Camino Frances vs Camino Portugues Last 100K.

[puravidamv]

Hello all,
New here so I apologize if this is an old discussion point. I am struggling trying to decide on a route to walk with two girlfriends (who are not in super hiking condition) and my two “kids” ages 17 and 20 (who are) in early June. They would like to be able to complete the last 100K on one of the routes and get a sense of the community and the beauty of the Camino.

I have completed the last (roughly) half of the Frances from Carrion de los Condes and was hoping to walk a different route so we tentatively decided on the Portugues route. I am now having second thoughts however. The last
100 of the Frances was so lovely! How does the Portugues Way compare in scenery, sense of community and difficulty?

Any input would be great appreciated.

 

[Dennis M]

Hello @puravidamv,

Haven't tried Camino Portuguese but plan to do the 100 km it in the near future. It may not answer your question and I do apologize beforehand and not to derail your plans too, have you looked at Camino Ingles? I had a great time on this route.

If you do decide to do the Camino Portuguese. Let me know so I'll know what to expect.

Best. Buen Camino!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Hi Dennis, I've walked into Santiago on the Frances a couple of times and will walk the Portuguese in May, but have not walked the Ingles. So for the last 100k, did you prefer it over the Frances?

 

[ChrisT]

Hi puravidamv,

I have done both, the Portuguese from Porto and the last 100k from Sarria and I enjoyed both in equal measure. I walked them both in October so not the same time of year as you have planned.

The walk from Tui (the last 100k) was just as nice as the last 100k from Sarria. It was probably quieter, but well catered for in terms of places to stay, and if anything, the towns on the Portuguese were nicer, in my opinion.

It was about the same in terms of difficulty and not too strenuous. The scenery was possibly better from Sarria and from memory, less road walking.

You wont be disappointed with the route from Tui and if you haven't done it before you and you friends wont be disappointed.

Chris.

 

[Dennis M]

Hi Dennis, I've walked into Santiago on the Frances a couple of times and will walk the Portuguese in May, but have not walked the Ingles. So for the last 100k, did you prefer it over the Frances?

hi @ChrisT,

I can't comment on the last 100 of Frances since I haven't done it too. However, when i was looking to do my first camino, i wanted quiet and less crowd route. I saw in the forum that the last 100 km of Frances is a bit crowded and becomes a race to get accommodation to public hostel. So I decided the Ingles. Ingles is a very nice quiet route, the public albergues are clean, and the towns are lovely. It has challenging routes due to some hills along the route but as they say, take your time and enjoy.

Thanks for commenting on the Camino Portuguese, I guess I am really walking that next.

Buen Camino, Dennis

 

[puravidamv]

Hello @puravidamv,

Haven't tried Camino Portuguese but plan to do the 100 km it in the near future. It may not answer your question and I do apologize beforehand and not to derail your plans too, have you looked at Camino Ingles? I had a great time on this route.

If you do decide to do the Camino Portuguese. Let me know so I'll know what to expect.

Best. Buen Camino!

Hi Dennis,

I also considered the Ingles. I really would like them to experience the sense of community you get on the Camino and was concerned that because it is less traveled, it may also feel a bit more of a solo endeavor. Not bad, just different. How did you feel from that perspective on the Ingles?

I do suspect we will either do the last 100K of the Portugues or the Frances so if it ends up being the Portugues, I’ll let you know.

Thx for the reply.

 

[puravidamv]

Hi Dennis, I've walked into Santiago on the Frances a couple of times and will walk the Portuguese in May, but have not walked the Ingles. So for the last 100k, did you prefer it over the Frances?

Hi Chris,
As you are going in May, I will be curious what your take is.

Buen Camino!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Hi Chris,
As you are going in May, I will be curious what your take is.

Buen Camino!

Hi Pura, I usually do a little recap of my experiences here on the forum once I'm back home which will be shortly after May 15th.
Chris

 

[MKalcolm M]

I have walked both routes in April, the Portuguese in 2017 and the Frances (from Leon) in 2018. The Portuguese remains my firm favourite for the last 100kms, I really liked the towns, scenery, and a less busy, more relaxed, less commercial camino. We made great friends on this route and walked with a great sense of camaraderie and kinship. Almost every evening we had shared meals together, possibly because less infra structure meant we all stayed in the same places each night. On the Frances, the huge choice of albergues meant we often ended up staying in different hostels from people we met during the day, so the same level of friendship and shared experience did not happen so much. Given the choice, I would definitely opt for the Portuguese.

