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Albergue near Porto airport?

goodjuju

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Camino Portugues - from Porto (Sept. 2019)
This will be my first, and hopefully not last Camino! I'm solo and a little nervous/excited! I will be arriving in Porto in the late afternoon (mid-September) but am not headed to the city center for a visit. I would like to begin the Camino the following day. My questions are: is there an inexpensive albergue or hostel near the airport and where do I find access to the Camino from there? How do I get my first stamp that shows my place of departure? Obrigada.
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Matosinhos is not far from the airport. Taxi or possibly the Tram would get you there. We stayed in a nice simple hotel....I'm away from home and don't have exact name. Hotel des Reis rings a bell. It's one listed in John Brierley's guide book.

Hotel will stamp your credencial. The staff were really kind and helpful when we stayed. It's very close to the Camino
 
What a mistake to be made!
I need to convince you that you are about to miss a fantastic, true Camino experience and the beauty of Porto. 30 minutes and 3 euro and you are right in the heart of Porto. Nothing more simple than taking the airport tram line E. 13 stops, you get out on Carolina Michaelis station and you walk 300m to Rua Barrao de Forrester 954 and you get to the Albergue de Peregrinos do Porto. Great albergue. It is your first Camino and you would have a chance to get the spirit from the very beginning. Late afternoon? Plenty of time to make great memories and meet your fellow pilgrims. And in the morning you just start walking from the albergue. It is located on the Camino. 2km of a very nice walk through the Porto centre (with quick stop at Sao Bento station - marvelous tiles) and you get to the Cathedral where you can celebrate a kind of symbolic beginning. You can then continue along the beautiful river Douro with great panoramic views of Porto or take a tram to Matosinhos.
What you want to do instead is to spent that time in an industrial area, doing nothing special and to begin your camino trying to figure out how to get to Matosinhos through the industrial suburbs.
Honestly please don't! My heart is bleeding imagining such a waste.
You can find that albergue on fb as well to ask if there are beds available. You can get your credential there or in the Cathedral.
I hope I managed to change your plans :)
 
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Welcome to the forums!

The AirPorto Hostel is right by the airport (few minutes walk) and is pretty good:

AirPorto Hostel

They have both bunks and private rooms available.

As for how to get to the Camino, it depends on which route you plan to follow out of Porto. There are three options: the Coastal, Senda Litoral, and Central. The Central is the most popular variant though personally I like to walk the Senda Litoral out of Porto. If I'm doing the Central I would then switch to it at Vila do Conde. Much nicer! There is a metro station at the airport. You can join the Senda Litoral at Matosinhos if you don't want to start in downtown Porto. For the Coastal, it passes directly by the airport (and directly by AirPorto Hostel if you choose to stay there). For the Central, it is a ways to the east of the airport (take the metro).

Here's the website for Porto's metro with schedule / map / stations info:

http://www.metrodoporto.pt/

Good luck on your first Camino!
 
What a mistake to be made!
I need to convince you that you are about to miss a fantastic, true Camino experience and the beauty of Porto. 30 minutes and 3 euro and you are right in the heart of Porto. Nothing more simple than taking the airport tram line E. 13 stops, you get out on Carolina Michaelis station and you walk 300m to Rua Barrao de Forrester 954 and you get to the Albergue de Peregrinos do Porto. Great albergue. It is your first Camino and you would have a chance to get the spirit from the very beginning. Late afternoon? Plenty of time to make great memories and meet your fellow pilgrims. And in the morning you just start walking from the albergue. It is located on the Camino. 2km of a very nice walk through the Porto centre (with quick stop at Sao Bento station - marvelous tiles) and you get to the Cathedral where you can celebrate a kind of symbolic beginning. You can then continue along the beautiful river Douro with great panoramic views of Porto or take a tram to Matosinhos.
What you want to do instead is to spent that time in an industrial area, doing nothing special and to begin your camino trying to figure out how to get to Matosinhos through the industrial suburbs.
Honestly please don't! My heart is bleeding imagining such a waste.
You can find that albergue on fb as well to ask if there are beds available. You can get your credential there or in the Cathedral.
I hope I managed to change your plans :)
What a passionate reply! The only concern I have is that, like an idiot, I already arranged return flights and didn't give myself enough freedom to allow the experience to unfold without a time stress. I am far from affluent, but I am a feisty cancer survivor and if I have to miss/forfeit my flight in order to fully dig this journey, well, so be it. I was planning on doing the Central Route and will do my best. Thanks.
 
