I’ve been reading the forum posts for more than a decade, and I think it’s safe to say that the route that gets the most disagreement is the Portugues starting in Lisbon. So much so that the owner of one of the albergues along the way recorded several videos with pilgrim opinions.
I walked this route about ten years ago, well before there were any albergues at all. Since the Via Lusitana (a camino group based in Lisbon) has made its appearance, they have done a lot to improve markings, get the route off the road, and incentivize albergues (they even operate one themselves, in Alpriate, 21 km from the Lisbon cathedral). They also produce their own, very nice, credencial, which you can get at the Lisbon cathedral. https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/portuguese-credential-has-arrived.60265/
For those who are debating whether to start in Lisbon or Porto, would veterans care to chime in here with their opinions?
I can start by throwing out a few pros and cons. I was inspired to do this by some comments on a recent thread.
Pros
— for me, the longer the camino, the better!
— towns of Tomar, Coimbra, Roman Ruins of Condeixa a Nova
— the Portuguese people
— fresh honest food
— lower cost than Spain
— the albergue in Alpriate, kind of like the Orisson of the Portugues. A place for pilgrims to start to get to know each other.
— route out of Lisbon from the cathedral goes through old town, old port, lovely Expo site along the river
Cons
— road walking (though I cannot imagine there is more road walking between Lisbon and Porto than on the official Norte route)
—very little elevation gain (though for some that may be a pro)
— no pilgrim office in Lisbon, indifferent treatment by the cathedral (I just read this on a recent post, and it is true, but I’m not sure that distinguishes this route from any other camino, except maybe SJPP with its pilgrim office).
— pleasant, but not spectacular scenery
I’m sure there are many more, but this is a start. Bom caminho, Laurie
I walked this route about ten years ago, well before there were any albergues at all. Since the Via Lusitana (a camino group based in Lisbon) has made its appearance, they have done a lot to improve markings, get the route off the road, and incentivize albergues (they even operate one themselves, in Alpriate, 21 km from the Lisbon cathedral). They also produce their own, very nice, credencial, which you can get at the Lisbon cathedral. https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/portuguese-credential-has-arrived.60265/
For those who are debating whether to start in Lisbon or Porto, would veterans care to chime in here with their opinions?
I can start by throwing out a few pros and cons. I was inspired to do this by some comments on a recent thread.
Pros
— for me, the longer the camino, the better!
— towns of Tomar, Coimbra, Roman Ruins of Condeixa a Nova
— the Portuguese people
— fresh honest food
— lower cost than Spain
— the albergue in Alpriate, kind of like the Orisson of the Portugues. A place for pilgrims to start to get to know each other.
— route out of Lisbon from the cathedral goes through old town, old port, lovely Expo site along the river
Cons
— road walking (though I cannot imagine there is more road walking between Lisbon and Porto than on the official Norte route)
—very little elevation gain (though for some that may be a pro)
— no pilgrim office in Lisbon, indifferent treatment by the cathedral (I just read this on a recent post, and it is true, but I’m not sure that distinguishes this route from any other camino, except maybe SJPP with its pilgrim office).
— pleasant, but not spectacular scenery
I’m sure there are many more, but this is a start. Bom caminho, Laurie