First Day Leaving Porto Options

[annie24]

Hello everyone! I am starting my camino in August and am trying to finalize my plans for how to leave Porto. I will be doing the central route but am unsure of how to do the first day. I originally thought I would like to do the coastal route and then join to the central route on the second day, but I am worried of the road walking. I saw a video of someone walking from Labruge to Rates and the narrow roads looked dangerous, even along the aqueduct route. I think I may want to just stick to the central route from the first day, but also don't want to do lots of walking in industrial section.

I have two questions from my research:
1) is there a safer way to cross over from the coastal to central route, still within the first two/three days?
2) if I choose to stay on the central route starting out from Porto, where should I start that skips the industrial section (what metro can I take to skip the industrial section), and what should my first overnight location be (I would like to walk about 20 km per day).

Thank you!

 

[lovelyshell]

I just walked the central out of Porto in April. I walked but got food poisioning about an hour into my walk so I was miserable but made it all the way to Maia which is the industrial section. I personally would recommend skipping ahead to Vilar do Pinheiro and start there but I could be biased because I was sick walking out of Porto. But it is pretty mundane so if you want to avoid it skip ahead go for it. I think Vilar do Pinheiro is the perfect place to start, that’s where I restarted the next day after a visit to the hospital! If you start at Vilar do Pinheiro your next stop would be Vilarihno (that would be a short day) but then the next day you would have a long one to Barcelos.

 

[Enzed]

Another option is (walking or metro) to Rubras/Vilar do Pinheiro metro to Rates to Barcelos.

The central camino from Porto is a bit industriall/urban, but not dangerous. Plus you'll get the satisfaction with the achievement of walking all the way from Porto cathedral.
Also, a camino is not just about the scenery, but the inner journey, and appreciating the beauty in all things.

For example
When I did my central camino, I had a rest day in Porto. Had originally planned to have a full rest day and metro to the outskirts. Changed my mind the day prior.
I woke up early on my rest day, left my main luggage at my hostel and walked along the camino for a few hours to Mira Maia shopping centre, felt that was enough for the morning, then walked to nearby Pedras Rubiaes metro station.
Metro back to town, then spent the afternoon and evening enjoying Porto.
Next day, metro from city, to Pedras Rubiaes, rejoined camino, then Rates, then Barcelos.
It made the distances a bit easier,, and I don't regret the city bit.

EDIT
Have already done the coastal camino, so opted with just the central this time

Both paths have there merits.
The coast is pleasant, and so is the walking from Vairao onwards.

 

[dugavski]

I was walking from the Porto cathedral down by the river and by the ocean and spend first night in Vila Cha.
On second day I took the aqueduct route from Vila do Conde.

Both days were great, I would do it again. I didn't have problems with a car traffic on the way...

 

[motero99]

My daughters and I hiked to Vila do Conde and then crossed to Barcelos. It was about 32 K. We followed the Sipe Pilgrim route on the app. There was only one section that there was much traffic and it was early on. It was close to a mall with a Pingo Doce where we purchased fresh OJ. Otherwise, I felt it was a nice walk. We did break up the first day to Vial do Conde into two days. We walked in the morning from Porto along the river to Matosinhos and stopped at the bridge over the harbor/river. Took the 500 bus back to Porto. That was six miles of flat that gave my daughters a chance to get used to their packs and discard anything the decided they could live without. The rest of the day was spent sightseeing in Porto and taking a suitcase with after camino things to be sent to Santiag to a bike shop where Tui Transport does pickups. The next morning they ubered to the bridge and I took the 500 bus an hour later to the bridge. Although splitting the first day into two and coming back to Porto does not have the romance of starting at the Cathedral and going ever forward, it turned out to be a better solution than a straight 20 mile day. We ended up with more of those than anticipated in the following days.

 

[kenwilltravel]

Last June, we took the metro to Vilar do Pinheiro, expressly to avoid the urban areas of Porto. Here's what I wrote at the time:

"But a shock awaited us when we actually reached the trail a few blocks away: most of our subsequent walk that afternoon took place along the N-360, a busy two-lane highway.
Walking along a highway is bad enough, but this one lacked sidewalks and was often bordered by stone walls that left a very narrow passage on either side. Combine that feature with cars and trucks whizzing by at great speed and we were in for our worst stretch of Camino walking — ever!
We couldn’t have been more relieved when, finally, about 4 p.m., we reached the hamlet of Joudina, location of our lodging for the night."

That lodging was Casa Mindela. The good news: the Central improved a lot from that point on -- less road, more trail and open countryside. But for us, starting at Vilar do Pinheiro didn't solve the road traffic situation entirely.

 

[Charlie Davenport]

I was walking from the Porto cathedral down by the river and by the ocean and spend first night in Vila Cha.
On second day I took the aqueduct route from Vila do Conde.

Both days were great, I would do it again. I didn't have problems with a car traffic on the way...