Everything will be the way it should be, no worries. But I promise you, you are going to miss one of the best parts of your journey - memorable, meaningful beginning. And in fact you don't need any extra time to spend a night in albergue in Porto. If you take a train to Matosinhos you will end up in the same place almost at the same time. But full of new energy, acquinted with the spirit of the way. That will build you for the rest of the journey.
That is my point of view of course but I've been there few times and I know the feeling. I wouldn't miss Porto in any circumstances :)
Wish you had fantastic time :)
 
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There are many options without having to cancel flights or suffer from time stress.

Porto is an amazing city. If you've never visited it, in my opinion it is worth arranging to spend a day exploring it. If your flights are fixed, one option might be to spend the evening of your arrival day plus the full next day in Porto. Relax, get over your jet lag if you've flown far, and enjoy the city. Then, take the metro to the edge of the city and splurge on a taxi northward. Then start walking from there.

That makes up for the day spent in Porto. You don't miss anything as the walk out of Porto on the Central isn't anything special anyway. There is no requirement to actually walk that initial first day out of Porto. Just start one day further north.

Another option is to spend a day in Porto and then take the metro to Vila do Conde and then walk from there to Rates, continuing thereafter along the Central.
 
I would agree that Porto is a gem and worth visiting but I answered the original poster's question and she had not planned to visit Porto.
We arrived early afternoon , took the tram to Se Bento tram stop to make sure we could visit the magnificent railway station. Then walked to the cathedral and after that a late afternoon early evening walk to our hotel 12km.
 
If you take a train to Matosinhos you will end up in the same place almost at the same time.

Note: Matosinhos is on the Senda Litoral. The OP plans to walk the Central, so it won't be the same place in this case. It would add a day to the itinerary. Taking the metro further though, to Vila do Conde, should keep to the itinerary (depending on planned stage breaks).
 
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Apologies , we began our walk on the senda litoral. When I replied I was not considering the central Camino.
 
Note: Matosinhos is on the Senda Litoral. The OP plans to walk the Central, so it won't be the same place in this case. It would add a day to the itinerary. Taking the metro further though, to Vila do Conde, should keep to the itinerary (depending on planned stage breaks).
Right. Your advices are very detailed and very good.
Senda Litoral is beautiful though, worth to consider :)
 
If your walking the central you can get a metro out of the city to the suburbs and there wasn't too much \ any industrial walking. It's detailed out how to do it in the brierly book if you have it handy. A white port and a dessert in portos magnificent cafe is a must.... The arrows start from the metro station easy....
 
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Everything will be the way it should be, no worries. But I promise you, you are going to miss one of the best parts of your journey - memorable, miningful beginning. And in fact you don't need any extra time to spend a night in albergue in Porto. If you take a train to Matosinhos you will end up in the same place almost at the same time. But full of new energy, acquinted with the spirit of the way. That will build you for the rest of the journey.
That is my point of view of course but I've been there few times and I know the feeling. I wouldn't miss Porto in any circumstances :)
Wish you had fantastic time :)
I am convinced.
There are many options without having to cancel flights or suffer from time stress.

Porto is an amazing city. If you've never visited it, in my opinion it is worth arranging to spend a day exploring it. If your flights are fixed, one option might be to spend the evening of your arrival day plus the full next day in Porto. Relax, get over your jet lag if you've flown far, and enjoy the city. Then, take the metro to the edge of the city and splurge on a taxi northward. Then start walking from there.

That makes up for the day spent in Porto. You don't miss anything as the walk out of Porto on the Central isn't anything special anyway. There is no requirement to actually walk that initial first day out of Porto. Just start one day further north.

Another option is to spend a day in Porto and then take the metro to Vila do Conde and then walk from there to Rates, continuing thereafter along the Central.
I am overwhelmed by all the kind and meaningful replies. I will now slow down, breathe and walk like a pilgrim.
 
