May 2015

[Johan]

Good day,

I am planning on starting in Porto in May 2015.

Is it a good time?

I need to travel from Lisbon to Porto and then from Santiago back to Lisbon. Which is better train or bus, if it is possible?

Thank you,
Johan
Worcester, South Africa

 

[VascoH]

Hello Johan,
I have walked the Portuguese Camino From Port to Santiago twice both times late April into early May. May would be a beautiful time to do the walk as there is less chance of rain. This year upon completing the Camino I caught the Bus From Santiago to Lisbon. This was the simplest option as there was no exchanges of buses or trains and the bus stopped in Porto for an hour for lunch. It is about an 8 hour ride in total comfort.

Bon Camino

 

[Camembert]

Good day,

I am planning on starting in Porto in May 2015.

Is it a good time?

I need to travel from Lisbon to Porto and then from Santiago back to Lisbon. Which is better train or bus, if it is possible?

Thank you,
Johan
Worcester, South Africa

johan. May is a great time for walking the caminho Portuges

It is not too hot. My wife and I walked last year from Lisbon to Santiago
In the morning you need your fleecevest. After a while you take a layer off when you are warmed up.
Sometimes a little drizzle but as been said. A great walk

Some tips. Skip day 3 from Alverca de Ribatejo to Azambuja. Take the train. Only walking on industrial estates and along busy roads with lots of traffic. If you do wear a reflecting safetyvest.

Stay at the Santarém albergue..great place. Hostal Solo Duro in Gôlega, Hilario in Mealhada
The Jesuites schoolcampus in Cernache lodges you for free in a house with bunkbeds. Restaurant oposite the entrance. Give them a ring on beforehand that you will arrive.

In Coimbra pensão Parque at the riverside oposite the bridge and almost next door to the tourist info gives you the atmosphere of the ancient years.

Just outside Albergaría -a-Velha is casa Diocesana . A retraîte house with nuns. Bunkbeds and a lunch and diner and breakfast. I remember we paid € 3 each. Great place. Great environs and beautiful sights because it is on a hill .

Take the coastal route from Porto via Matosinhos to Vilado Conde and from there inland to São Pedro de Rates and Barcelos. Nice walk and safer than walking through the busy and dangerous infrastructure to Vilarinho and Maia to Barcelos

Your best lodging on the Portuges is between Barcelos and Ponte de Lima, casa da Fernanda
In Vitorino dos Piaës If you haven't been there you missed the best of the CP.
Give them a ring on beforehand.it can be busy their because everybody likes to stay there.
We were there last year. We were there twice this year and next year we will walk the coastal route but arriving in Viana do Castello we will make a detour to stay in their home . Lovely people, Fernanda and Jacinto. Great hospitality.

Trek from Ponte de Lima to Rubiäes is an off road trek over a mountain. Some climbing and descending. Long day !

From Valença do Minho you'll find plenty of albergues . In Padrón have your breakfast in Pepe's bar..everybody around knows Pepe. This man is completely crazy and you'll have a good time.

All information you find in 1000nds of threads on this forum

Boa preparação e bom caminho

Um abraço

Albertinho

 

[Johan]

johan. May is a great time for walking the caminho Portuges

It is not too hot. My wife and I walked last year from Lisbon to Santiago
In the morning you need your fleecevest. After a while you take a layer off when you are warmed up.
Sometimes a little drizzle but as been said. A great walk

Some tips. Skip day 3 from Alverca de Ribatejo to Azambuja. Take the train. Only walking on industrial estates and along busy roads with lots of traffic. If you do wear a reflecting safetyvest.

Stay at the Santarém albergue..great place. Hostal Solo Duro in Gôlega, Hilario in Mealhada
The Jesuites schoolcampus in Cernache lodges you for free in a house with bunkbeds. Restaurant oposite the entrance. Give them a ring on beforehand that you will arrive.

