PLEASE HELP

[Trollet]

Hi,

My friend and I are walking the Portugese Camino to Santiago, leaving Sweden on July 2 and flying back 14 days later. It´s our first Camino walk. We have a lot of questions, but we find it very difficult to obtain the right information. Can someone please help us:

1. What we understand there is not ONE way to walk the Portugese Camino to Santiago, but SEVERAL??! How do we know how to go? Any recommendations what to choice for the most scenic way?

2. We want to walk at the most 20 km a day. Any suggestions how to plan this? Or where we can find info about the refuges on the way, so we can plan our route at least a bit.

3. What if all the beds are taken? Is there an awful possiblity that we must sleep alone outside??

4. We are as stated walking in July - anyone who can tell us something about the weather? Is it cold/hot? I am also in the process of buying a sleeping bag and are wondering about what comfort temperature I must choice.

5. The first night we will stay in Porto - any cheap but good place to stay? Preferely close to the Cathedral?

6. How do we get the credentials in Porto and the "diploma" in Santiago? Any special opening hours - for ex. closed during weekends?

7. Any tips for two entusiastic but very confused pilgrims to be?

We are very grateful for all the help you can provide. Blessings to you all!

Therese & Matilda

 

[mspath]

Therese and Matilda,

A good place to begin your research for the Portugues Camino is with the recently updated CJS Guide by John Walker. You can download it here on line for a donation to the CSJ. Simply click on the tab marked, "CSJ sell a guide here" found beneath the map on this Camino Portugues topic heading. The guide which discusses the route from Porto to Santiago, lists pilgrim accommodation , places to eat and includes sketch maps as well as many helpful hints.

Walking in Portugal in July should be very warm if not hot. You may not need a sleeping bag but just a lightweight silk or polyester sleeping bag liner.

In Santiago pilgrims obtain their Compostela or Diploma at the Pilgrims' office on the rua do Vilar near the Cathedral. The office is open everyday.

Enjoy your research and Buen Camino to you both!

Margaret

 

[scruffy1]

Hi trollet

You can get a credential in the cathedral in Porto, there was a desk on the right as you go in (with postcards and such) just askthere. The walk out of Porto is long and dreary do consider taking the subway oiut of town the English confraternity guide offers several solutions. There is a guide book in English for the Camino Portugues written by John Brierley, you can buy it for a lot of money from amazon or much cheaper from here
http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=brierley&sts=t&tn=camino+portugues
its not the first ones but the fourth one down the list.
Albergues are more plentiful between Porto and Santiago you should not have too much trouble, there are also many hostals,pensions and small 1* hotels along the way, a double room will be around 30-35 Euro a night better than sleeping outside. ThePortuguese are warm welcoming people, very kind and helpful you will have a great time. Confused? Thats part of the fun since there is absolutely no danger along the way. Having said that, there are stretches along the Camino where one must walk by the road, Portuguese drivers are...well...less than prudent and alert in their driving habits always wear something bright and have something reflective on your backpack while walking there. I also tied a large flag on my back and at times it was still scary!

Bom Caminho!

 

[cote.lesta]

I stayed at Hostel Dixos in Porto not far from the Cathedral €30 for bed & breakfast, very welcoming staff and fabulous views over Porto. Check Johnny's CSJ update on the coastal route, whichever route you pick you will love it. Bom Caminho.
Cote. 8) :arrow:

 

[jeff001]

Another excellent resource is John Brierley's guidebook:
http://www.amazon.com/Pilgrims-Guide-Ca ... 716&sr=1-2

 

[aluso]

Dear Therese and Mathilda,

You can search booking.com to find out more about hotels in Porto - they are usually cheap and good. The Cathedral is in the center of the city, there you can find your credential and star your camino.

The best path to choose from is the usual Camino Portugues. The coastal is pretty good too but there are almost no pilgrims and no albergues to stay in.
The first day will be the worst to walk as you will have only Porto to see....it's a pretty city but not what you can expect after, because it gets pretty good from the 2nd day on.

It will be hot and probably dry....you have to walk early in the morning to escape from the heat.

It will be an experience never to forget! A very good one.

For more informations you can email me at aluso75@gmail.com to prepare your days and other info's.

I'm in Porto so you need info's for Porto also feel free to ask.

 

[micbook]

Therese & Matilda,

Greeting from along the Portuguese Way!
Sounds like Porto is the best place for you to start. If you had more time (and if it wasn´t July), you could technically also start from Lisbon, but I must say, I personally wouldn´t recommend that to a first-time walker anyway. Depending on the language that you speak, I can only recommend English guidebook, and if so, I like John Brierley´s books. If you speak German, I imagine there are more/possibly better guidebooks out there. With JB´s book (and most other books) you can then plan each day, where to stop, how much to walk, and where to stay. There are always new hostels opening up, so it´s also good to look around when you get to a town in which you wish to stay.

Walking this summer and last summer, I haven´t yet come across a situation where I didn´t have a bed. Usually, there are multiple options in most towns, and places are very accommodating. As a last resort, you can also stay at a pension and pay a little extra.

Temperatures are HOT! Today was actually fairly reasonable and of course, the further north you are, the more comfortable it is. Still, you can expect warm weather, at least around 30 degrees in Porto. Galicia is ever-changing...you can never really know what the weather will be like there, and it+s always good to have a light rain jacket with you while in Galicia. Most hostels also have blankets in case you´re not warm enough, but I doubt this will happen

In terms of a place in Porto...
I like Porto Poets Hostel. It´s not the absolutely cheapest (though it´s close), but it´s pretty good (15e for 8-bed dorm room), very clean and quiet, breakfast included, convenient location, and kind people. Everything is walking distance in Porto, so is the cathedral

you can get the credential at the cathedral. I don´t know the hours at the moment, but I can let you know before July 2, if you still need the info. In terms of the compostela in Santiago, my only suggestion is to make it to Santiago and to the pilgrims´office before the pilgrims mass at noon. That way, you´ll get to hear your information called during mass as someone who completed. They won´t say your name but they will say that a pilgrim from Sweden who started in Porto completed the Camino on this day...it´s nice

For a first-timer, it seems confusing for the first few days, but then you´ll pick up on how and what, and you´ll feel like you´ve known how to walk all your life

Who knows, perhaps I´ll see you two around. I´m taking my time to write along the Camino as I have extra time, so feel free to say hello

Buen Camino!
Michal
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http://michalrinkevich.wordpress.com/tag/camino-de-santiago/