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I somewhat get your point, but a full Camino de Santiago is a Camino that ends in Santiago de Compostela, regardless of starting point. If you are talking about something like SJPdP to Santiago as a full Camino, consider that SJPdP is really an arbitrary starting point, and Spaniards consider Roncesvalles to be the start of the Camino Francés. I haven't found the experience of walking into Santiago diminished in any way by the number of previous times that I have walked there.Specifically, we do NOT want to reach Santiago, so as to save that experience for the completion of a full camino. Our planned timing is May of 2023.
You might consider doing the coastal from Porto to Vigo. Interesting places to tarry along the way include Viana do Costello, A Guarda and Baiona. From Vigo you can pick up a train to get back to Porto (assuming that's a good starting point for you).Hello, can anyone provide suggestions for an 8-10 day segment on the Camino Portuguese (Central or Coastal or a mix)?
My husband and I are planning this as a trial run of sorts before walking the Camino Frances.
Specifically, we do NOT want to reach Santiago, so as to save that experience for the completion of a full camino. Our planned timing is May of 2023.
We'll have 2 weeks for the trip but are planning 8-10 days of walking to allow for rest days in any especially interesting villages and possibly a day or two in a city or town not on the camino before returning home.
Any suggestions will be much appreciated!
Unless you are thinking of starting somewhere between Lisbon and Porto, it is difficult for me to imagine what your intent is here. I say that, because starting in or after Porto and walking for 8-10 days at between 20-25km/day would bring you very close to Santiago.Hello, can anyone provide suggestions for an 8-10 day segment on the Camino Portuguese (Central or Coastal or a mix)?
My husband and I are planning this as a trial run of sorts before walking the Camino Frances.
Specifically, we do NOT want to reach Santiago, so as to save that experience for the completion of a full camino. Our planned timing is May of 2023.
We'll have 2 weeks for the trip but are planning 8-10 days of walking to allow for rest days in any especially interesting villages and possibly a day or two in a city or town not on the camino before returning home.
Any suggestions will be much appreciated!
Hi, I understand what you are wanting to achieve and good on you. Based on my experience on the CP I can highly recommend the coastal from Porto to Vigo or even better yet into Pontevedra. If you can take the Variante Espiritual option as well. Amazing coastal boardwalks, great people, better food options than atypical pilgrims menu. I've made a point of doing different routes each time but I'd do this one again in a heart beat.Hello, can anyone provide suggestions for an 8-10 day segment on the Camino Portuguese (Central or Coastal or a mix)?
My husband and I are planning this as a trial run of sorts before walking the Camino Frances.
Specifically, we do NOT want to reach Santiago, so as to save that experience for the completion of a full camino. Our planned timing is May of 2023.
We'll have 2 weeks for the trip but are planning 8-10 days of walking to allow for rest days in any especially interesting villages and possibly a day or two in a city or town not on the camino before returning home.
Any suggestions will be much appreciated!
Thanks for your perspective on Santiago. I'll check out the poster you mentioned.I somewhat get your point, but a full Camino de Santiago is a Camino that ends in Santiago de Compostela, regardless of starting point. If you are talking about something like SJPdP to Santiago as a full Camino, consider that SJPdP is really an arbitrary starting point, and Spaniards consider Roncesvalles to be the start of the Camino Francés. I haven't found the experience of walking into Santiago diminished in any way by the number of previous times that I have walked there.
As far as interesting routes in Portugal go, check out posts by @jungleboy. He and his wife have walked many routes in Portugal that you might like.
Thank you for the suggestion - this looks like a great option.You might consider doing the coastal from Porto to Vigo. Interesting places to tarry along the way include Viana do Costello, A Guarda and Baiona. From Vigo you can pick up a train to get back to Porto (assuming that's a good starting point for you).
Thanks, @dougfitz. I'll check out the routes from Vigo and Tui. Our goal is to test out our gear/packing list, experience staying in albergues, figure out the pace that is sustainable for us over several days, and try out a travel style where we have not prebooked every night in advance - all to better prepare us for walking a longer distance. Reaching Santiago is not a specific objective for this trip, so yes, perhaps this is more of a walking holiday - but we hope to approach it as we would a future pilgrimage. We're open to walking any part of the Camino Portuguese for this trial run. So far no one has suggested any segment between Lisbon and Porto; I'm wondering if that part is less scenic or less interesting for other reasons.Unless you are thinking of starting somewhere between Lisbon and Porto, it is difficult for me to imagine what your intent is here. I say that, because starting in or after Porto and walking for 8-10 days at between 20-25km/day would bring you very close to Santiago.
Like @trecile, I find the experience of walking into Santiago is no less powerful each time I have done it. I don't understand why you would not want that experience.