In Coimbra the Park hotel at the riverside oposite the bridge and almost next door to the tourist info gives you the atmosphere of the ancient years.

Just outside Albergaría -a-Velha is casa Diosceana. A retraîte house with nuns. Bunkbeds and a lunch and diner and breakfast. I remember we paid € 3 each. Great place. Great environs and beautiful sights because it is on a hill .

Take the coastal route from Porto via Matosinhos to Vilado Conde and from there inland to São Pedro de Rates and Barcelos. Nice walk and safer than walking through the busy and dangerous infrastructure to Vilarinho and Maia to Barcelos

Your best lodging on the Portuges is between Barcelos and Ponte de Lima, casa da Fernanda
In Vitorino dos Piaës If you haven't been there you missed the best of the CP.
Give them a ring on beforehand.it can be busy their because everybody likes to stay there.
We were there last year. We were there twice this year and next year we will walk the coastal route but arriving in Viana do Castello we will make a detour to stay in their home . Lovely people, Fernanda and Jacinto. Great hospitality.

Trek from Ponte de Lima to Rubiäes is an off road trek over a mountain. Some climbing and descending. Long day !

From Valença do Minho you'll find plenty of albergues . In Padrón have your breakfast in Pepe's bar..everybody around knows Pepe. This man is completely crazy and you'll have a good time.

All information you find in 1000nds of threads on this forum

Boa preparação e bom caminho

Um abraço

Albertinho

Good afternoon,

Thank you, for the reply.

I walked from Leon (Spain) last year.

Regards,
Johan

 

[amorfati1]

Ola Johan -
can't predict weather patterns, but report only from my Caminho Portuguese experience this May 2014:
Started in Lisboa - and had 3 weeks nice, and even sweltering HOT weather on some days. (I rather have hot weather than cold and rain, so I did not mind)
the Rain started after Barcelos until just before Santiago = on some mornings/days I wished I had packed gloves as well ... soo cold.
Can recommend starting in Lisbon (train until Azambuja rather) if you have time ... has lovely walking country. And lots of wild flowers to enjoy.
(hope to be able to upload photos at some point ... stay tuned

For the return journey I took the train from Santiago to Porto. (I stayed the last two nights at the Seminario Menor in Santiago and walked 15 min to train-station to catch train) I wasn't in a hurry, so I enjoyed the ride ... as it back-tracked the caminho in many parts. Even could spot the yellow arrows on occasion. And after Porto I made my way south by train as well ... It's not the most modern train-fleet, but it will get you there ....

There are many options - you'll surely find one that suits you. Cheers, Claudia

 

[Diogo92]

Good day,

I am planning on starting in Porto in May 2015.

Is it a good time?

I need to travel from Lisbon to Porto and then from Santiago back to Lisbon. Which is better train or bus, if it is possible?

Thank you,
Johan
Worcester, South Africa

Hello Johan, and welcome to the Forum

The weather in May in Portugal it's very unpredictable to be very honest with you. Unpredictable isn't probably the best way to describe it, but bipolar probably is.

Considering that you are walking from Porto, and not from Lisbon, I'll give you the example from my last year pilgrimage: we started in Póvoa de Varzim with 28º in the morning, ended up the day in Barcelos with 34º. From Barcelos to Ponte de Lima the same thing. From Ponte de Lima to Valença (Crazy thing to do, don't do it!!!!, stay in the middle, in Rubiães) also a lot of heat. But, after that last day in Portugal, it started to drizzle. Then, to rain. And then, somebody opened the gates of a river over us. I remember getting out from O Porriño, at 6am in the morning, with such a heavy rain, that you couldn’t see a thing on a 4m distance. We had to take our headlamps on.

We only encountered the sun again when we reached to Padrón. It was a very beautiful thing, to have a sunny, but not so hot day, to arrive to Santiago.

The main thing is: take a poncho or a rain jacket. Be prepared. You can have 28º during the day, but only 16º at night.

