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Hi Gerard!Hi folks,
I did the Camino Frances which was a wonderful experience. I have two weeks free in April so I'm considering doing part of the Portaguese from Porto to Santiago. I have the Brierly book and have read some posts on this forum and still have a few questions that need clarification. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
1. Are costs similar on the CP? On average I spent €20 per day on the CF staying in Municipal Hostals on the way. Is the infrastructure as good on this section of the CP? Are there Hostals at regular intervals?
2. I'm planning to go in early April and netting to Santiago Easter weekend. Whats the weather like this time of year?
3. I'm travelling solo and have a terrible sense of direction. Are there plenty of yellow arrows? What advice would you give to me to avoid going the wrong way?
4. What's the best hostal to use at the starting point in Porto?
5. I'm travelling solo but love meeting people, will the CP be very quiet this time of year? Will I spend days walking on my own?
Thank you for your help. Gerard
The bridge to which Scruffy refers crosses the old frontier between Valenca de Minho, Portugal and Tui, Spain and said to have been designed by Eiffel (of Parisian tower fame) c.1878 for both rail and vehicle traffic. At night the view from the bridge towards Tui is spectacular....
Bom Caminho which is also a good blessing after you cross the bridge into Spain since there is more Galego spoken there in that part of Galicia.
Hi ! I planned to do the portuges way during this Spring, too.
Apparently you can also sleep by the firemen all along this Camino (they are called Bombeiros) but there is not so much books in France about this Camino (Yes, I know, I'm French, nobody's perfect). The book I have assure there is enough places to sleep between Porto and Santiago, all along the way.
I also eard it's a little cheaper and a little more lonely than Spain.
If someone has others info...
Maybe see you on the Way.
Bon chemin (ou Buen Camino
Hola NadAmr,Hi ! I planned to do the portuges way during this Spring, too.
Apparently you can also sleep by the firemen all along this Camino (they are called Bombeiros) but there is not so much books in France about this Camino (Yes, I know, I'm French, nobody's perfect). The book I have assure there is enough places to sleep between Porto and Santiago, all along the way.
I also eard it's a little cheaper and a little more lonely than Spain.
If someone has others info...
Maybe see you on the Way.
Bon chemin (ou Buen Camino
Just a quickie - if any pilgrim can afford to stay in small hotels, PLEASE DO SO.Hi, NadAmr, You should check the ViaLusitana website that Mike mentioned in his post. The group makes a point of informing pilgrims of the places where the Bombeiros have stopped taking pilgrims. I think you will find that the number of Bombeiros that will accept pilgrims is decreasing as the number of pilgrims increases. But there are more and more albergues, so that's a good development. Bom caminho, Laurie
We as pensionados-baby boomers as they say in Holland- can afford it but obviously there are a lot who can't so than it is okay there are exists cheaper lodging.Just a quickie - if any pilgrim can afford to stay in small hotels, PLEASE DO SO.
The Portuguese economy is going through bad times. I stayed in several places where I was the ONLY one there - that included a 40 bedroom modern hotel. They blame the bombeiros for offering 'free' beds and many small hotels and hostals may even have to close down.
As pilgrims we are helping the local economy - and we are appreciated.
Hi Albertinho!We as pensionados-baby boomers as they say in Holland- can afford it but obviously there are a lot who can't so than it is okay there are exists cheaper lodging. But as a relieve for the economia Portugesa, on the Lisbon Porto leg there are only a few places you can stay for nothing or at a small amount so anyway everybody who walks that track has to be prepared for sleeping in hotels or hostals and for some higher costs. And we are going for the more expensive way on the camino Ingles is it not Stephen ?
However there are some albergues. We will see !
Hi Albertinho!
I think there are plenty of albergues on the Ingles! However, from time to time I like a room to myself - to get away from the snoring and the 5 a.m. early-risers! The trouble is, when you book into a hostal/hotel, you don't have the pleasure of the "camino family" which is very important for me.
Last year I booked into a modern, 40 bedroom hotel for about 37E [I grumbled about the price!]. In the morning I went into the dining room, to find just one, single table laid up for breakfast: the staff confirmed that I was the only guest staying there.... I felt so sorry for them - and for grumbling about the price.
My plans are: Santiago May 14th and 15th. Ferrol 16th, and then walking to Bruma over several days. From Bruma I'll take a bus back to the other main starting point [A Coruna] and walk the whole route to SdC from there.