If walking the Camino, ie reaching Santiago de Compostela to visit the tomb of the saint, is not your intent here, I would be tempted to characterize what you are planning as a walking holiday, not a pilgrimage. I suspect I have met others who are doing the same thing at different places on my pilgrimages to Santiago, some who more openly admit that than others.
This is a roundabout way of getting to this point. If you want to do this to understand whether or not you want to undertake a longer pilgrimage, plan do it as a pilgrimage from the outset, with the clear intention of walking to Santiago on this or a subsequent time. As a pilgrim, rather than being on walking holiday, you will have a legitimate claim to a credencial and the support of the albergue network, and experience the company of other pilgrims walking with the same intent.
If you think you want to take a holiday afterwards to visit Padron, Muxia, Finistere or some other interesting town you found during your pilgrimage, plan to walk from Vigo or Tui and give yourself time to do that after your Camino.
Thank you - this is the second suggestion I've gotten for Porto to Vigo. I'll check it out.Hi, I understand what you are wanting to achieve and good on you. Based on my experience on the CP I can highly recommend the coastal from Porto to Vigo or even better yet into Pontevedra. If you can take the Variante Espiritual option as well. Amazing coastal boardwalks, great people, better food options than atypical pilgrims menu. I've made a point of doing different routes each time but I'd do this one again in a heart beat.
There are some scenic sections between Lisbon and Porto, but there are very few pilgrims compared to the Camino Francés or Porto to Santiago. Also less pilgrim infrastructure. I wouldn't choose the Camino south of Porto for a first timer.So far no one has suggested any segment between Lisbon and Porto; I'm wondering if that part is less scenic or less interesting for other reasons
Thank you for sharing your experience! We are also older (60 and 65). Though we plan to carry our own packs (and hope to counter our usual tendency to overpack to make it manageable), it's good to know that the luggage transfer is available, even on short notice. I like that your route incorporated some of the coastal route in addition to the central route - I will take a closer look at the details. It sounds like you had an amazing trip!Hello,
We just returned from the CP; it was our first camino and we are both older (60 and 73 years old). We wanted to experience walking and living life more simply.
We started by carrying our back packs and then, a heat wave hit. Our host at a guest house recommended that we get them transferred the next day to our accommodation; this was such a great idea. And yes, after this, we had our bags transferred every day till we reached Santiago.
Well, this is an interesting and unusual request! I understand the principle behind the 'no Santiago' aspect, although as others have already said, multiple arrivals in Santiago doesn't necessarily diminish the experience. Another thing to think about in this regard is: what you are hoping to get out of this first pilgrimage beyond the trial run aspect? Everyone you meet will be going to Santiago - that's the whole point, after all - and if you stop in some random nearby town, that might leave you with mixed feelings; a bit of emptiness, perhaps.Hello, can anyone provide suggestions for an 8-10 day segment on the Camino Portuguese (Central or Coastal or a mix)?
My husband and I are planning this as a trial run of sorts before walking the Camino Frances.
Specifically, we do NOT want to reach Santiago, so as to save that experience for the completion of a full camino. Our planned timing is May of 2023.
We'll have 2 weeks for the trip but are planning 8-10 days of walking to allow for rest days in any especially interesting villages and possibly a day or two in a city or town not on the camino before returning home.
Porto is a great place to start and worthy of a couple of days itself. I think the coastal route is great with better scenery, other people may disagree. Just head north and see how far you get. Getting back to Porto for your return flight gives you the opportunity to take the train into Sao Bento station, which is beautiful.Hello, can anyone provide suggestions for an 8-10 day segment on the Camino Portuguese (Central or Coastal or a mix)?
My husband and I are planning this as a trial run of sorts before walking the Camino Frances.
Specifically, we do NOT want to reach Santiago, so as to save that experience for the completion of a full camino. Our planned timing is May of 2023.
We'll have 2 weeks for the trip but are planning 8-10 days of walking to allow for rest days in any especially interesting villages and possibly a day or two in a city or town not on the camino before returning home.
Any suggestions will be much appreciated!
Hello, can anyone provide suggestions for an 8-10 day segment on the Camino Portuguese (Central or Coastal or a mix)?
My husband and I are planning this as a trial run of sorts before walking the Camino Frances.
Specifically, we do NOT want to reach Santiago, so as to save that experience for the completion of a full camino. Our planned timing is May of 2023.
We'll have 2 weeks for the trip but are planning 8-10 days of walking to allow for rest days in any especially interesting villages and possibly a day or two in a city or town not on the camino before returning home.
Any suggestions will be much appreciated!
