Porto area options

Have you considered staying at a winery somewhere upstream in the Douro valley. The valley itself is a world heritage site.

A more cultural option would be Coimbra to the south, which is home to Portugal's oldest University and is a great historic city.

Hello fellow pilgrim,

one of the tips I received at my hostel in Porto was to drive down to Sao Jacinto with it's vast natural reserve and very fine beaches. Or further to Figueira da Foz with the Mondego outlet.

BC
Roland

Braga is one of my favourite cities. It's also the starting point of a beautiful Camino to Santiago well there's actually 4 routes and they are called Camino Miñoto Ribeiro and Camino Geira Romana o dos Arrieros.

Take a look at this link. Forget the advertising. It's a good list of cities close to Porto than you can get to. Good list. Most are accessible via the CP, if not I think the rest are by bus.

You can purchase a "Porto Card" which gives a discount on local attractions. Take a PORT wine tour! Lots of museums. Take a river tour. Take a stroll down to the river and eat fresh grilled sardinhas! Ride the tram. Explore the neighborhoods.

I agree with you 8 days in Porto is about 4 too many. This despite the fact that I have been there 3 times and love the city.

The problem is that if you were to fly into Madrid in order to spend 3-4 days there before heading to Porto, you are going to have to purchase plane tickets for more $$$ to get to Porto where I assume you will begin your walk to Santiago. You will also have to get back to the airport from the city central. Not difficult if you can handle the city's subway system and stay together as a group. So I would suggest Lisbon because you can use the train to head north to Porto. You could even have a stopover on the trip north if you wish - Coimbra or Figueira da Faz that Roland recommended.

I recommend the train because abundant lodging is always available near big city train systems and because, if you need to take a taxi to the train station, that cost is going to be less than a taxi to the airport. Lastly, it's cheaper than flying the same route and more comfortable, too.