I wonder if our paths will cross?
Buen camino, amigo Albertinho!
Have the host phone for you. They usually are very willing to help.how do you phone ahead whilst on the camino to reserve a room
I'm also planning my first camino for next spring and would very much like to walk the Portuguese way. The only problem I can see is not being able to speak the language. When you're on your own, how do you phone ahead whilst on the camino to reserve a room, which many of them seem to ask (as much as I can glean from the links)? It's a bit daunting, tbh. I'd try and learn Portuguese but I'm absolutely useless at languages. I took French at school for four years and still can't understand it, and have tried many other languages with the same results, lol. Any suggestions anyone? Or perhaps I should go for the camino Frances first...although I've really got my heart set on Portugal. Cheers.
Hi Eileen!I'm also planning my first camino for next spring and would very much like to walk the Portuguese way. The only problem I can see is not being able to speak the language. When you're on your own, how do you phone ahead whilst on the camino to reserve a room, which many of them seem to ask (as much as I can glean from the links)? It's a bit daunting, tbh. I'd try and learn Portuguese but I'm absolutely useless at languages. I took French at school for four years and still can't understand it, and have tried many other languages with the same results, lol. Any suggestions anyone? Or perhaps I should go for the camino Frances first...although I've really got my heart set on Portugal. Cheers.
Just a quickie - if any pilgrim can afford to stay in small hotels, PLEASE DO SO.
The Portuguese economy is going through bad times. I stayed in several places where I was the ONLY one there - that included a 40 bedroom modern hotel. They blame the bombeiros for offering 'free' beds and many small hotels and hostals may even have to close down.
As pilgrims we are helping the local economy - and we are appreciated.
Hello Gerard, i am beginning my Portuguese Camino in Sept ember , there is a hostel very close to the Airport which i am looking at , its only 5 minutes walk from the airport and on the Camino path , - Good luck from SnowflowerHi folks,
I did the Camino Frances which was a wonderful experience. I have two weeks free in April so I'm considering doing part of the Portaguese from Porto to Santiago. I have the Brierly book and have read some posts on this forum and still have a few questions that need clarification. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
1. Are costs similar on the CP? On average I spent €20 per day on the CF staying in Municipal Hostals on the way. Is the infrastructure as good on this section of the CP? Are there Hostals at regular intervals?
2. I'm planning to go in early April and netting to Santiago Easter weekend. Whats the weather like this time of year?
3. I'm travelling solo and have a terrible sense of direction. Are there plenty of yellow arrows? What advice would you give to me to avoid going the wrong way?
4. What's the best hostal to use at the starting point in Porto?
5. I'm travelling solo but love meeting people, will the CP be very quiet this time of year? Will I spend days walking on my own?
Thank you for your help.
Gerard
Hi everybody,
Thank you all so much for the valuable information. I will certainly check out the hostal close to Porto airport as my flight gets in very late in the evening and knowing the potential of my sense of direction, don't want to be trying to navigate the city in the dark.
Kind regards,
Gerard.
Eileen - DON'T let it put you off! The Salamanca episode was most unusual ... I've enjoyed another [even quieter] camino since then [Lisbon to Porto] and have now booked my flights for the Ingles, flying out on May 14th to SdC and then - after a couple of days in the city - catching a bus to Ferrol and starting to walk.Thanks again to everyone from me too. Stephen, I read your diaries yesterday. It took the rest of the day and half-way through the night until the early morning hours, lol, but I found them fascinating. Very useful as what to do in the worst case scenarios, which would be for me as they were for you on the Salamanca to Santiago pilgrimage...extreme rain, extreme pain and loneliness for our mother tongue. I haven't let it put me off (yet!), but it's useful seeing it from both sides. Cheers.
I will be leaving Porto late May and speak no Portuguese or Spanish (except to ask for red wine) - non-verbal communication with universal gesture is my only hope. It got me by on the CF in 2005 so here's hoping again...I'm also planning my first camino for next spring and would very much like to walk the Portuguese way. The only problem I can see is not being able to speak the language. When you're on your own, how do you phone ahead whilst on the camino to reserve a room, which many of them seem to ask (as much as I can glean from the links)? It's a bit daunting, tbh. I'd try and learn Portuguese but I'm absolutely useless at languages. I took French at school for four years and still can't understand it, and have tried many other languages with the same results, lol. Any suggestions anyone? Or perhaps I should go for the camino Frances first...although I've really got my heart set on Portugal. Cheers.