Absolutely do not skip the Cathedral to the Duoro ruver to Matisinhos walk and on to Via do Conde... Nothing indistrial about it

 

[Yoyo]

I walked the Portugués Central last September and took the metro out to Vilar do Pinheiro, just as @lovelyshell suggests. I had been to Porto before as a tourist and knew the downtown area as well as the river route out to the coast, so didn't feel the urge to re-walk that.
@kenwilltravel is right that the walk along the busy country road (would't call it a highway) can be a little stressful, but make sure you then turn right towards Igreja to walk on secondary roads.
I took it easy for the first few days: On day 1 I only walked about 12 km to Mosteiro de Vairão, on day 2 it was 14 km to Rates and then on day 3 to Barcelos (16 km).
Should you opt for the metro to Vilar do Pinheiro, here is the route from the station (red arrows) to connect with the camino (yellow arrows). It's only about 1 km.
Whatever you decide: Bom caminho!

 

[walking sticKs]

I stayed at Hotel Aeroporto, visited the Cathedral got my first stamp roamed the city and then returned to the hotel. The next morning I walked out the door turned right and walked to Rates. Original I thought I would take the metro to Vilar do Pinheiro but it was easier to just walk it. Brierley's guide describes the route clearly along the perimeter road next to the airport. The road curve around passes the Vilar do Pinheiro metro station on to N13 and the Camino. It was a quite and peaceful walk!
The hotel sets out a nice breakfast and coffee, can't go wrong.

Hotel Aeroporto

Hope it helps.

 

[Llew]

The walk from Porto to Vila do Conde is great. First beside the river and then the coast. The next day to Barcelos there is some road walking but nothing dangerous.

 

[Peter Wright]

Like those making earlier comments, I took the Metro to Vilha de Pinheiro. That was in September 2019 and I did not find any arrows (red or yellow) to direct me so had to resort to Google maps. As I had spent more time sightseeing in Porto, I only started walking from the metro at 3:30 pm. I followed quiet secondary roads and arrived at the monastery - Mostairo de Valarinho at 7:45 pm an easy 12 k.m

 

[CarolamS]

I took the metro to Custió where the metro station is right on the Camino. This was the advice I received from the Tourist Office near the Cathedral. I found it easy to find my first arrow, just along the road. I shaved about 10km off the day's route. I did pass some of the industrial area but it didn't bother me, I was just excited to be finally walking a Camino.
Custío is on the red and the purple metro lines.

 

[sarahchicago]

I walked the central from the Porto cathedral in April. I walked through city streets in early morning and took the alternate route from Custoais to see the monastery Leco do Balio. It was a lovely solitary walk and visit to the church of the monastery and to see spectacular murals along the embankment wall near a large brewery. It added about a kilometer, I think, to my walk to the monastery at Varaio. Yes, there was a scary bit walking on a rural road with heavy traffic, as others have mentioned, but I think only about 1km of that day’s walk was a bit nerve wracking.
I always took the alternate routes on the central to see historical spots or have more rural walking. Favorite spots were ponte de Lima, Valença (stay in the citadel!), and Combarro on the spiritual. I’ll walk the coastal next year and look forward to experiencing that different Camino.

 

[annie24]

I walked the central from the Porto cathedral in April. I walked through city streets in early morning and took the alternate route from Custoais to see the monastery Leco do Balio. It was a lovely solitary walk and visit to the church of the monastery and to see spectacular murals along the embankment wall near a large brewery. It added about a kilometer, I think, to my walk to the monastery at Varaio. Yes, there was a scary bit walking on a rural road with heavy traffic, as others have mentioned, but I think only about 1km of that day’s walk was a bit nerve wracking.
I always took the alternate routes on the central to see historical spots or have more rural walking. Favorite spots were ponte de Lima, Valença (stay in the citadel!), and Combarro on the spiritual. I’ll walk the coastal next year and look forward to experiencing that different Camino.

Thank you, Sarah What app/book did you use to learn about these historical spots along the camino and the alternate routes?

 

[PProffitt]

Hello everyone! I am starting my camino in August and am trying to finalize my plans for how to leave Porto. I will be doing the central route but am unsure of how to do the first day. I originally thought I would like to do the coastal route and then join to the central route on the second day, but I am worried of the road walking. I saw a video of someone walking from Labruge to Rates and the narrow roads looked dangerous, even along the aqueduct route. I think I may want to just stick to the central route from the first day, but also don't want to do lots of walking in industrial section.

I have two questions from my research:
1) is there a safer way to cross over from the coastal to central route, still within the first two/three days?
2) if I choose to stay on the central route starting out from Porto, where should I start that skips the industrial section (what metro can I take to skip the industrial section), and what should my first overnight location be (I would like to walk about 20 km per day).

Thank you!

Does anyone still take the beginning of the walk out to the Lighthouse, then onward...???