 

[David Tallan]

Hello all,
New here so I apologize if this is an old discussion point. I am struggling trying to decide on a route to walk with two girlfriends (who are not in super hiking condition) and my two “kids” ages 17 and 20 (who are) in early June. They would like to be able to complete the last 100K on one of the routes and get a sense of the community and the beauty of the Camino.

I have completed the last (roughly) half of the Frances from Carrion de los Condes and was hoping to walk a different route so we tentatively decided on the Portugues route. I am now having second thoughts however. The last
100 of the Frances was so lovely! How does the Portugues Way compare in scenery, sense of community and difficulty?

Any input would be great appreciated.

They are both very nice. It is hard to choose. If I had to, I might go with the Portugues. A couple of key differences:
1) Walking west through Galicia to Santiago you are walking through cattle country, as you may recall. It is actually nice to see the cattle being led on the streets. Let's face it "kids" of any age tend to like close encounters with farm animals. And seeing the cows being led reinforces that you are walking through the "real Spain", not just a tourist area. But cows do leave reminders of their presence on the road. Walking north through Galicia to Santiago you are walking through wine country.
2) The Camino Portugues takes you through Padron (home of the famous Padron peppers). This place is central to the Santiago story. According to the legends, it is where St. James did his converting when he was living in Spain. It is also where the "stone boat" carrying his remains moored. If you climb a lot of steps you can visit the place he preached. Much as the last 100 km of the Frances takes you through some great places, I think Padron on the Portugues gives it that edge for someone on a pilgrimage to Santiago. (Pontevedra, Valenca/Tui, Caldas de Reis are also nice and can challenge any of the towns in the last 100 km of the Frances, too.)

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Hi David T,
Your comments make me excited to walk my own journey on the Portuguese this May!

 

[Dennis M]

Hi Dennis,

I also considered the Ingles. I really would like them to experience the sense of community you get on the Camino and was concerned that because it is less traveled, it may also feel a bit more of a solo endeavor. Not bad, just different. How did you feel from that perspective on the Ingles?

I do suspect we will either do the last 100K of the Portugues or the Frances so if it ends up being the Portugues, I’ll let you know.

Thx for the reply.

hi @puravidamv,

I see your point. Yep, there are only few pilgrims along the Ingles route when I did it in May and much of the time I am by myself. However, the albergue is the place where I had time to mingling with other pilgrims and made great friends and the reason is that the pilgrims I saw at the start of camino are the same pilgrims I see every night at each albergue until Santiago.

Reading thru the other comments, I see that Portuguese could be your best bet.

Good luck! Stay safe.

 

[Camembert]

I walked some of the routes. The Camino Inglès from Ferrol is a great walk with a lot of climbs.loved it
I walked the Central route from Lisbon and from Porto.
The caminho from Tui is the Central route and very nice
Last year and in 2015 I walked the coastal route .
As suggested here before you could start in A Guarda and walk along the coast to Vigo and Redondela where you pick up the central route to Santiago . You could fly to Porto in Portugal and take the train to Valença (nice alternative if you have one or two days more time) go off the train in Caminha and follow the river Minho to Vila Nova de Cerveira and on to Valença. A beautiful walk along the so called Ecovia, a new path along the river.
After Pontevedra you could pick up the Variante Espiritual with the boatride to Padrón . Something to choose though !
I start april next in Valença do Minho and stay on the central route this time . Valença -Tui-o Porriño -Redondela-Pontevedra-Caldas de Reis -Padrón to Santiago. A friend of mine is joining me and never walked that part
Bom caminho

 

[lt56ny]

Hello all,
New here so I apologize if this is an old discussion point. I am struggling trying to decide on a route to walk with two girlfriends (who are not in super hiking condition) and my two “kids” ages 17 and 20 (who are) in early June. They would like to be able to complete the last 100K on one of the routes and get a sense of the community and the beauty of the Camino.

I have completed the last (roughly) half of the Frances from Carrion de los Condes and was hoping to walk a different route so we tentatively decided on the Portugues route. I am now having second thoughts however. The last
100 of the Frances was so lovely! How does the Portugues Way compare in scenery, sense of community and difficulty?

Any input would be great appreciated.