@jungleboy Thank you for your detailed response and recommendations! I have a lot of options to consider now and so appreciate the information.That said, here are a few suggestions in three parts.
Hello, can anyone provide suggestions for an 8-10 day segment on the Camino Portuguese (Central or Coastal or a mix)?
My husband and I are planning this as a trial run of sorts before walking the Camino Frances.
Specifically, we do NOT want to reach Santiago, so as to save that experience for the completion of a full camino. Our planned timing is May of 2023.
We'll have 2 weeks for the trip but are planning 8-10 days of walking to allow for rest days in any especially interesting villages and possibly a day or two in a city or town not on the camino before returning home.
Any suggestions will be much appreciated!
10 days would get you from Porto to Santiago easily on the Central but wouldn't allow for rest day or any other issues you may come across. Similarly its 10 days from Coimbra( Below Porto) to Valenca. I have done both. From Valenca there is a direct train back to Porto. One of the most beautiful experiences I've had on any Camino was walking into Porto across the Dom Luis 1 bridge, looking left all the way out the estuary to the sea. Maybe a train out towards Coimbra and start a stage or two nearer Porto would take all time and stage pressure of you both for your planned Camino. These are just suggestions so whichever route you decide have a wonderful time. DanielHello, can anyone provide suggestions for an 8-10 day segment on the Camino Portuguese (Central or Coastal or a mix)?
My husband and I are planning this as a trial run of sorts before walking the Camino Frances.
Specifically, we do NOT want to reach Santiago, so as to save that experience for the completion of a full camino. Our planned timing is May of 2023.
We'll have 2 weeks for the trip but are planning 8-10 days of walking to allow for rest days in any especially interesting villages and possibly a day or two in a city or town not on the camino before returning home.
Any suggestions will be much appreciated!
Thank you! I will take a look at this.10 days would get you from Porto to Santiago easily on the Central but wouldn't allow for rest day or any other issues you may come across. Similarly its 10 days from Coimbra( Below Porto) to Valenca.
I understand and appreciate what you are trying to do. My husband and I did a five day trial section of the Camino Frances back in 2019, from Pamplona to Logrono, specifically to see how much training we would need and whether my artificial knee would be up to it. That certainly didn’t diminish any excitement about coming back and doing a “complete” Camino later. The Camino we chose to do was the Camino Portuguese, from Lisbon to Santiago. Unlike many others, I absolutely loved the section from Lisbon to Porto, partly because there were fewer pilgrims, the ones that we did find we grew close to and very much enjoyed our time with. We also found several wonderful places to stop for a day: Coimbra, Tomar and Porto among them.Hello, can anyone provide suggestions for an 8-10 day segment on the Camino Portuguese (Central or Coastal or a mix)?
My husband and I are planning this as a trial run of sorts before walking the Camino Frances.
Specifically, we do NOT want to reach Santiago, so as to save that experience for the completion of a full camino. Our planned timing is May of 2023.
We'll have 2 weeks for the trip but are planning 8-10 days of walking to allow for rest days in any especially interesting villages and possibly a day or two in a city or town not on the camino before returning home.
Any suggestions will be much appreciated!
A great suggestion and 1 I fully echo.You might consider doing the coastal from Porto to Vigo. Interesting places to tarry along the way include Viana do Costello, A Guarda and Baiona. From Vigo you can pick up a train to get back to Porto (assuming that's a good starting point for you).
Hello LisaJS. My daughter and I just returned from 16 days in Portugal including a "partial" Camino on the Coastal/Litoral routes. We walked the full French route together in 2013 and then I did the Sarria to Santiago portion in early June with another group so we wanted some Camino in Portugal but didn't plan to go all the way to Santiago. A couple of thoughts about the route we took from Porto to Viana do Castelo: For the most part it was a flat, easy walk. We had boardwalk along the beaches and sidewalks through towns *most* of the way. We loved leaving Porto along the river and walking up through Matosinhos and then continued hugging the coastline as much as possible. We did make reservations ahead but found the luggage transfer didn't work for us and some of our choices of where to stay so we ended up carrying our packs. 72 y/o carrying 18 lb pack = it's possible! We did about 17-18 km a day, staying in Perafita, Vila do Conde, Apulia, Mar and Viana do Castelo before taking the train back to Lisbon. The only difficult place where we couldn't get easy coastline was between Mar and Viana do Castelo. I'll be happy to send you a list of where we stayed if you like.Hello, can anyone provide suggestions for an 8-10 day segment on the Camino Portuguese (Central or Coastal or a mix)?
My husband and I are planning this as a trial run of sorts before walking the Camino Frances.
Specifically, we do NOT want to reach Santiago, so as to save that experience for the completion of a full camino. Our planned timing is May of 2023.
