• For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here.
    (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation)
  • ⚠️ Emergency contact in Spain - Dial 112 and AlertCops app. More on this here.

Search 69,459 Camino Questions

Suggestion where to start

Elaine Xavier

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Camino Portuguese
Hey, I am starting the Camino next Monday but I am in doubt where to start, in Barcelos or in Valença.
Any suggestion?
And is there a place to get the passport in on of these places?
Thanks
 
Down bag (90/10 duvet) of 700 fills with 180 g (6.34 ounces) of filling. Mummy-shaped structure, ideal when you are looking for lightness with great heating performance.

€149,-
Hi, Elaine, and a warm welcome the the Forum :)

I think you might need to provide a bit more information :) Where do you want to end your Camino? How many days do your have available?
 
Hi, Elaine, and a warm welcome the the Forum :)

I think you might need to provide a bit more information :) Where do you want to end your Camino? How many days do your have available?
I wanna end in Santiago.
My doubt is about starting in Barcelos and do not go to Finisterra or start in Valença and have the opportunity to go to Finisterra.
 
New Original Camino Gear Designed Especially with The Modern Peregrino In Mind!
Elaine --- Something to consider with limited time are your rest days. I assume you'll take a day or two extra in Santiago to rest, sightsee, visit Cathedral, etc.

Eight or nine days from Barcelos to SdC may be long enough that you need a rest day prior to SdC if your body isn't well conditioned. If you're a strong, long walker, then no worries about a rest day.

If you start from Valenca, then you have five or six days to SdC, and you can use your time in SdC to rest and play before you go out to the coast.

I'm hesitant to recommend anything that lands in the personal preference category because I don't know you, and what I like may not be what you like. However, I personally love staying in a private hotel on the beach just shy of Finisterre, but I come from a landlocked region, so the ocean is a major attraction for me. Thus, if I were in your shoes, I would start in Valenca because I would want to spend time on the beach eating percebes and drinking brandy. But that's just me.
 
And *my* personal preference (coming from a relatively new city surrounded by TWO oceans which perhaps causes my Finisterre-underwhelm) would be to not miss Barcelos - but what would you prefer? What interests you more?
By the way, I personally don’t feel the need for rest days. Indeed, when I walked from Porto it seemed that Santiago appeared before I had even found my stride!
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
And *my* personal preference (coming from a relatively new city surrounded by TWO oceans which perhaps causes my Finisterre-underwhelm) would be to not miss Barcelos - but what would you prefer? What interests you more?
By the way, I personally don’t feel the need for rest days. Indeed, when I walked from Porto it seemed that Santiago appeared before I had even found my stride!
Thanks for your oppinion. You are the second person who tells to not miss Barcelos. So, I´m gonna start from there.
 
Elaine --- Something to consider with limited time are your rest days. I assume you'll take a day or two extra in Santiago to rest, sightsee, visit Cathedral, etc.

Eight or nine days from Barcelos to SdC may be long enough that you need a rest day prior to SdC if your body isn't well conditioned. If you're a strong, long walker, then no worries about a rest day.

If you start from Valenca, then you have five or six days to SdC, and you can use your time in SdC to rest and play before you go out to the coast.

I'm hesitant to recommend anything that lands in the personal preference category because I don't know you, and what I like may not be what you like. However, I personally love staying in a private hotel on the beach just shy of Finisterre, but I come from a landlocked region, so the ocean is a major attraction for me. Thus, if I were in your shoes, I would start in Valenca because I would want to spend time on the beach eating percebes and drinking brandy. But that's just me.
Thanks for your advice.
 
Whichever you decide, don’t rush through Valença and Tui lots to see and appreciate in these contiguous towns.
 
Down bag (90/10 duvet) of 700 fills with 180 g (6.34 ounces) of filling. Mummy-shaped structure, ideal when you are looking for lightness with great heating performance.

€149,-
And *my* personal preference (coming from a relatively new city surrounded by TWO oceans which perhaps causes my Finisterre-underwhelm) would be to not miss Barcelos - but what would you prefer? What interests you more?
By the way, I personally don’t feel the need for rest days. Indeed, when I walked from Porto it seemed that Santiago appeared before I had even found my stride!
I also found that, having previously walked the Frances, the Portugues from Porto seemed to be ending just as it was getting started. I also didn't need rest days (although perhaps the situation would have been different if I hadn't trained and walked another camino a couple of years before - and, as well, I tended to break up the 30+ km days into two shorter walking days so it took me 13 days to get from Porto to Santiago).
 
Barcelos, Ponte de Lima and Valenca are the jems on the central way - try not to miss them! I really enjoyed walking around towns after dropping my backpack at the albergue. Enjoy Portugal while it lasts! :) Bom Camino!
 
Starting from Tui is another option if time is tight?
I did this in 2016 and took 5 days to walk the 115 km (average of 23 km/day).
Tui has an interesting, historical centre but having not visited (yet!) Barcelos, Ponte de Lima or Valenca can't really offer a comparison.
Buen Camino
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery

Most read last week in this forum

I would like to walk the river route in Tui next month. I can see on google maps exactly where it starts, but it seems a bit overgrown. Has anybody used this route this year or last year...
Hello, my friend of 50+ years and I are on our first Camino walk. We are looking for: 1) safe, comfortable hostels in Lisbon; 2) stages from Lisbon to Porto (via Tomar) in about 16 days...
Hi I have searched everywhere to see if there is a luggage service from Lisbon to Porto. I know there is from Porto to Santiago, but Lisbon ???. Thanks for any info.

❓How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Forum Rules

Forum Rules

Camino Updates on YouTube

Camino Conversations

Most downloaded Resources

This site is run by Ivar at

in Santiago de Compostela.
This site participates in the Amazon Affiliate program, designed to provide a means for Ivar to earn fees by linking to Amazon
Official Camino Passport (Credential) | 2024 Camino Guides
Back
Top