I have done them both. 2 and 1/2 times from Sarria. (Did Frances 2x and did Norte this year. Personally I think the Portugues is a far better option. It has beautiful scenery, plenty of options on where to sleep, lovely villages and towns to walk through, and most of all a lot lot less people. We won’t have to worry about a sense of community walking from Tui. There will be enough lovely programs to meet on the way. Walking the last hundred from Sarria Is like shopping in a gigantic mall on Black Friday. It definitely is not for me. But that’s just me.

 

[t2andreo]

I recommend the internal / classic route from Porto to Valenca across the bridge into Spain at Tui and thence to Santiago. It takes a good 10 days, but I recommend you consider walking shorter days and taking maybe 12 days to do this route.

You will be pleased. There are a lot of resources here in the Forum to help you plan. Plus, if your questions are not answered in the previous posting, just ask.

Hope this helps.

 

[jmcarp]

Hi puravidamv,

I have done both, the Portuguese from Porto and the last 100k from Sarria and I enjoyed both in equal measure. I walked them both in October so not the same time of year as you have planned.

The walk from Tui (the last 100k) was just as nice as the last 100k from Sarria. It was probably quieter, but well catered for in terms of places to stay, and if anything, the towns on the Portuguese were nicer, in my opinion.

It was about the same in terms of difficulty and not too strenuous. The scenery was possibly better from Sarria and from memory, less road walking.

You wont be disappointed with the route from Tui and if you haven't done it before you and you friends wont be disappointed.

Chris.

I agree 100% with @ChrisT. I've walked the CF from SJPP to Santiago, and the CP from Porto to Santiago. Most of that route--at least the central variant, and in particular from Tui north--is very similar in terrain and scenery to the last 100K from Sarria. It's all the green hills of Galacia. There are not as many people on the CP, but correspondingly not the same infrastructure, so plan your stops accordingly. There's a bit of confusion on the first day leaving Tui; as you near Porriño, you reach a mish-mash of conflicting arrows--be sure to take the route which turns off to the left. That route is slightly longer, but goes through beautiful, wooded terrain. The straight ahead route is along a boring roadway in a mostly industrial zone as you enter Porriño. One more thought--if you take a rest day, I'd recommend Pontevedra.

 

[puravidamv]

I have walked both routes in April, the Portuguese in 2017 and the Frances (from Leon) in 2018. The Portuguese remains my firm favourite for the last 100kms, I really liked the towns, scenery, and a less busy, more relaxed, less commercial camino. We made great friends on this route and walked with a great sense of camaraderie and kinship. Almost every evening we had shared meals together, possibly because less infra structure meant we all stayed in the same places each night. On the Frances, the huge choice of albergues meant we often ended up staying in different hostels from people we met during the day, so the same level of friendship and shared experience did not happen so much. Given the choice, I would definitely opt for the Portuguese.

MKalcolm M,
Can not thank you enough for this reply. It has put my mind at ease. I had forgotten about the over abundance of choices the last 100
of the Frances but what you are saying makes complete sense! Also realizing how important this aspect of the Camino is for me.

Many thanks once again.

 

[puravidamv]

I walked some of the routes. The Camino Inglès from Ferrol is a great walk with a lot of climbs.loved it
I walked the Central route from Lisbon and from Porto.
The caminho from Tui is the Central route and very nice
Last year and in 2015 I walked the coastal route .
As suggested here before you could start in A Guarda and walk along the coast to Vigo and Redondela where you pick up the central route to Santiago . You could fly to Porto in Portugal and take the train to Valença (nice alternative if you have one or two days more time) go off the train in Caminha and follow the river Minho to Vila Nova de Cerveira and on to Valença. A beautiful walk along the so called Ecovia, a new path along the river.
After Pontevedra you could pick up the Variante Espiritual with the boatride to Padrón . Something to choose though !
I start april next in Valença do Minho and stay on the central route this time . Valença -Tui-o Porriño -Redondela-Pontevedra-Caldas de Reis -Padrón to Santiago. A friend of mine is joining me and never walked that part
Bom caminho

A wealth of ideas! Thank you for the input and the options. I will absolutely keep them in mind!

 

[mikebet]

I started to endorse the last 100km of CF over CP, probably because memory of the CF is more recent (Oct. '18 vs. March '18 on the CP) but then when I stopped to reflect a little bit I could not find a clear favorite. I guess if there was one factor that favored the CF it would be that there is less paved road than the CP, and the long slog into Vigo past the dockyards area isn't exactly a scenic treat. However, since you can't go wrong on either one a coin flip would probably suffice to make a good choice.

