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Porto is very safe. However, if you are leaving Porto via Matosinhos, the first 6-8 Km are on old, narrow and congested city streets. The sidewalks are nil in most places. IMHO, it is not exactly my sort of Camino. I eschew urban walking, through run down neighborhoods or industrial estates when and where possible.
Many folks, myself included, take the Porto Metro, Blue Line towards the destination of Senor de Matosinhos. Get off at the NEXT TO LAST stop, Mercado. Walk up the stairs to the bridge you see above you at the this Metro stop.
Here is a link to a map (in .pdf format) of the Porto Metro:
http://en.metrodoporto.pt/uploads/document/file/263/System_Map.pdf
Walk across the bridge, and then to the left, West. Follow the river through the small container port and around to the right - North. Within 10 minutes of leaving the bridge, you are walking along the ocean.
Here, you have the option of following the sidewalk, walking the boardwalk along the dunes and beach, or actually walking the sand, as far as the protruding rocks will permit.
I hope this helps.
Hi Kingston,
The route is very easy and safe from Porto. Start at the Cathedral and walk down to the Douro River. You reach the river quite quickly. Follow the river, always keeping it and eventually the ocean, to your left. I really enjoyed that first day walk out of Porto, stopping at Perafita (about 7 km past Matosinhos).
You could look at this thread as well for another walking route out of Porto from @Anemone del Camino
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/routes-from-porto.47664/#post-510289
Bom Caminho!
I'm sorry that you missed taking one of the more beautiful walks to Matosinhos. There are lovely boulevards with wide sidewalks leading out to Matosinhos where one can observe everyday lives of Porto's residents. The walk along the Douro River, either on the north or south side is very lovely, safe and walkable as well. I found the only use for the metro as a way to spend two nights in Porto town centre. There are also recommended places to stay in Matosinhos too.Porto is very safe. However, if you are leaving Porto via Matosinhos, the first 6-8 Km are on old, narrow and congested city streets. The sidewalks are nil in most places. IMHO, it is not exactly my sort of Camino.
Many folks, myself included, take the Porto Metro, Blue Line towards the destination of Senor de Matosinhos. Get off at the NEXT TO LAST stop, Mercado. Walk up the stairs to the bridge you see above you at the this Metro stop.
My wife and I walked the river/oceanfront variation to Matosinhos in May. It's a very easy, half-day walk. We stayed a couple of nights beforehand in Porto, and since we were staying on Rua de Flores, just a 5-minute walk from the cathedral, we simply walked down that street to river, at probably the same spot you'd reach if you began from the cathedral. (We got our credentials stamped at the cathedral the day before.) The route along the river is not marked very well, but it's impossible to get lost since you're walking right along the river on concrete sidewalks away from traffic until you reach the ocean, then along a broad concrete sidewalk/bike path the rest of the way. We stayed at the Pensao Central in Matosinhos, which is right on the street the metro runs up if you were taking the metro from Porto. It was maybe a half kilometer up to the Market station and the drawbridge from the Pensao.I have not yet walked this, but I plan to starting on 7/25. My plan is to head toward the Douro river and walk along the river over to Matosinhos.
I also read others suggesting to take the metro out of Porto, but walking along the riverfront has greater appeal to me. I snooped on Google Street view and didn't see anything dangerous or scary about that route.
It also makes for an easy first day walk on this camino, at about 8 miles.
Replying to my own comment, here's a public link to some photos of our recent Porto to Santiago Camino that I posted on my Facebook page. The first few show the walk along the Rio Duoro and the oceanfront to Matosinhos: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/...578.1073741831.1187979153&type=1&l=9426893d04 . You do not have to be a member of Facebook to view this link.My wife and I walked the river/oceanfront variation to Matosinhos in May. It's a very easy, half-day walk. We stayed a couple of nights beforehand in Porto, and since we were staying on Rua de Flores, just a 5-minute walk from the cathedral, we simply walked down that street to river, at probably the same spot you'd reach if you began from the cathedral. (We got our credentials stamped at the cathedral the day before.) The route along the river is not marked very well, but it's impossible to get lost since you're walking right along the river on concrete sidewalks away from traffic until you reach the ocean, then along a broad concrete sidewalk/bike path the rest of the way. We stayed at the Pensao Central in Matosinhos, which is right on the street the metro runs up if you were taking the metro from Porto. It was maybe a half kilometer up to the Market station and the drawbridge from the Pensao.
If you continue up the coast from Matasinhos to Vila do Conde, you'll be on the same type of sidewalk/bike path for the first few km, then on a boardwalk for most of the way after that. Take plenty of water and a broad-brimmed hat because there is no shade on the boardwalk and it can get very hot.
Bom Caminho!
My sister and I took this route May 31st. It was so refreshing walking with the Atlantic to our left. Cool ocean breezes. We stayed the night in Labruge at S.tiago schoolhouse, converted to a very nice hostel. Bety was a very pleasant host. Very helpful. Next day walked to Vila do Conde, took a bus from there to Arcos and began walking the regular path.Porto is very safe. However, if you are leaving Porto via Matosinhos, the first 6-8 Km are on old, narrow and congested city streets. The sidewalks are nil in most places. IMHO, it is not exactly my sort of Camino. I eschew urban walking, through run down neighborhoods or industrial estates when and where possible.
Many folks, myself included, take the Porto Metro, Blue Line towards the destination of Senor de Matosinhos. Get off at the NEXT TO LAST stop, Mercado. Walk up the stairs to the bridge you see above you at the this Metro stop.
Here is a link to a map (in .pdf format) of the Porto Metro:
http://en.metrodoporto.pt/uploads/document/file/263/System_Map.pdf
Walk across the bridge, and then to the left, West. Follow the river through the small container port and around to the right - North. Within 10 minutes of leaving the bridge, you are walking along the ocean.
Here, you have the option of following the sidewalk, walking the boardwalk along the dunes and beach, or actually walking the sand, as far as the protruding rocks will permit.
I hope this helps.
It is a lovely 'stroll' from Porto to Matasinhos following the river and then the coast - and sooooo simple! I did it about 10 days ago when I started the Caminho Portugês da Costa. I had arrived by bus from Santiago and got in at 15.00 Portuguese time. It was the Sunday after São João and there were festivities everywhere. I quite enjoyed the 15 km walk.
I would like to hear from people who have walked this area and can give advice of best routes doing the coastal option.
This is not my experience. There are other options through Porto! A quick look at an online map like openstreetmap will show you that the Rua and Avenida de Boavista runs wide and completely straight from the edge of the old district right down to the sea, about a km before Matosinhos. It's not as scenic as walking round the riverfront and coast, but if you're going all the way to Vilar do Conde in the first day it'll bring the distance down to about 28km rather than being more than 30km round the river. From the cathedral you follow the yellow arrows of the central route and then peel left when you reach Rua de Boavista and just go straight to the sea. When I did it Rua de Boavista wasn't signed, but it was easy to spot when using one of those tourist office mapsheets of the city (that they typically provide in hostels/hotels as well).However, if you are leaving Porto via Matosinhos, the first 6-8 Km are on old, narrow and congested city streets.
Flauwe kul gewoon lopen!Hello All
I am walking this September from Porto to Santiago and need some info in regard to where to start in Porto and I have read the road is not safe and I should take public transportation out of Porto to avoid suburbs.
I would like to hear from people who have walked this area and can give advice of best routes doing the coastal option.
Thanks Kingston
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