Preparing for our camino in Portugal

[Deepforest]

fellow pilgrims, I completed the camino France's last year and thoroughly loved it. This year my camino walking friend is dead set on the Portuguese camino from Lisbon to Santiago. We have no time restrictions and intend to start on July 1st from Lisbon .

I'm concerned that we will be missing the social aspect of the camino as I keep hearing the route isn't popular until Porto, and I really enjoyed meeting other pilgrims and making new friends. I also hear there are few albergues before Porto. Im going to buy the Brierly guide this weekend as I found his Frances guide invaluable. It really helped us a lot.

Do you think we will meet many other pilgrims if we walk from Lisbon on July 1st? I've spent the last year picking up basic Spanish phrases and now I'm thinking I'm back to square one with the language issue. Is communication difficult along the way?

And lastly I was wondering if the bed bug situation is less an issue than on the Frances?

My friend is dead set on this camino but I keep hearing of busy roads, long stages and few albergues. Having said that, I'm sure there will be some really lovely experiences too. I had been thinking the El Norte would be more my cup of tea but I'm starting to do my homework now and am having a good look at the Portuguese route.

Any help or advice most welcome. Thanks guys.

 

[peregrina2000]

fellow pilgrims, I completed the camino France's last year and thoroughly loved it. This year my camino walking friend is dead set on the Portuguese camino from Lisbon to Santiago. We have no time restrictions and intend to start on July 1st from Lisbon .

I'm concerned that we will be missing the social aspect of the camino as I keep hearing the route isn't popular until Porto, and I really enjoyed meeting other pilgrims and making new friends. I also hear there are few albergues before Porto. Im going to buy the Brierly guide this weekend as I found his Frances guide invaluable. It really helped us a lot.

Do you think we will meet many other pilgrims if we walk from Lisbon on July 1st? I've spent the last year picking up basic Spanish phrases and now I'm thinking I'm back to square one with the language issue. Is communication difficult along the way?

And lastly I was wondering if the bed bug situation is less an issue than on the Frances?

My friend is dead set on this camino but I keep hearing of busy roads, long stages and few albergues. Having said that, I'm sure there will be some really lovely experiences too. I had been thinking the El Norte would be more my cup of tea but I'm starting to do my homework now and am having a good look at the Portuguese route.

Any help or advice most welcome. Thanks guys.

Hi, Deepforest, I don't know if you've been poking around the forum much, but there are a few documents in the Resources section that I think will answer a lot of your questions. There is a guide from Lisbon to Porto, one from Porto to Santiago, and a short document on how to put together shorter stages out of Lisbon. All of these were done by forum members, so they aren't professional but they are done with a lot of camino love. https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/resources/categories/camino-portugues.40/

The numbers from Lisbon are really increasing, and I doubt that you and your friend will be alone. Probably no crowds, but I think you will find companionship. The kindness and friendliness of the Portuguese people will make you feel comfortable and at home. No language worries, almost all young people speak good English, it's pretty astonishing. Some of the towns are quite nice, the convent at Tomar is grand, the ruins at Conimbriga are pretty cool, the university city of Coimbra is well worth a visit. All in all, I think the caminho from Lisbon has a lot going for it -- if you search through the forum archives you can find lots of posts on that topic. Here's one I like, but there are lots more: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/why-start-in-lisbon.29651/

The number of albergues is increasing quickly -- when I walked in 2009 there were none, now there are lots. In fact, one opened less than two weeks ago, in Alpriate. It is about 20 km from the Lisbon cathedral, and is run by the Via Lusitana, the Lisbon Camino Association. They also have the most up to date listing of accommodations, IMO:
http://www.vialusitana.org/caminho-portugues/albergues/ (BUT.... They don't yet list their own Alpriate albergue!)

The Alpriate albergue is right on the camino, in a little town with a cafe where you will find cheap and decent home cooking. Definitely the place to stop on day 1!!!

