Suggestion where to start

[Elaine Xavier]

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

 

[Deleted member 67185]

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?

 

[Elaine Xavier]

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.

 

[koilife]

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.

 

[jsalt]

And is there a place to get the passport in on of these places?

Hi Elaine, if you start in Barcelos you can get the credencial at the albergue there, assuming they have some in stock:

https://www.gronze.com/portugal/braga/barcelos/albergue-cidade-barcelos

(“Expiden la Credencial”)

Valenca also has them:

https://www.gronze.com/portugal/viana-do-castelo/valenca-do-minho/albergue-peregrinos-sao-teotonio

Bom caminho,
Jill

 

[Kiwi-family]

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!

 

[Elaine Xavier]

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 Xavier]

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.

 

[David Manzo]

Whichever you decide, don’t rush through Valença and Tui lots to see and appreciate in these contiguous towns.

 

[David Tallan]

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).

 

[surya8]

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!

 

[Guy Strachan]

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