Planning for Camino Portugese Coastal Sept - Oct 2022

[MonaN]

Hi there,

Planning to walk the Coastal Camino in Portugal, starting in Porto in mid-September 2022 and arriving in SDC by early October (around 12 days total). Will stay a day or two in Porto to start and an extra day in SDC after Camino is done. We are thinking of using a company to book our hotels in advance and transport our luggage. Do folks have recommendations on the best companies to use, especially those that are well-known to follow COVID safety protocols?

 

[Camembert]

The best company is no company.
find out yourself. Gives more joy. Lot of information on this forum.

 

[Grousedoctor]

IMHO you don’t need to use or pay a travel company to either book rooms nor you or to arrange luggage transfers. My wife and I have had great success booking our own rooms on different Caminos with little to no difficulty. For us, the planning process, which is in part arranging our accommodations, is almost half the fun of the Camino. There are any number of excellent online and book guides to help you plan distances, where to stay, etc. My first go-to guide online is gronze.com. From private albergues to small inns or hotels, a variety of places are identified where pilgrims can stay covering most of the different budgets people have. As far as luggage transfers go, a number of companies work along the Caminos moving backpacks. It’s as easy as notifying them the evening before, leaving your pack in the lobby of the place where you’re staying by a certain time in the morning, and then heading off down the road. Your pack will be at your next stop before you are. We’ve used a couple different companies in Spain and Portugal with great success. I’d suggest that you start by doing some online research before hiring a company to do what you can easily accomplish yourself at a fraction the cost.

 

[stratophile]

I agree with others that you don't need to use a booking company and you may not need to use a luggage transfer company. However, there is nothing wrong with doing either of those things if that is your preference. Personally, I don't like booking ahead any more than is absolutely necessary as it restricts my flexibility when walking. And I prefer to carry my things on my back. But do whatever is right for your needs and preferences, and don't feel pressure to do things differently.

Regarding those companies that are properly following Covid safety protocols, it will be hard to get any useful information on them – it is all too new and there hasn't been enough people on the Camino to really identify any trends. The best you will be able to find is some scattered anecdotal evidence from those who liked / didn't like what they've seen (which is still better than nothing, I suppose). The feedback I've received has generally been all positive so far, since at this point I think most companies are still focused on being careful. The question is, how long will that focus remain in place...?

Good luck with your planning!

 

[GIOVANBATTISTA]

Use booking.com

 

[jalluisi]

We are looking into doing the Camino Portuguese from Porto in October 2022. We will book everything ourselves. Like the folks above said planning is part of the fun. I did order a book to have an idea of where to go and maybe stay. Gronze is a great source. I downloaded the Wise Piligram app too. I want to watch some Youtubes as well. This forum has lots of information and as well as some schedulea that forum members have shared.

I wanted to ask since we are talking about the Coastal Trail. We were thinking of doing some coastal and some inland. Any advice anyone? We have about 2.5 weeks for complete this Camino and return back to United States Limited on vacation. LOL

 

[Mark Francis Auchincloss]

Hi there,

Planning to walk the Coastal Camino in Portugal, starting in Porto in mid-September 2022 and arriving in SDC by early October (around 12 days total). Will stay a day or two in Porto to start and an extra day in SDC after Camino is done. We are thinking of using a company to book our hotels in advance and transport our luggage. Do folks have recommendations on the best companies to use, especially those that are well-known to follow COVID safety protocols?

The Camino specialist agencies include Camino Ways, Ultreya Tours, Santiago Ways, Follow the Camino, Marly Camino, Galiwonders, EATourSpecialist, Fresco Tours and Tee Travel. Probably missed a few too!

 

[nutstree]

Hi there,

Planning to walk the Coastal Camino in Portugal, starting in Porto in mid-September 2022 and arriving in SDC by early October (around 12 days total). Will stay a day or two in Porto to start and an extra day in SDC after Camino is done. We are thinking of using a company to book our hotels in advance and transport our luggage. Do folks have recommendations on the best companies to use, especially those that are well-known to follow COVID safety protocols?

Hi Monan
Understand you prefer to be assure of a sleeping place and walking without "heavy" backpack.
I also will plan in the same period the same route. I walked already both camino's and in both situations a company organise the hotels. we could indicate when to leave, etc.
However i'm from the Netherlands and had very good experience with the next dutch company: aartswandelreizen.nl.
Good hotels, good prices and in case of problems they have a contactperson from Portugal.
In the past we walk camino's like most pelgrims. See how far you get and find a sleeping place. But now (age) we prefer certainty and a good bed. Also these routes where then already rather busy so when you were late it's become difficult.
Question mark is the COVID. I think nobody can predict what the situation will be in 3 month's so what in september 2022.
Good luck by finding.

 

[Gerard Murdoch]

We did use a company for our two Portuguese Caminhos and booked through Portuguese Green Walks. If that is the way you wish to travel, they are absolutely wonderful company. It is a personal choice.