Best Regards
Diogo

 

[Johan]

Hello,

I would like to travel from Santiago to Lisbon by bus. Any advice?

Thank you.

Kind regards,
Johan

 

[Camembert]

Johan from Santiago daily go busses to Porto and Lisbon
ALSA is the buscompany


Found one randomly for the date
Departure 12h00 from the busstation in Santiago. Arrival at the Rossio station in Lisbon 20h45. Price approx .58 € per person. Walking is not cheaper was our experience
The busses are comfortable. We travelled to Porto last year. Toilet on board. Keep an eye on your luggage in the luggagecompartment as long as they are opened at any station and nobody attends ! Several examples of stolen backpacks in this way on this forum !

Www.alsa.es.

 

[Diogo92]

Johan from Santiago daily go busses to Porto and Lisbon
ALSA is the buscompany


Found one randomly for the date
Departure 12h00 from the busstation in Santiago. Arrival at the Rossio station in Lisbon 20h45. Price approx .58 € per person. Walking is not cheaper was our experience
The busses are comfortable. We travelled to Porto last year. Toilet on board. Keep an eye on your luggage in the luggagecompartment as long as they are opened at any station and nobody attends ! Several examples of stolen backpacks in this way on this forum !

Mate, please don't get people wrong

The last bus stop in Lisbon it's Sete Rios. The other one it's Oriente. It never stops in Rossio

@Johan, if you buy your ticket with 30 days in advance, you'll have a 50% discount. However, this ticket it's Non-Refundable and you can't change the dates either. So if you choose this ticket, plan the things very well!

 

[Camembert]

Oh I am terribly sorry my friend
Good you correct me. Johan should be better off to end up at Rossio right in the middle of the center so maybe an idea for ALSA
I think I read it wrong Sete Rios..Rossio...

Sorry again Johan and amigo Diogo

Hey and maybe when Johan is coming to Lisbon in 2015 this bus stops really at Rossio. I send ALSA a letter to do so !

 

[Diogo92]

Oh I am terribly sorry my friend
Good you correct me. Johan should be better off to end up at Rossio right in the middle of the center so maybe an idea for ALSA
I think I read it wrong Sete Rios..Rossio...

Sorry again Johan and amigo Diogo

Hey and maybe when Johan is coming to Lisbon in 2015 this bus stops really at Rossio. I send ALSA a letter to do so !

If you manage to do that, I will pay you 23 Pasteis de Nata. My age in 2015

 

[Camembert]

I will try ! One problem. These pasteís make me fat !

 

[Diogo92]

I will try ! One problem. These pasteís make me fat !

You walk another Caminho, problem solved

 

[Camembert]

You walk another Caminho, problem solved

We are going to walk the Portugese Coastal next time. What I have seen of it few mountains so less fatburning I am afraid
We are considering to walk the caminho de Pontevedra o Salnés ,as you mentioned some time ago instead the interior route to Caldas de Reis and so on.
As I have seen this route makes a detour alongside the ría and comes together with the interior route in Padrón.
Where should I get more information about this route ? You know (almost ) everything.

 

[Diogo92]

We are going to walk the Portugese Coastal next time. What I have seen of it few mountains so less fatburning I am afraid
We are considering to walk the caminho de Pontevedra o Salnés ,as you mentioned some time ago instead the interior route to Caldas de Reis and so on.
As I have seen this route makes a detour alongside the ría and comes together with the interior route in Padrón.
Where should I get more information about this route ? You know (almost ) everything.

I think that I'm also going to do it next year (the Salnes that is). I will depart from Tui next year I want to spare some days so that I can do other things in my holidays.

Let me see where I can find the things about it

 

[Camembert]

I think that I'm also going to do it next year (the Salnes that is). I will depart from Tui next year I want to spare some days so that I can do other things in my holidays.

