Portuguese Camino

[Val&Tom]

Hi everyone,
My wife Val and I are considering walking our second Camino through Portugal. Looking at the guide books, there appears to be some big distances between places to stay.
Could those of you who have walked the Porto to Pontevedra via the coast route, give us your experience of what is available. We hope to travel end of May beginning of June and take about 3 weeks ish. That’ll include rest days
We’re not that young either and don’t want to walk much more than 20k each day.
Thanks in advance
Tom&Val

 

[Casserole]

I haven't walked the CP yet, but I just checked the Camino Ninja app and it shows places to stay no more than 6km apart. I am not 100% confident in this, but I recommend checking the app out until an experienced costal pilgrim can give you some more accurate info.

 

[JZA]

Hi everyone,
My wife Val and I are considering walking our second Camino through Portugal. Looking at the guide books, there appears to be some big distances between places to stay.
Could those of you who have walked the Porto to Pontevedra via the coast route, give us your experience of what is available. We hope to travel end of May beginning of June and take about 3 weeks ish. That’ll include rest days
We’re not that young either and don’t want to walk much more than 20k each day.
Thanks in advance
Tom&Val

There are plenty of places to stay, if they are open. Last summer I found some/all of the municipal albergues were closed “because of covid” and some smaller hotels had shut down/ gone out of business. The variant espiritual has fewer places to stay.

 

[Adelina]

Hi, Tom & Val! My husband and I are also planning on doing the Portugues around your time frame. We are still debating which route. I wonder how you decided on the Coastal route?

 

[Val&Tom]

Hi, Tom & Val! My husband and I are also planning on doing the Portugues around your time frame. We are still debating which route. I wonder how you decided on the Coastal route?

Hi Adelina,
That’s great you doing the Portuguese Camino. In 2019 we did the Camino Francais. All 500 miles of it. Beautiful.
Having looked at the various Portuguese Caminos, we opted for the coastal route as inland walks will be similar to our previous walk.
Also, we like the seaside and it’s flatter!! Might even take my bucket and spade and build a few sand castles lol

 

[Adelina]

Hi Adelina,
That’s great you doing the Portuguese Camino. In 2019 we did the Camino Francais. All 500 miles of it. Beautiful.
Having looked at the various Portuguese Caminos, we opted for the coastal route as inland walks will be similar to our previous walk.
Also, we like the seaside and it’s flatter!! Might even take my bucket and spade and build a few sand castles lol

Thanks for this! I've walked the Frances on my own, my husband is joining me this time as he has heard so much about the Caminos. We live at the beach in SF, so we are thinking the Central route, but nothing is firm yet. Thanks for your insights.

 

[lt56ny]

I have walked the CP from Lisbon. This fall I will walk it again from Lisbon with a detour to Fatima. I will be doing the coastal route from Porto as well as the Espiritual Variante. I know many who have walked this route. I am sure that it is the easiest walk of any camino especially the section from Porto to the Spanish border. There are plenty of places to stay. I know in the summer things get very crowded with locals going to the coast for holiday. I would think that in June things will probably fill up to especially on the weekends. The Gronze webpage does a pretty good job of keeping you up to date on open/closed caminos. There are also some associations in Portugal that have information. You can download the Buen Camino app that will give you more choices on places to stay. The Cathedral in Porto may have information or the tourist office. It is just a guess as I have no idea about those two places.
Finally I have not walked it yet but I will do the Spiritual Variant this time. I have heard it is absolutely beautiful. There is plenty of information about the variant here and in other places. Buen Camino.

 

[Elle Bieling]

Hi there @Val&Tom, I am sharing my experience with you. While some of our stages are longer than 20k, it is very easy to break up the days. For those of you deciding between the Coastal or the Central, my website gives you lots of photos and information to help you choose. It really is a matter of preference.

For our Coastal Route/Senda Litoral, start here. For our Central Route, start here. The costal is clearly for seaside lovers, and you can even walk for long portions on the hard-packed beaches and gorgeous seaside boardwalks. But there are still plenty of historic Roman roads, bridges, and castles and churches. Although, perhaps, the Central is even more historic! Why not plan to do both eventually? You will NOT regret it!