 

[Pronetowander]

I have done it both ways, first on my own without booking in advance and carrying backpack and the second one with a group and using a company. There are pros and cons for both ways, Nativa Travel and Liz, were wonderful, very professional and I would highly recommend this company if you want to use one. Sat next to the founder of Follow the Camino on my plane home last week, would love to try this company too. A wonderful guy. I think for my third Camino I may do a mixture of both, lots of my own planning, some booking ahead but not all the time, carry my pack some days and send it along other days when I'm very tired or very long walk. Who knows what I will finally do. But like others said part of the fun is the pre planning and using the resources out there. This site was my lifesaver on my first Camino in 2019.

 

[kenwilltravel]

Lots of good advice above. I would just add that Tuitrans does well with luggage transfer. We used them on two Portuguese Caminos, in 2018 and 2019, and found them quite reliable.

 

[SusanWW]

Hi there,

Planning to walk the Coastal Camino in Portugal, starting in Porto in mid-September 2022 and arriving in SDC by early October (around 12 days total). Will stay a day or two in Porto to start and an extra day in SDC after Camino is done. We are thinking of using a company to book our hotels in advance and transport our luggage. Do folks have recommendations on the best companies to use, especially those that are well-known to follow COVID safety protocols?

I’ve been happy using Follow the Camino on the Frances route and will consider them for my small group’s Portugal trip next fall. As COVID is a virus that spreads mainly by breathing shared air, it seems logical to get our own room each night and to look for uncrowded places to eat. The booking service is an extremely easy way to get those rooms booked in advance for all the nights. On the Camino Frances, our rooms, bathrooms, and restaurants were always clean. Most were in small, inexpensive hotels; some were private rooms in hostals and three were in beautiful former monasteries.

We booked room, breakfast, and bag transport with Follow the Camino, months in advance of traveling. We specified the maximum distance we wanted to walk each day. Some pilgrims also had their evening meals pre-booked; we kept that flexible.

Of course it is cheaper to book everything yourself. And you can spend more than we did with Follow the Camino: they offer a booking option with more luxurious hotels, which some other pilgrims chose! I loved having the room and basics already taken care of and I was happy with the service provided.

 

[formysons]

Hi there,

Planning to walk the Coastal Camino in Portugal, starting in Porto in mid-September 2022 and arriving in SDC by early October (around 12 days total). Will stay a day or two in Porto to start and an extra day in SDC after Camino is done. We are thinking of using a company to book our hotels in advance and transport our luggage. Do folks have recommendations on the best companies to use, especially those that are well-known to follow COVID safety protocols?

Hi Mona, my niece and I did that exact route in August 2019. We never had a problem with finding beds even not booking ahead.
Try and include the Spiritual Route as well, wonderful ecperience. Whatever you decide, enjoy and relish every moment.

 

[donnasanjuan]

We are also planning the same route during the same time! We have used Camino Ways (based in Dublin) in the past when we walked along the Camino Frances and they were wonderful. We just put down our deposit for the Portuguese route with Camino Ways.

 

[gittiharre]

Hi there,

Planning to walk the Coastal Camino in Portugal, starting in Porto in mid-September 2022 and arriving in SDC by early October (around 12 days total). Will stay a day or two in Porto to start and an extra day in SDC after Camino is done. We are thinking of using a company to book our hotels in advance and transport our luggage. Do folks have recommendations on the best companies to use, especially those that are well-known to follow COVID safety protocols?

I have just finished booking the Camino Portuguese via coastal and spiritual route for May.
I used the Gronze planner/maps in combo with a guidebook and booking.com and AirBnB for apartment bookings in Porto and Santiago.
We are mainly staying in Bed and Breakfasts, guest houses, hotels. Once in a caravan and three times in albergues.
Daily cost average Euro 29.50 each, includes some bfasts.
The cost with Greenways is Euro 64 per person per day low season. This includes all bfasts and luggage transfer.
I prefer to carry my own, so I don't have to wait around to have a shower and get changed. My pack only weighs 6.5 kg, no hardship.
I love the process of planning and would not want to miss this part.

 

[Easel]

While I will agree that you don't NEED an outside company, I'll submit a contrarian opinion. I've used Fresco Tours (www.frescotours.com) three times (2 Self-Guided, 1 Full-Service). Using a tour company increases your cost some but it is one-stop shopping. You can let them do all the arranging. In Portugal, there is Portugal Green Walks that does the same thing (and actually is the Portugues Rep for Fresco and other Spanish tour companies).

A couple of comments on the Coastal, which I walked in September 2021. Porto is lovely and deserves a day or three to explore. The coast is rugged and beautiful but if you've done prior Spanish Caminos, this one feels very different until you get to Redondela, where it meets up with the Central Portuguese. Prior to that, most all services (Bars, Cafes, etc.) are there for the tourists. If there won't be many tourists (it's raining or cold), they don't open and you have long walks to find cafe, coffee, lunch or a bathroom.

I will do other Caminos in the future but not the Coastal.