We'll have 2 weeks for the trip but are planning 8-10 days of walking to allow for rest days in any especially interesting villages and possibly a day or two in a city or town not on the camino before returning home.
Any suggestions will be much appreciated!
Would you be able to post where you stayed here? That would be very helpful as we're thinking of walking from Porto next year. Also can you explain why the baggage transfer didn't work for you as we were hoping to do that. Thanks.Hello LisaJS. My daughter and I just returned from 16 days in Portugal including a "partial" Camino on the Coastal/Litoral routes. We walked the full French route together in 2013 and then I did the Sarria to Santiago portion in early June with another group so we wanted some Camino in Portugal but didn't plan to go all the way to Santiago. A couple of thoughts about the route we took from Porto to Viana do Castelo: For the most part it was a flat, easy walk. We had boardwalk along the beaches and sidewalks through towns *most* of the way. We loved leaving Porto along the river and walking up through Matosinhos and then continued hugging the coastline as much as possible. We did make reservations ahead but found the luggage transfer didn't work for us and some of our choices of where to stay so we ended up carrying our packs. 72 y/o carrying 18 lb pack = it's possible! We did about 17-18 km a day, staying in Perafita, Vila do Conde, Apulia, Mar and Viana do Castelo before taking the train back to Lisbon. The only difficult place where we couldn't get easy coastline was between Mar and Viana do Castelo. I'll be happy to send you a list of where we stayed if you like.
Other than our Camino time we spent a couple of days in Porto, about 5 days in Lisbon and 3 days in Zambujeira do Mar (a 3 hour bus ride down the coast between Lisbon and the Algarve.) Z do M is a lovely little town with great restaurants and amazing vistas. One day we walked the Rota Vicentina north along the coast and the cliffs for about 12 km. Spectacular.
Enjoy your planning and the anticipation of great adventures ahead. Buen Camino and Bom Caminho.
Lodging for Partial Camino on Portuguese Coastal from Porto to Viana do Castelo June 2022. Two people sharing a room or apartment. |
Location | Name | Cost | Contact/Booking | Comments |
Porto | The Lost Inn | Two people in mixed dorm for two nights was €143 or roughly €36 per person per night. | Their phone +351 22 208 1469. We booked through HostelWorld | Nice facility, clean, bunks have curtains for individual privacy, large gathering area and they offer a very reasonably priced breakfast. Excellent location right behind the Cathedral and close to old town restaurants and activities. Staff was great. |
Perafita | Casarao Paraiso | Two people twin room with private bath was €58. | We booked through Booking.com. Manuela is on WhatsApp 00351 933446305 which is also how you contact her to meet you there. | Granted Perafita is not that far from Porto but we started in the afternoon and walked through Matosinhos so it was enough for our first day. Old house with individual bedrooms and a shared, well-stocked kitchen. Very convenient, directly across the street from the beach. Manuela is lovely and offers tiny shots of port to welcome you and toast your Camino. |
Vila do Conde | Youth Hostel | Private twin room and bath was €56. | Also called HI Vila do Conde - Pousada de Juventude. We booked through Agodo.com but it's also on Booking.com and HostelWorld | Don't be fooled by "Youth Hostel." Yes, it is, in a beautiful old house that was once the home of artist Sonia Delaunay. A new, modern addition has spacious private rooms like any modern day hotel. Nice breakfast included, served upstairs in the main house where there's space to spread out, read, etc. Very convenient in and out of town. |
Apulia | Home of Pilgrims d'Apulia | Private double room with bath was €30, total | We booked through Booking.com | Private home with 5 (?) bedrooms. We had one with a private bath. Great kitchen with coffee and tea, fruit, wrapped pastries. Cutest little Camino puppy ever. Barked at newcomers then rolled on her back and acted more like a cat. Wasn't the best bed we've ever had, but it's a deal for the price. |
Mar | AirBnB - Patricia's Apt | 1 BR apt with extra bed and sofa. Cost was $48. (Note - USD) | Booked through Air BnB | It's a deal for a whole apt but there's not much else in Mar - a couple of restaurants are primarily open during the day; we got take away from one in the evening. Bar below the apt is primarily coffee. With the windows closed, it's quiet but apt is located on a very busy street so it was noisy all night with windows open. Patricia was very responsive so overall it was fine but not as convenient as other places. |
Viana do Castelo | Air BnB - "The Blue Angel" | Studio apt with Queen bed and sofa. Two nights was $113 (Note USD) | Booked through Air BnB | Very clean and comfortable apt. Also very convenient. Right in the center of town but very quiet. Just a short walk up to the train station. |
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