Let me see where I can find the things about it

We will start in Póvoa daVarzim to Esposende, Viana do Castelo , Caminha, a Guarda on to Vigo and Redondela (we will miss -¡ que lastima ! the detour before o Porriño as we lively discussed yesterday on another thread and as I understand well to Pontevedra where this Salnés detour starts to Padrón and so on to Santiago.
Hope on the detour are waymarkings.

 

[Johan]

I am planning on walking as follows:
Porto
Vilarinho
Pedra Furada
Tamel São Pedro Fins
Ponte de Lima
Rubiães
Tui
Porriño/O Porriño
Arcade
Cancela/A Cancela
Valga
Faramello/O Faramello
Santiago de Compostela
Any advice on places to stay and eat?

Thank you.

Kind regards,
Johan
Worcester (South Africa)

 

[Camembert]

I am planning on walking as follows:
Porto
Vilarinho
Pedra Furada
Tamel São Pedro Fins
Ponte de Lima
Rubiães
Tui
Porriño/O Porriño
Arcade
Cancela/A Cancela
Valga
Faramello/O Faramello
Santiago de Compostela
Any advice on places to stay and eat?

Thank you.

Kind regards,
Johan
Worcester (South Africa)

it is advisely better to walk the detour from Porto via Matosinhos to Vila do Conde alongsider the coast for 20 kms and than turn inland to São Pedro de Rates instead of walking alongside very very busy roads where heavy traffic passes you less than 50 cms when you walk on the hard shoulder of the road to Vilarinho.
Wish you a pleasant walk there ! I am glad i did not !





You miss the best place to sleep and eat at Casa da Fernanda in Vitorino de Piaës .
This is the only place on the Porto to Santiago leg where you eat together at one table with all others like it is used to on for example the camiño Frances in many albergues.
Casa Fernanda is a private house where Fernanda and her husband Jacinto every day of the year since many many years lodge up to 18 pilgrims donatively and make an undorgetable feast of it to every pilgrim who passes. You will miss something . See the added pictures




With your plan you miss the beautiful albergue of São Pedro de Rates and the best stamp on your credential on the entire Portugese route ,which off course you can obtain there when you pass.

Pedra Furada is a small village with a café bar who rents some rooms. If this place is "complete" you have to walk on to Barcelos.

Bom caminho

 

[Diogo92]

I am planning on walking as follows:
Porto
Vilarinho
Pedra Furada
Tamel São Pedro Fins
Ponte de Lima
Rubiães
Tui
Porriño/O Porriño
Arcade
Cancela/A Cancela
Valga
Faramello/O Faramello
Santiago de Compostela
Any advice on places to stay and eat?

Thank you.

Kind regards,
Johan
Worcester (South Africa)

Places to stay: http://www.vialusitana.org/caminho-portugues/albergues/

In Tui, if possible, stay in the Municipal Albergue, which is located behind the Cathedral, on the left side (facing front), on a down street.

For the eating part, well, I never slelpt in some places that you talked. If you told me that you were going to sleep in Caldas de Reis, I will tell you to eat at "O Moiño". If you slept in Padrón, I would tell to eat lunch at "Ruta Xacobea", and to take breakfast at "Pepe's Bar".

 

[Camembert]

Places to stay: http://www.vialusitana.org/caminho-portugues/albergues/

In Tui, if possible, stay in the Municipal Albergue, which is located behind the Cathedral, on the left side (facing front), on a down street.

For the eating part, well, I never slelpt in some places that you talked. If you told me that you were going to sleep in Caldas de Reis, I will tell you to eat at "O Moiño". If you slept in Padrón, I would tell to eat lunch at "Ruta Xacobea", and to take breakfast at "Pepe's Bar".

Definitely have your breakfast at Pepe's bar in Padrón It is on the caminho !
If you are there give Pepe our hugs and kisses

 

[Johan]

Thank you!

Albertinho you convinced me to walk via Matosinhos to Vila do Conde.

