Frances last year... Portugues this...

[KFor7007]

Hello...
Just quick, hopefully simple, questions to begin...
Last year I completed my first Camino, from SJPdP. I had lots of misgivings before I commenced, but enjoyed it immensely and found it a wonderful experience... rather more busy than I had anticipated perhaps, but it was thirty-odd days' walking I'll never forget.

I'm considering the Portugues in September this year. My question(s) are these:
1. How different an experience is the Portugues? Are the waymarkings as comprehensive? Are the albergues as accessible, as plentiful, as easy to find?
2. Are the days similar? In length? In nature to the Frances?
3. How essential is a working knowledge of Portuguese? How well is English spoken on the Camino?

I'm sorry if these have been covered many times before. I want to go, but I'm an independent, single traveller and I'm still deciding..

Many thanks

Keith

 

[Dutch]

Hello...
Just quick, hopefully simple, questions to begin...
Last year I completed my first Camino, from SJPdP. I had lots of misgivings before I commenced, but enjoyed it immensely and found it a wonderful experience... rather more busy than I had anticipated perhaps, but it was thirty-odd days' walking I'll never forget.

I'm considering the Portugues in September this year. My question(s) are these:
1. How different an experience is the Portugues? Are the waymarkings as comprehensive? Are the albergues as accessible, as plentiful, as easy to find?
2. Are the days similar? In length? In nature to the Frances?
3. How essential is a working knowledge of Portuguese? How well is English spoken on the Camino?

I'm sorry if these have been covered many times before. I want to go, but I'm an independent, single traveller and I'm still deciding..

Many thanks

Keith

1) the portugees is like a short Frances. Same athmosphere, very social, but a little less crowded. More then enough fellow pilgrims around to have a great time with.
The waymarkings are excellent. I would say, in portugal itself they are even better then in Spain and on the Frances.
The only "problem" or lack of waymarkings you might have is when you enter Santiago from the Camino Portugees side. A few extra arrows there would have been very nice.
The experience in Portugal is different.....it is in all aspects another country, but in a good way.
Albergues are just as easy to find as on the Frances. Believe me when i say, it is really a "mini" Frances except with MUCH better food (in portugees part anyway).
2) the days are very similar in lenght. Nature is also very enjoyable. If you enjoyed the Frances, you will enjoy this route also.
3) Portugees people are not Spanish people. They actually speak (and want to speak) english with you. If you managed to walk thru Spain without Spanish, you'll get by 10x better in Portugal. No need to speak the language, althoug knowimg a few basics is always nice to show some effort to the locals
As soon as you cross the bride from Portugal to Spain, your in a totally different world. You can forget about english.

If you loved the Frances, you'll love the Portugees camino. Its awesome. (I can only speak for the Porto to SdC part. Lisbon-porto i dont know).

Oh and if you walk out of Porto, i would advise on walking day one along the coast and day 2 go inlands, instead of walking straight inland from Porto. That inland day one SUCKS.....sorry, no other way of saying it. Lots of outskirts, suburbs and dangerous roads without any shoulders. I walked like that on day one and on day two i heard all the lovely stories from other pilgrims about walking on the beach, beside the beach, nice this, calm that bladiblabla, while i was trying to avoid cars and trucks on a long and winding dangerous road....grrrr ;-)

 

[KFor7007]

Many thanks for your helpful reply, Dutch

 

[amorfati1]

Hello...
Just quick, hopefully simple, questions to begin...
Last year I completed my first Camino, from SJPdP. I had lots of misgivings before I commenced, but enjoyed it immensely and found it a wonderful experience... rather more busy than I had anticipated perhaps, but it was thirty-odd days' walking I'll never forget.

I'm considering the Portugues in September this year. My question(s) are these:
1. How different an experience is the Portugues? Are the waymarkings as comprehensive? Are the albergues as accessible, as plentiful, as easy to find?
2. Are the days similar? In length? In nature to the Frances?
3. How essential is a working knowledge of Portuguese? How well is English spoken on the Camino?

I'm sorry if these have been covered many times before. I want to go, but I'm an independent, single traveller and I'm still deciding..

Many thanks

Keith

Depends on where you start ... I loved the Portoguese, and have little to compare as I've not done the Frances - but met other pilgrims who did and they kept on comparing very often. so, my 'knowledge' is proxy knowledge on the frances, but first-hand and first-foot experience on the portuguese
Usually I would not encourage comparisons, they often limit the experience of where you are at any given moment.
But I could say that I've walked days when waymarkings were more absent than present (after Santarem, before Tomar, and places where local pranksters arranged arrows to lead you into walking in circles, so to speak and were misleading for other reasons) But locals are marvelous .. and helped me out often when i was in search for the next flecha amarilla and probably had missed it.
Places to stay/overnight there are ... but not that many of the 6-8 euro albergues you might know from the Frances. After Porto and Tui they become frequent though, but not before Porto.
Regarding language ... i'd say it's always essential to know a few words of a local language, regardless where you will travel. English is spoken more frequently on the portuguese part of the caminho than after Tui, on the spanish section of the camino.
the days are 24 hours in length also in portugal, but i suppose you mean it in regards to how you pace yourself, no? depends on how you travel. if you belong to turbo-team pilgrims, you'd be happy with those 30+km days. I don't belong to that tribe and paced myself differently and made it work ....

september is a lovely time in portugal ... also because you probably will encounter wine harvest festivals. food is marvelous, as is the wine and pastries and other goodies.
have a look here - you will find more info/details
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...portuguese-albergues-pensions-and-hostals.81/
best wishes and bom caminho !

and PS: i'd def would second the recommendation by Dutch in regards on how to leave Porto!!

 

[KFor7007]

Another very helpful reply..many thanks.
I suppose by 'length of days', I was trying to ask if you needed to walk 30k between albergues, or if you could find a place to stay after a relatively short day, if that's what you needed...

Keith

 

[Camembert]

Another very helpful reply..many thanks.
I suppose by 'length of days', I was trying to ask if you needed to walk 30k between albergues, or if you could find a place to stay after a relatively short day, if that's what you needed...

Keith

If you walk from Porto you'll find places to sleep within 20 kms. If you walk from Lisboa distances between 25 and 30 kms are more common .
But the Santarèm hostal created a network with some other hostals a
and they offer pick up services so you can walk your wanted 20 kms or so a day on the Lisboa to Porto leg.

About the language : for me it was very easy to communicate with the Portuguese people. I speak Castellano(Spanish) due to my former job I worked in Barcelona for some years and with some assimilation it sounds okay and understandable in Portugal and also in Brasil.
However I was not satisfiedwith my skills so now doing a Brasilean Portuguese language course to be prepared for my next caminho Portuguese soon.