You'll be fine!I will be leaving Porto late May and speak no Portuguese or Spanish (except to ask for red wine) - non-verbal communication with universal gesture is my only hope. It got me by on the CF in 2005 so here's hoping again...
Hi StephenYou'll be fine!
The Portuguese often like to use English.
Failing that, use mime ..... my first camino I had to 'mime' CRAMP in a chemist shop, holding my left leg, grimacing hard and dancing around in agony. They understood! All the other customers grinned!
Buen camino!
If you read this forum well , you'll see that there is a very safe detour out of Porto to Matosinhos and on to Vila do Conde and so on to Sāo Pedro de Rates where you pick up the interior route and avoid the stressfull walk on the hardshoulders of busy roads north of Porto. Many posts about that detour on this forumHi Stephen
I just read your diary for Porto to Santiago and really enjoyed it - thanks for sharing. I will be leaving Porto on March 20 and hope to walk to Santiago over 10 days. I am a little nervous about the walk out of Porto and the traffic problems.
Josey
Hello everyone,
I walked the Camino Frances two years ago and now planning to do the Portuguese one, starting at the end of April. Getting excited (well a bit nervous, too). This forum is a great help with the preparation!
Does anyone have any experiences with bed bugs on this route? I was lucky enough not to meet any on the Frances but read somewhere that there are a lot on the Portuguese :/ Don't think this would keep me away but would like to know what to expect
Thanks and buen camino.
Hello, Eileen! I have had very good luck having the host of one night call ahead for the next night or two. I've also found other pilgrims to help. I've walked the Le Puy Route, the Camino Frances to Santiago, the Via Gebennensis, and next week will begin walking from Porto to Santiago and to Muxia and Finisterre. Stephen, I've read your report. Thank you! Still not sure whether we need sleeping bags or just liners on this route. I think I will take my very lightweight bag. Linnea caminobleu.blogspot.comI'm also planning my first camino for next spring and would very much like to walk the Portuguese way. The only problem I can see is not being able to speak the language. When you're on your own, how do you phone ahead whilst on the camino to reserve a room, which many of them seem to ask (as much as I can glean from the links)? It's a bit daunting, tbh. I'd try and learn Portuguese but I'm absolutely useless at languages. I took French at school for four years and still can't understand it, and have tried many other languages with the same results, lol. Any suggestions anyone? Or perhaps I should go for the camino Frances first...although I've really got my heart set on Portugal. Cheers.
Hello, Eileen! I have had very good luck having the host of one night call ahead for the next night or two. I've also found other pilgrims to help. I've walked the Le Puy Route, the Camino Frances to Santiago, the Via Gebennensis, and next week will begin walking from Porto to Santiago and to Muxia and Finisterre. Stephen, I've read your report. Thank you! Still not sure whether we need sleeping bags or just liners on this route. I think I will take my very lightweight bag. Linnea caminobleu.blogspot.com
I had two occasions after the camino, back in Lisbon, when food was put on my table without me asking for it. The first time I assumed it was free and ate it, not wanting to waste it, only to find when I payed that I had forced my self to eat an extra €5 of food. The second time it happened, I asked and then left it alone. Generally the food in Portugal was very good value. I do miss the Spanish Tapas.
totallyphil.blogspot.com.au
3. I'm travelling solo and have a terrible sense of direction. Are there plenty of yellow arrows? What advice would you give to me to avoid going the wrong way?
I'm walking the Portugese Camino at the moment & am pleasantly surprised how many Portugese either speak or understand English. I walked the Frances Camino last year & had many more problems with the language(or lack of it) there.I'm also planning my first camino for next spring and would very much like to walk the Portuguese way. The only problem I can see is not being able to speak the language. When you're on your own, how do you phone ahead whilst on the camino to reserve a room, which many of them seem to ask (as much as I can glean from the links)? It's a bit daunting, tbh. I'd try and learn Portuguese but I'm absolutely useless at languages. I took French at school for four years and still can't understand it, and have tried many other languages with the same results, lol. Any suggestions anyone? Or perhaps I should go for the camino Frances first...although I've really got my heart set on Portugal. Cheers.