 

[Olaes]

Johan, as mentioned before make sure you stay at Casa Fernanda- amazing experience! Stop for lunch at Antonio's in Pedra Furada. I would also recommend Quinta Estrada Romano (6km before Valenca) and monastery in Herbon (though be warned monks are gone and there is no pilgrims' mass anymore).
I would not stay in Albergue the Mos or one in Pontevedra again- nothing wrong with the places, just my own not the best experience.

 

[Camembert]

Johan, as mentioned before make sure you stay at Casa Fernanda- amazing experience! Stop for lunch at Antonio's in Pedra Furada. I would also recommend Quinta Estrada Romano (6km before Valenca) and monastery in Herbon (though be warned monks are gone and there is no pilgrims' mass anymore).
I would not stay in Albergue the Mos or one in Pontevedra again- nothing wrong with the places, just my own not the best experience.

Give Fernanda a call on beforehand +351 914 589 521 that you are on your way. It's on the caminho. They extended the facilities recently and have place up to 18 pilgrims per night.

If you want to phone a Spanish number later on the route dial +34 or 00 34 before the number in Spain you want to phone

Leaving the albergue in São Pedro de Rates only half a kilometer away is a bakeryshop who supplies breakfasts .

Antonio's in Pedra Furada is a nice place for lunch indeed. It looks like he is or was a jazzmusician. The place is full with jazz related items .

 

[Diogo92]

Give Fernanda a call on beforehand +34 914 589 521View attachment 11781 that you are on your way. It's on the caminho. They extended the facilities recently and have place up to 18 pilgrims per night.



Leaving the albergue in São Pedro de Rates only half a kilometer away is a bakeryshop who supplies breakfasts .

Antonio's in Pedra Furada is a nice place for lunch indeed. It looks like he is or was a jazzmusician. The place is full with jazz related items .

00351 914 589 521 or +351 914 589 521. You don't want Jonah to call for Spain do you Albertinho?

@Olaes , the problem isn't the facilities, it's the people who "work" in there right?

 

[Johan]

I am still planning, as May 2015 is still far away. Will be looking at my places to sleep. I have 12 days to walk.

 

[Camembert]

You are right my good friend.
This is my ancient Catalán herritage.
The Spanish countrycode +34 obviously is stiil profoundly programmed inside me , even
after more than 5 year I am not working anymore.
Luckely Diogo you are clear and bright in the middle of the night-and that rhymes-to correct me and and so our fellow pilgrims do not dial the wrong phonenumber when they are in Portugal. So + 351 is the Portugese countrycode,followed by the phonenumber of the number of somebody in Portugal you want to call.
Mea culpa,mea culpa, mea maxima culpa !

 

[Camembert]

I am still planning, as May 2015 is still far away. Will be looking at my places to sleep. I have 12 days to walk.

Still rests one question Johan ! How many kms a day you want to walk ?

 

[Johan]

Hi Albertinho, I want to walk maximum 25 km per day.

 

[Camembert]

Hi Albertinho, I want to walk maximum 25 km per day.

Okay . Try to plan I should say to stay at casa da Fernanda for a memorable time there, make the next day the short tour of 14 kms to Ponte the Lima and keep all your energy for the day after, climbing up and down the Labruja mountain between Ponte the Lima and Rubiaës

 

[Diogo92]

Hi Albertinho, I want to walk maximum 25 km per day.

25km per day it's possible, it was somesorte the average that I walked everyday in this year.

Day 1: Ponte de Lima a Rubiães > 17,5km
Day 2: Rubiães a Tui > 20km
Day 3: Tui a O Porriño > 18km
Day 4: O Porriño a Redondela > 16km
Day 5: Redondela a Pontevedra > 16km
Day 6: Pontevedra a Caldas de Reis > 23km
Day 7: Caldas de Reis a Padrón > 19km
Day 8: Padrón a Santiago > 23km

Notice that these distances are an estimative that I've done, using Google Maps. I know that from the Distance Certificate that I got from the Oficina do Peregrino, I walked 160km from Ponte de Lima to Santiago. If I add up all the distances that I have, I have only walked 152,5km. See the difference?