Bom caminho, Laurie

 

[Deepforest]

Laurie, thank you for always replying to my questions. Yes, I've been reading up this evening and I read your post about the new Abergue at 20km. Sounds ideal, my friend doesn't like to walk as far as me.

I've found the follow the arrows blog which is brilliant. It has been very helpful. I'll need to update the albergues on Brierlys guide before I go .

Do you have any idea where we get our credentials from in Lisbon? After looking at a lot of images am I imagining things or is the weather in Portugal damper and hotter than Spain? On the follow the arrows blog the writer refers to high 30c in the early mornings.

Again, thanks for the info. I'm going to be researching away for the next week.

 

[peregrina2000]

Laurie, thank you for always replying to my questions. Yes, I've been reading up this evening and I read your post about the new Abergue at 20km. Sounds ideal, my friend doesn't like to walk as far as me.

I've found the follow the arrows blog which is brilliant. It has been very helpful. I'll need to update the albergues on Brierlys guide before I go .

Do you have any idea where we get our credentials from in Lisbon? After looking at a lot of images am I imagining things or is the weather in Portugal damper and hotter than Spain? On the follow the arrows blog the writer refers to high 30c in the early mornings.

Again, thanks for the info. I'm going to be researching away for the next week.

Credentials are available in the Cathedral in Lisbon, where you can also get your first stamp. I think they have been surprised at the numbers of pilgrims picking them up, though, because I know they were out earlier this spring. The Igreja dos Martires, in the Chiado, also has (or used to have) them.

About the weather, that doesn't jive with my experience. I think high 30C in early morning would be truly aberrational, but then the weather has been truly aberrational lately. I don't think there are real differences between Spain and Portugal. Northern Portugal shares Galicia-like weather, the south (Alentejo and Algarge) is very hot in summer, but I doubt there is some discernible difference east to west. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[Deepforest]

Thanks Laurie, I'm reading your guide now. It's really helpful and detailed. Thanks for all your help.

 

[beiramar]

Northern Portugal shares Galicia-like weather, the south (Alentejo and Algarge) is very hot in summer, but I doubt there is some discernible difference east to west.

The climate along the west coast of the Iberian peninsula is Atlantic, more rain, wind and moisture than in most of Spain, which has continental climate.
I always like this map, which shows the precipitation average for the Iberian peninsula.

 

[t2andreo]

When I walked from Porto last April (2015) I quickly learned that many, many Portuguese folks speak at least a little English.

On my very late night arrival at the Oriente Train station in Lisbon last year, when I was afraid I would miss the last train to Porto, a woman and her teenaged daughter literally grabbed my elbow and asked in perfect unaccented American English if they could help me. Huh? What, Who, Me?

I had been gazing at the large schedule board and muttering to myself aloud, about how I was well and truly screwed...in the dark, in a foreign country where I do not speak the language, and I cannot find an open ticket office. If you have ever been to Oriente at night, you know how creepy the dark post-modernist structure can be.

Well blow me down! I was stunned. The woman cheerfully explained that she attended university in the States and her daughter (who also spoke very good English) was on the same, last train to Porto. My Guardian Angel strikes again! I made the train with five minutes to spare, and the rest of the trip worked out very well.

I very quickly learned that my favorite Portuguese phrase when meeting someone, after exchanging "Bom dia" (Good day) salutations, was "Fala Ingles." I think that is a simple phonetic way of saying it for an English speaker (fah-la in-glehs). It means "Do you speak English?"

Surprisingly, like 9 times out of 10 for me, the answer was: "Yes, I speak a little English, how may I help you?" It was also surprising that many older folks also spoke some English. If they did not, they promptly got on their mobile to get an English speaker on the line, or shouted into another room for a person who did. I NEVER had a language issue in Portugal. This was both in Porto, where I stayed for two days, before walking out on the coastal route, as well as during the ensuing five days walking from Portugal towards Spain.

Several Portuguese explained to me that all their evening TV programming is in OV, usually English/American/Canadian/Australian sourced, with Portuguese subtitles. They explained that is how they pick it up. Most younger Portuguese also study English in school. But, I found even grandparents and older men in rocking chairs greeting me with "Good morning..."

