Porto to Santiago - walking & buses/trains

[MadeleineS]

Hi there.
I intend to walk from Porto to Santiago but take buses/trains about half of the way. I am wondering where the nicest walks are, and which parts I should skip by taking train or bus? Thanks. Madeleine

 

[Urban Trekker]

I walked from Porto to Santiago last September /October. We averaged 20 kilometers a day. The first several days as little as 15 kilometers and then up to almost 30 kilometers the last few days. I truly believe that the Portuguese camino is the easiest camino to walk. Walk the whole thing, don't miss a thing. If you need a day off take a cab to the next stop on the route. Do take the costal route the first day. Do stay at Casa Fernanda over night. Spend the night in Valencia instead of Tui and visit the fort there is a surprise inside. Buen Camino

Happy Trails

 

[annakappa]

If you are really short for time, start in Barcelos, as the walking then becomes slightly easier, due to the fact that you have more country paths and less road walking ( which also means a lot of set stone ( some call it cobblestone) walking. This is very hard on your feet!

 

[Anamya]

Are taxis easily available in most cities/villages?

 

[MadeleineS]

Thank you for your help Urban trekker and annakappa. Unfortunately, due to time and money constraints I am unable to walk the full way from Porto to Santiago - a student on a budget. Therefore I was planning on walking some stages and skipping others by taking trains/buses. Thank you for your tip Anna Kappa. I am mainly wondering which stages are the least scenic, and which towns could be missed?

 

[annakappa]

Most of the route is scenic! The only very nasty stretch is the 3kms industrial slog into Porriño, which can now be avoided, by taking the new path off to the left and going through woods.
Apart from Porto, which is a largish city, most places you walk through are small villages, plus a couple of small towns. All very attractive!

 

[peregrina2000]

I think you will find a big difference in the experience depending on whether you start walking and keep walking till you're done or start walking, hop ahead, walk some more, hop ahead. It sounds like you are more interested in the latter. That's fine, but have you thought about how it will mean that you will routinely have to "dump" your Camino family and hop ahead to skip over some section that has been designated as "less scenic?" I agree with Anna that most of this route is very scenic. How many days will you have for walking? Bom caminho, Laurie

 

[annakappa]

I forgot to mention Pontevedra, which is, I think the only largish, but attractive and interesting town between Porto and Santiago. Shouldn't be missed, in my opinion.