal.com/en/content/covid-19-measures-implemented-portugal regularly to keep up to date with what the requirements are. There is a wider range of ways to satisfy the entry requirement, including being vaccinated, right now. This site gets updated reasonably regularly as the rules change in Portugal.

Don't rely on anything like advice in threads like that that can age quickly. I have shared my experience, but note that the most recent updates to the rules took place well after I travelled to Lisbon.

Thank you.

 

[DeansFamily]

We have just completed the Lisbon to Porto section yesterday and are enjoying 10 days rest in an amazing airbnb in Varzim while waiting for our daughter and Quebecoise friends to arrive and walk out on the 21st. Firstly, the first security check at Lisbon airport was for vaccination proof and negative travel test result. They were pulling people aside that didnt comply. Dont risk it, have your paper copies of everything that is currently necessary. As far as accomodation, we have alternated between pensiones and albergues, with an occasional hotel as there was no choice. Portugal Day was stupidly expensive in Porto and we luckily secured a hotel 6 km off the camino and then walked in yesterday straight to the metro and straight to Varzim. Albergues close to Lisbon filled quickly and some now dont take bookings. Pensiones were better value for 2 people and we have booked ahead for what we can, which is a new thing for us. Will be interesting ahead of Porto as there will be 6 of us. Back to resting now.....

 

[Elary Jack]

I just saw a CNN travel article from yesterday that seemed to say that tests weren't required if you have vaccination cards (I'll copy below.) Can anyone confirm that we won't have to be tested if we are vaxed? We're leaving the USA on Saturday for Lisbon...
From https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/portugal-travel-covid-19/index.html

"What are the restrictions?​

These restrictions reflect arrivals to mainland Portugal....
All travelers entering mainland Portugal must either show proof of vaccination, or valid recovery certificate, or a negative PCR test taken 72 hours before boarding, or a negative antigen test taken 24 hours before boarding."

 

[Tincatinker]

I just saw a CNN travel article from yesterday that seemed to say that tests weren't required if you have vaccination cards (I'll copy below.) Can anyone confirm that we won't have to be tested if we are vaxed? We're leaving the USA on Saturday for Lisbon...
From https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/portugal-travel-covid-19/index.html

"What are the restrictions?​

These restrictions reflect arrivals to mainland Portugal....
All travelers entering mainland Portugal must either show proof of vaccination, or valid recovery certificate, or a negative PCR test taken 72 hours before boarding, or a negative antigen test taken 24 hours before boarding."

Use the Visit Portugal link in @dougfitz ‘s post #13 above. CNN do not govern Portugal

 

[Former member 88968]

Another day, another change..... Now you don't need anything to enter Portugal! Back to pre-covid levels at last!!

COVID-19 | Measures implemented in Portugal | www.visitportugal.com

Measures Implemented in Portugal[Updated on 1st July]As of July 1, 2022, passengers entering national territory are no longer required to present proof of carrying out a test to screen for SARS-CoV-2 infection with a negative result or to present a COVID-EU digital certificate or vaccination or...

www.visitportugal.com

Measures Implemented in Portugal
[Updated on 1st July]

As of July 1, 2022, passengers entering national territory (including Azores and Madeira) are no longer required to present proof of carrying out a test to screen for SARS-CoV-2 infection with a negative result or to present a COVID-EU digital certificate or vaccination or recovery certificate issued by third countries, accepted or recognized in Portugal.

Measures in force may be reviewed in accordance to the evolution of the pandemic.