This will be my first, and hopefully not last Camino! I'm solo and a little nervous/excited! I will be arriving in Porto in the late afternoon (mid-September) but am not headed to the city center for a visit. I would like to begin the Camino the following day. My questions are: is there an inexpensive albergue or hostel near the airport and where do I find access to the Camino from there? How do I get my first stamp that shows my place of departure? Obrigada.

Soooooo excited for you, this was my first camino and holds a special place in my heart. Totally agree with Anna, if you can change your plans please do, you don't want to miss Porto, my favorite city also. Slowly getting into the groove is definitely the way to go if you have the time. I am planning my 4th camino and will give myself 2 wks to walk the central, but if things change (as they usually do on the camino) I will "go with the flow" and let the camino unfold as amazingly as it has for the last 3!!!!!!! Bom Camino
 
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What a mistake to be made!
I need to convince you that you are about to miss a fantastic, true Camino experience and the beauty of Porto. 30 minutes and 3 euro and you are right in the heart of Porto. Nothing more simple than taking the airport tram line E. 13 stops, you get out on Carolina Michaelis station and you walk 300m to Rua Barrao de Forrester 954 and you get to the Albergue de Peregrinos do Porto. Great albergue. It is your first Camino and you would have a chance to get the spirit from the very beginning. Late afternoon? Plenty of time to make great memories and meet your fellow pilgrims. And in the morning you just start walking from the albergue. It is located on the Camino. 2km of a very nice walk through the Porto centre (with quick stop at Sao Bento station - marvelous tiles) and you get to the Cathedral where you can celebrate a kind of symbolic beginning. You can then continue along the beautiful river Douro with great panoramic views of Porto or take a tram to Matosinhos.
What you want to do instead is to spent that time in an industrial area, doing nothing special and to begin your camino trying to figure out how to get to Matosinhos through the industrial suburbs.
Honestly please don't! My heart is bleeding imagining such a waste.
You can find that albergue on fb as well to ask if there are beds available. You can get your credential there or in the Cathedral.
I hope I managed to change your plans :)
Thanks so much for this info Anna, we are just completing the CF started last year from SJPP, before catching the bus to Porto on the 4 September. This will be our first Portuguese Camino, and info on accomodation in Porto seems to be vague
 
Welcome to the forums!

The AirPorto Hostel is right by the airport (few minutes walk) and is pretty good:

AirPorto Hostel

They have both bunks and private rooms available.

As for how to get to the Camino, it depends on which route you plan to follow out of Porto. There are three options: the Coastal, Senda Litoral, and Central. The Central is the most popular variant though personally I like to walk the Senda Litoral out of Porto. If I'm doing the Central I would then switch to it at Vila do Conde. Much nicer! There is a metro station at the airport. You can join the Senda Litoral at Matosinhos if you don't want to start in downtown Porto. For the Coastal, it passes directly by the airport (and directly by AirPorto Hostel if you choose to stay there). For the Central, it is a ways to the east of the airport (take the metro).

Here's the website for Porto's metro with schedule / map / stations info:

http://www.metrodoporto.pt/

Good luck on your first Camino!
I stayed in this hostal 2 years ago and it was fine. Very friendly owner who provided a packed lunch. A short walk from the airport terminal.
 
I have a question for the end of my journey: After I spend a day or so in SDC I have an evening flight to Madrid, arriving at 9:35 pm. Then I have a flight to the states via London the following morning at 10:45 am and I should probably be at the airport at 7:45 am for an international flight. Any suggestions where I can spend the night inexpensively close to the Madrid airport and catch the metro there?
You should start your own thread or search the forum for "Madrid Airport hotel", as this thread is about accommodations near the Porto Airport.
 
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Many private, inexpensive hostels in Porto. Easy to get to from the airport via metro. Nice city to visit, but if one has a time crunch, oh well...move on and get on the Camino route. Who knows, one day you may be able to go back when you have more time. It is what it is.
I walked the central route. Very nice. Almost immediately I knew I made a mistake by waking up early to walk through Porto. I should have slept in and took the metro to just outside of town and commenced my walk from there. If I were to walk it again (doubt it...not the same vibe for me that the Frances has, but still enjoyed it) I would have skipped the town walk. Made it about a 10-15 kilometre day instead.
 

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