The signposting in Portugal if fantastic, it would be fairly impossible to get lost, thanks to whoever has painted all those yellow arrows & crosses along the wayThe only time I got lost in Portugal is when I was distracted by six of the prettiest young girls you could ever hope to see. By the time we parted ways there wasn't a yellow arrow to be seen anywhere. Had to turn around and go back until I found where I lost the trail.
Good to know that the signage is good as I am directionally challenged. The abundance of arrows should help me. Also I was a bit concerned about having no language skills as my pronunciation is so horrible that I usually do not try anything other than please and thank you. If I have anything complicated to ask, I use my dictionary and write down what I want to say.
I remember learning the hard way that you will have to pay for anything that you eat that is put on the table, whether you ask for it or not. That's just the Portuguese custom. I have learned, though, that there's no pressure to eat anything, if you feel like it, eat it, if not, just ignore it and you won't be charged for it. Sometimes those little plates are full of good things! In fact, in a favorite Lisbon restaurant, I eat the octopus salad they always put out as an appetizer and then have a green salad for dinner. No one bats an eye. Bom caminho, Laurie
Oh, yes, I remember the name. It is called Carvoeiro da Palma, it is not at all centrally located though. Closest metro stop is Laranjeiras. The grilled fish is excellent, really excellent. Simple, fresh, delicious. It is located across a highway on an overpass from the Universidade Catolica. It's really an interesting little neighborhood, old houses and cobbled streets, surrounded by big apartment buildings and the highway.
A more centrally located favorite is Adega Sao Roque, near the church by the same name in the Bairro Alto. They do great grilled fish and serve a fish and seafood stew called cataplana de marisco that is delicious (but you need two people).
And one more favorite, to round out my list of favorite down home kinds of places is the Adega das Gravatas, also out of the way, near the metro stop Carnide. Great fish and grilled meat on a hot stone -- they bring the stone and the raw meat.
In my humble opinion, the best food Lisbon has to offer is the simplest -- unbelievably fresh grilled fish and grilled meats, fresh unadorned vegetables and potatoes, and good red wine.
Laurie
In my opinion the best "pastel de nata" are these:
The Best
Pastelaria Marianita
Queluz
Very Good
Pastelaria Aloma
R. Francisco Metrass, 67, Lisboa
Loja Nata Lisboa da Rua da Prata
Rua da Prata, 78 – Lisboa
Good
Confeitaria Nacional.
Praça da Figueira 18B – Lisboa
Pastéis de Belém
Rua Belém 84-92 – Lisboa
Of course, there are others opinions, but these are the ones I know best.
Bom Caminho
AMSimoes
Laurie
In my opinion the best "pastel de nata" are these:
The Best
Pastelaria Marianita
Queluz
Very Good
Pastelaria Aloma
R. Francisco Metrass, 67, Lisboa
Loja Nata Lisboa da Rua da Prata
Rua da Prata, 78 – Lisboa
Good
Confeitaria Nacional.
Praça da Figueira 18B – Lisboa
Pastéis de Belém
Rua Belém 84-92 – Lisboa
Of course, there are others opinions, but these are the ones I know best.
Bom Caminho
AMSimoes
Has anyone walked from Tui to Santiago ? Have you taken the new option detour , to avoid the The Industrial Route?
We are going on june 4 and will appriciate any information. Thanks
Have you taken the new option detour , to avoid the The Industrial Route?
What is the distance from Lisbon to Santiago? I am also interested in the weather, crowds and and hostel availability. Thanks,Thank to Gerard for posing the very questions about the CP that I also have in mind. Like you, I did the CF last April-May, starting from SJPP and am planning to do the CP from Lisbon, in September. And thank to Scruffy1 for your precise answers.
Can anyone give additional advice for starting in early September? Is this a good time weather wise (rain, temperature...), crowd wise (I like people but prefer fewer to more) and hostel availability (any closure this time of year) etc.
Thank you.
Has anyone walked from Tui to Santiago ? Have you taken the new option detour , to avoid the The Industrial Route?
We are going on june 4 and will appriciate any information. Thanks
You did not provide the travel details ...which time of year you intend to walk.What is the distance from Lisbon to Santiago? I am also interested in the weather, crowds and and hostel availability. Thanks,
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