I mention it this profusely because I have traveled all over Europe for more than 30 years, and found the English uptake rate relatively higher in Portugal than in other souther European nations like: Spain, France, or Italy. Coincidentally, those three nations also happen to have huge language dubbing industries. Tens of thousands of people work to dub everything into the lingua franca... So, one wonders about the chicken and egg argument...

But, you will enjoy Portugal. The people were very helpful, friendly and accommodating. They tended not to tell you where something was, as much as they were likely to take you by the hand and SHOW you where it was. I loved Portugal!

Unfortunately, I walled the coastal route and was in Portugal for only seven days (2 in Porto and 5 walking) before I crossed the bridge into Tui, Spain. I say unfortunately, only because I would have liked to spend more time in Portugal. I will go back one day.

So, do learn a few Portuguese phrases. It is the polite thing to do when traveling in ANY country. But, in Portugal, make sure "fala ingles" is among them...

I hope this helps.

 

[TonyC]

The climate along the west coast of the Iberian peninsula is Atlantic, more rain, wind and moisture than in most of Spain, which has continental climate.
I always like this map, which shows the precipitation average for the Iberian peninsula.

Hi! We've just returned to the UK a few days ago after completing our Camino from Lisbon to Santiago.

We started on the 6th April and finished in Santiago on 6th May 2016. On the whole we found little difficulty getting accommodation asking the way, but actual alburgues were sometimes sparse, particularly before Porto. We left Lisbon a few days before the new alburgue was announced, so didn't get chance to check it out. It should really make a big difference to the first stage from Lisbon.

I published a blog each day and in it mentioned the route we took, places we stayed and such like. We walked the traditional route from Lisbon to Porto and then started to walk the 'Litoral' route along the coast. Our original intention was to follow this all the way along the coast to Valença, but changed out minds at FAO, changing then back to the traditional (Central) route from Barcelos, so you'll get some info about both options. The blog was never intended to be a guide but you may find it to be some help in your planning. It's at Folksfrom62.blogspot.com

 

[Deepforest]

Thanks so much guys, you're all brilliant. That's a great help. I'm working my way through the blogs now. I'm going to look through your blog today Tony.

Any opinions on the costal vs the central route? The one that has more accommodation options would probably suit my companion more, he's not a big fan of walking distances as me.

 

[Jakke]

Hi, Deepforest, I don't know if you've been poking around the forum much, but there are a few documents in the Resources section that I think will answer a lot of your questions. There is a guide from Lisbon to Porto, one from Porto to Santiago, and a short document on how to put together shorter stages out of Lisbon. All of these were done by forum members, so they aren't professional but they are done with a lot of camino love. https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/resources/categories/camino-portugues.40/

The numbers from Lisbon are really increasing, and I doubt that you and your friend will be alone. Probably no crowds, but I think you will find companionship. The kindness and friendliness of the Portuguese people will make you feel comfortable and at home. No language worries, almost all young people speak good English, it's pretty astonishing. Some of the towns are quite nice, the convent at Tomar is grand, the ruins at Conimbriga are pretty cool, the university city of Coimbra is well worth a visit. All in all, I think the caminho from Lisbon has a lot going for it -- if you search through the forum archives you can find lots of posts on that topic. Here's one I like, but there are lots more: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/why-start-in-lisbon.29651/

The number of albergues is increasing quickly -- when I walked in 2009 there were none, now there are lots. In fact, one opened less than two weeks ago, in Alpriate. It is about 20 km from the Lisbon cathedral, and is run by the Via Lusitana, the Lisbon Camino Association. They also have the most up to date listing of accommodations, IMO:
http://www.vialusitana.org/caminho-portugues/albergues/ (BUT.... They don't yet list their own Alpriate albergue!)

The Alpriate albergue is right on the camino, in a little town with a cafe where you will find cheap and decent home cooking. Definitely the place to stop on day 1!!!

Bom caminho, Laurie

What a good news! I was actually worrying about that first long stage.