Camino Portugues during Holy Week 2024

[Camino805]

Hello everyone, I’m glad to have found this forum. I’m planning my first Camino and I’d like to do it during the Holy Week - start walking on March 21 and arrive in Santiago on Easter Sunday, March 31. I have several questions:

1. What is the weather like on the Camino during that time? Will there be a lot of rain? Should I pack poncho or umbella? Will the trail be muddy?

2. Are the albergues open around this time? Should I make reservations ahead of time or just keep walking and stop wherever I feel tired and take my chances at any albergues on the route?

3. Are there cell service throughout this entire route?

I’m hoping to meet other pilgrims who will do this Camino route during Holy Week.

Gracias,
Karen

 

[trecile]

You should always carry rain gear on the Camino - Galicia is green for a reason!

I would recommend the Altus poncho/raincoat, which will cover both you and your backpack.

You can check albergue opening dates on Gronze.com. It's only in Spanish, but if you use the Chrome browser it will automatically translate to English.

There is cell service on the entire route - I'm assuming that you are starting in Porto.

 

[Ducks]

Hello Karen, I am hoping to walk at the same time. My plan is to leave from Valenca on 26th March, more or less continuing the Camino I had started in March 2020 but had to abandon because of the pandemic lockdown. So our paths may cross. However, due to health issues, my Camino still isn't sure and if I do go, i will stay in private ensuite rooms. Buen Camino to you!

 

[mlabar]

Hello everyone, I’m glad to have found this forum. I’m planning my first Camino and I’d like to do it during the Holy Week - start walking on March 21 and arrive in Santiago on Easter Sunday, March 31. I have several questions:

1. What is the weather like on the Camino during that time? Will there be a lot of rain? Should I pack poncho or umbella? Will the trail be muddy?

2. Are the albergues open around this time? Should I make reservations ahead of time or just keep walking and stop wherever I feel tired and take my chances at any albergues on the route?

3. Are there cell service throughout this entire route?

I’m hoping to meet other pilgrims who will do this Camino route during Holy Week.

Gracias,
Karen

We walked/Ubered (caught Covid, so had to adjust) 2023 Holy Week. Spent Easter in Viana. DEFINITELY make reservations for Holy Week! You are competing with all of Spain & Portugal for accommodation… many native Spaniards & Portuguese have that week off & go on vacation. You can wing it if you want to risk it - if you’re opting for refugios, you might be OK. We were at hotels & albergues… and since we were sick most of the time, we’re dearly grateful that we had planned ahead & could just colapse at our chosen destinations. Have a great time - it’s a beautiful walk! Temps were just right for walking and we didn’t have much rain at all…

 

[Martin 888]

I walked the Portuguese from Porto last March and am planning to repeat in 2024 setting off from Porto again on March 23rd. The weather was a real mix in March ‘23 and Trecile is right, you should always carry rain gear. There was intermittent rain, with the likelihood increasing as you venture further north. I did have one day of complete washout between Ponte de Lima and Rubiães climbing up over the ridge…..it lashed down all day and I got so wet it was almost funny! Having said that, there were days when it was so hot and sunny I had to apply the spf 45 multiple times.
I would prepare for all eventualities. The one thing that I wished I had taken with me was a spare footwear option that was waterproof or at least water resistant…..in heavy rain there are stretches of the trail that become challengingly wet underfoot. I don’t know whether you are planning the coastal route or the central, I did a combination starting on the coast up to Vila do Conde and then crossing to the central at Arcos……I can totally recommend this route which I intend to repeat next March. I didn’t walk the Variant Espiritual this year but I’m going to include that in 2024.
It‘s a fantastic trail and you are going to have the time of your life. It wasn’t that busy at that time of year but there were a few peregrinos around on most days and the majority of services were open and functioning. I you have not witnessed Easter celebrations before in this part of the world, you are in for a real treat. Final thought……it may be worth booking accommodations a few days/weeks in advance for the Easter weekend.
Bom Caminho/Buen Camino !

 

[Walkalong]

Hello Karen:

If riding the wave of pilgrims walking to Santiago for Easter Sunday, it would be safest to have reservations for each night.

While walking from Lisbon in in 2022 we caught up to the wave north of Porto. By the time we got to Redondela we started to book ahead.

You should find a sizable Easter procession in Pontevedra and a great festival in Padron on Saturday.

Had a great evening in Padron, sharing live, local Keltic music with Spaniards who had walked closer to Santiago and then taxied back to Padron to party. There plan was to party late, grab a few hours sleep and then walk to the Pilgrims mass on Easter Sunday morning.

I'm not sure if they made it to Mass, but I am sure they had a great time in Padron.

Buen Camino

 

[Damien Reynolds]

I've never walked during holy week from Porto. But I have a couple weeks before... Everyday during holy week there is a parade and it's awesome. no worries about cell coverage. For me it only rained at that time of year in Galicia. But every year is different on weather. I personally like a rain shell and pants, but ponchos seem to be popular with others. You're just going to have to figure that out for yourself.