 

[Val&Tom]

I haven't walked the CP yet, but I just checked the Camino Ninja app and it shows places to stay no more than 6km apart. I am not 100% confident in this, but I recommend checking the app out until an experienced costal pilgrim can give you some more accurate info.

Thank you . We’ll check out the ninja app

 

[Camembert]

Hi everyone,
My wife Val and I are considering walking our second Camino through Portugal. Looking at the guide books, there appears to be some big distances between places to stay.
Could those of you who have walked the Porto to Pontevedra via the coast route, give us your experience of what is available. We hope to travel end of May beginning of June and take about 3 weeks ish. That’ll include rest days
We’re not that young either and don’t want to walk much more than 20k each day.
Thanks in advance
Tom&Val

In 2019 I walked from Porto along the coast
we walked from Porto to Matosinhos as a start 10 kms. Stayed in a hotel
day 2 from Matosinhos to Angeiras and stayed there at the camping in a lodge.
day 3 from Angeiras to Póvoa deVarzim stayed in the albergue
day 4 Pôvoa to Esposende. Stayed in the albergue
day 5 Esposende to Viana do Castelo. Stayed in pensäo Laranjeira (not hotel Laranjeira)
day 6 Viana to Vila Praia de Âncora Stayed in an apartment found via the local tourist board.
day 7 Vila Praia to Caminha. Stayed in a hotel
From Caminha we went off the coast and headed for Valença do Minho at the central route

but in 2015 we crossed the Minho river to Spain and followed the coast
so here I continue

day 8. Caminha via the ferry to A Guarda and santa Maria de Oia where we stayed in a hotel
day 9 Oia to Baiona where we found a room via the tourist Information

Day 10 Baiona to Vigo where we stayed in a hotel

day 11 Vigo to Redondela / Cessantes where whe stayed at the Refuxio de la Jérezana
a privat albergue
day 12 from Cessqntes to Pontevedra

from there one year we walked and sailed the Variante Espiritual
the other year we went on to Caldas de Reis, Padron to Santiago
we walked max 20 kms per day .
i

 

[Adelina]

Your replies are very helpful - thank you!!!

 

[Ste66]

Hi everyone,
My wife Val and I are considering walking our second Camino through Portugal. Looking at the guide books, there appears to be some big distances between places to stay.
Could those of you who have walked the Porto to Pontevedra via the coast route, give us your experience of what is available. We hope to travel end of May beginning of June and take about 3 weeks ish. That’ll include rest days
We’re not that young either and don’t want to walk much more than 20k each day.
Thanks in advance
Tom&Val

We walked the coastal route last summer and there are plenty of places to stay as in Portugal you will mainly walking through holiday resorts, following the beaches all the way to the border and in Galicia accomodation options are also available within your 20km limit, so enjoy and Buen camino.

 

[kenwilltravel]

Hi everyone,
My wife Val and I are considering walking our second Camino through Portugal. Looking at the guide books, there appears to be some big distances between places to stay.
Could those of you who have walked the Porto to Pontevedra via the coast route, give us your experience of what is available. We hope to travel end of May beginning of June and take about 3 weeks ish. That’ll include rest days
We’re not that young either and don’t want to walk much more than 20k each day.
Thanks in advance
Tom&Val