 

[Johan]

Thank you Diogo92. I got 11 days....

 

[Camembert]

Thank you Diogo92. I got 11 days....

Then dear Johan maybe it is a better option in spite of my recommandations for the coastal to take the metro to Maia and walk from there. The worst of the bad walk from Porto -Vilarinho has done there
I am afraid you are not going to make it in eleven days from Porto with your pace to Santiago

 

[Diogo92]

Thank you Diogo92. I got 11 days....

Well, then start in Ponte de Lima, or Valença. It's always good to have an extra days (you can use them to rest, or to visit Santiago for example).

 

[Johan]

Ticket is booked! Busy bokking hotels in Lisbon and Porto.

 

[Camembert]

Ticket is booked! Busy bokking hotels in Lisbon and Porto.

Ask Diogo. He works in a hotel in Lisbon

 

[Diogo92]

Ask Diogo. He works in a hotel in Lisbon

Good good, my Hotel you should book

 

[Camembert]

Good good, my Hotel you should book

Tell Johan ! Not me ! For the time being I do not come to Lisboa. Next time will be Porto

 

[Diogo92]

Tell Johan ! Not me ! For the time being I do not come to Lisboa. Next time will be Porto

I don't know what the heck it's happening today, but my head it's not computing very well

 

[Camembert]

i don't know what the heck it's happening today, but my head it's not computing very well

Take a break ! And a caipirinha !

 

[Diogo92]

Take a break ! And a caipirinha !

Or a 18 year old scotch. Dry!

 

[Johan]

Good morning! Any advice on prepaid data sim cards for a tablet, that will work in Portugal and Spain? Vodafone?

 

[Camembert]

Good morning! Any advice on prepaid data sim cards for a tablet, that will work in Portugal and Spain? Vodafone?

Good morning too Johan

Vodaphone. Yes.I bought a simcard for my iphone at the Lisbon airport last year.
€15 to phone to make reservations during walking

For our ipad we used wifi access that is allmost everywhere present in restaurants,bars etc. If you go for a simcard you need one for Portugal and one for Spain if you want to keep control on your data expences.

After half a year after purchase the simcard , the card is invaluable if not upgraded anymore in the mean time ,we experienced this year coming back in Portugal.
So here in Holland I could but an app on my iphone Ringcredible which I put some money on and could call via wifi to for me foreign phonenumbers. So I phoned during 26 minutes to a Portugese phonenumber and this costed me 0,56 € .
Problem with such an app you need a wifi connection and again here after 6 month you have to add money to your account. So I have decided for next year not to buy any phonecards or apps and communicate only by wifi connection
If I have to make a phonecall I use my own prepaid card for a short call
Mankind lived longer without mobilephone and tablets then with them. So I think without we can survive on the caminho
Tomorrow I leave for Norway for 14 days on a cruisehip and my ipad stays home. The prices for wifi use are extremely high on board so when we disembark somewhere we go to the local Mc Donalds for a coffee and free wifi. Worked everywhere in Portugal,Spain ,France. Bom caminho

 

[Johan]

Good day,

Me again! Any advice of places to stay at in Porto, which will easy to get to from Porto Campanha Station?

 

[Diogo92]

Good day,

Me again! Any advice of places to stay at in Porto, which will easy to get to from Porto Campanha Station?

Johan, with the train ticket from the IC or the AP train, you can take a suburban train to São Bento, which is located right in the centre of Porto. From there, you can reach to a huge number of Hostels, Pensões, Residenciais, Hotels, etc etc.

I usually advice people to stay in Oporto Dixo's Hostel, which is located 5 minutes from that station and it's rune by brother and sister, who have already done the Caminho. It's like my second home in Porto