 

[puravidamv]

They are both very nice. It is hard to choose. If I had to, I might go with the Portugues. A couple of key differences:
1) Walking west through Galicia to Santiago you are walking through cattle country, as you may recall. It is actually nice to see the cattle being led on the streets. Let's face it "kids" of any age tend to like close encounters with farm animals. And seeing the cows being led reinforces that you are walking through the "real Spain", not just a tourist area. But cows do leave reminders of their presence on the road. Walking north through Galicia to Santiago you are walking through wine country.
2) The Camino Portugues takes you through Padron (home of the famous Padron peppers). This place is central to the Santiago story. According to the legends, it is where St. James did his converting when he was living in Spain. It is also where the "stone boat" carrying his remains moored. If you climb a lot of steps you can visit the place he preached. Much as the last 100 km of the Frances takes you through some great places, I think Padron on the Portugues gives it that edge for someone on a pilgrimage to Santiago. (Pontevedra, Valenca/Tui, Caldas de Reis are also nice and can challenge any of the towns in the last 100 km of the Frances, too.)

Great insights! I will be looking for Padrón along our Way. Many thanks!

 

[puravidamv]

I agree 100% with @ChrisT. I've walked the CF from SJPP to Santiago, and the CP from Porto to Santiago. Most of that route--at least the central variant, and in particular from Tui north--is very similar in terrain and scenery to the last 100K from Sarria. It's all the green hills of Galacia. There are not as many people on the CP, but correspondingly not the same infrastructure, so plan your stops accordingly. There's a bit of confusion on the first day leaving Tui; as you near Porriño, you reach a mish-mash of conflicting arrows--be sure to take the route which turns off to the left. That route is slightly longer, but goes through beautiful, wooded terrain. The straight ahead route is along a boring roadway in a mostly industrial zone as you enter Porriño. One more thought--if you take a rest day, I'd recommend Pontevedra.

Fantastic tips! I have screen shot and hope to follow. Many thanks!

 

[puravidamv]

Thank you all for sharing your wealth of experience and insights. I am now at peace with the CP decision and wholeheartedly looking forward to the way.

 

[Richmond Gardner]

Hi David T,
Your comments make me excited to walk my own journey on the Portuguese this May!

I am feeling the same way! I was thinking about the Primitivo, but maybe the Portuguese will offer some of the Camino I experienced on the CF, without the craziness from Sarria to Santiago! Plus, it seems beautifull and inviting

 

[Richmond Gardner]

Camino camaraderie

 

[Carolyn G]

Hello all,
New here so I apologize if this is an old discussion point. I am struggling trying to decide on a route to walk with two girlfriends (who are not in super hiking condition) and my two “kids” ages 17 and 20 (who are) in early June. They would like to be able to complete the last 100K on one of the routes and get a sense of the community and the beauty of the Camino.

I have completed the last (roughly) half of the Frances from Carrion de los Condes and was hoping to walk a different route so we tentatively decided on the Portugues route. I am now having second thoughts however. The last
100 of the Frances was so lovely! How does the Portugues Way compare in scenery, sense of community and difficulty?

Any input would be great appreciated.

 

[Carolyn G]

I love the enthusiasm for the CP which we will walk next year. I’d like to ask if you walked the Spiritual Variante or the traditional Central route into Padron? Thanks!

 

[auburnfive]

One other consideration that might favour the Frances. It offers more options for those who prefer or need to walk shorter days.

 

[stratophile]

One other consideration that might favour the Frances. It offers more options for those who prefer or need to walk shorter days.

Yes, though there are many more options these days on the Portugués than there used to be. Starting at Tui (117 km from Santiago), you can now walk the Portugués with most days being under 12 km if desired, with the longest being 17 km (the first day). There are lots more stage break options (all at albergues) every year, it seems.

 

[David Tallan]

I love the enthusiasm for the CP which we will walk next year. I’d like to ask if you walked the Spiritual Variante or the traditional Central route into Padron? Thanks!

I walked the traditional Central route into Padron, but in a future Camino would certainly try the Varante Espiritual.

 

[stratophile]

The Variante Espiritual is very nice and definitely worth the extra day of walking in my opinion.