Combining our 2018 and 2019 itineraries to include the Spiritual Variant, you can see that it's possible to keep your distances close to the 20 km limit. Three weeks gives you plenty of space to add rest days:
1. Porto to Matosinhos. 12.8 km
2. Matosinhos to Vila Chã. 16 km.
3. Vila Chã to Póvoa de Varzim. 19 km.
4. Póvoa de Varzim to Esposende. 19 km.
5. Esposende to Viana do Castelo. 19 km.
6. Viana do Castelo do Castelo to Praia de Âncora. 22 km.
7. Praia de Âncora to A Guarda. 20.6 km.
8. A Guarda to Villadesuso. 19 km.
9. Villadesuso to Baiona. 17.6 km.
10. Baiona to Nigrán. 9.3 km.
11. Nigrán to Vigo. 20.3 km.
12. Vigo to Arcade. 22 km.
13. Arcade to Pontevedra. 13.4 km.
14. Pontevedra to Combarro. 13.2 km.
15. Combarro to Armenteira. 12 km.
16. Armenteira to Ribadumia. 8.5 km.
17. Ribadumia to Vilanova de Arousa. 18 km.
18. Vilanova de Arousa to Padrón (mostly by boat, only a few km walking)
19. Padrón to O Milladoiro. 21.5 km.
20. O Milladoiro to Santiago de Compostela. 9.5 km.

 

[maxcruzing]

Hi, Tom & Val! My husband and I are also planning on doing the Portugues around your time frame. We are still debating which route. I wonder how you decided on the Coastal route?

Ola,
My wife & I completed the Camino Portuguese Costal route last September and decided to start along the Rio Douro from the Cathedra de Porto, and we then headed north at the Atlantic Ocean. This is a great way to begin as there’s interesting scenery along the way. Also, we took the water taxi (5 euros) at Caminha into Spain to continue along the coast rather than walking up river over 7mi to the nearest bridge, or you could continue east to the Central Route.
Buen Camino…

 

[Val&Tom]

Combining our 2018 and 2019 itineraries to include the Spiritual Variant, you can see that it's possible to keep your distances close to the 20 km limit. Three weeks gives you plenty of space to add rest days:
1. Porto to Matosinhos. 12.8 km
2. Matosinhos to Vila Chã. 16 km.
3. Vila Chã to Póvoa de Varzim. 19 km.
4. Póvoa de Varzim to Esposende. 19 km.
5. Esposende to Viana do Castelo. 19 km.
6. Viana do Castelo do Castelo to Praia de Âncora. 22 km.
7. Praia de Âncora to A Guarda. 20.6 km.
8. A Guarda to Villadesuso. 19 km.
9. Villadesuso to Baiona. 17.6 km.
10. Baiona to Nigrán. 9.3 km.
11. Nigrán to Vigo. 20.3 km.
12. Vigo to Arcade. 22 km.
13. Arcade to Pontevedra. 13.4 km.
14. Pontevedra to Combarro. 13.2 km.
15. Combarro to Armenteira. 12 km.
16. Armenteira to Ribadumia. 8.5 km.
17. Ribadumia to Vilanova de Arousa. 18 km.
18. Vilanova de Arousa to Padrón (mostly by boat, only a few km walking)
19. Padrón to O Milladoiro. 21.5 km.
20. O Milladoiro to Santiago de Compostela. 9.5 km.

Hi Ken,
Thanks for your insights. These will be most helpful in organising our Camino.

 

[Val&Tom]

Ola,
My wife & I completed the Camino Portuguese Costal route last September and decided to start along the Rio Douro from the Cathedra de Porto, and we then headed north at the Atlantic Ocean. This is a great way to begin as there’s interesting scenery along the way. Also, we took the water taxi (5 euros) at Caminha into Spain to continue along the coast rather than walking up river over 7mi to the nearest bridge, or you could continue east to the Central Route.
Buen Camino…

That’s fab. Thank you. We’ll add your insights into our preparations

 

[kenwilltravel]

Hi Ken,
Thanks for your insights. These will be most helpful in organising our Camino.

Hi Val and Tom,
I should have included one other piece of info. If you take out the 5 days we spent on the Spiritual Variant (Pontevedra to Padrón), you can do the main route from Pontevedra to Padrón in two stages, stopping in Caldas da Reis about midway. These two stages would be 24.3 km and 20.9 km respectively. So, if my math is correct (not always a sure bet), the total itinerary is reduced to 17 days. If you've got 3 weeks, that gives you 4 of what my wife and I call "down days," where you do some local touristing and take care of laundry etc. Anyway, just some food for thought ...