Camino Portugués Walking Guide

 

The Portuguese Way is the second most popular route to Santiago and the most versatile Camino, as it gives you the option of choosing between an inland route and another along the coast, being able to change from one to the other halfway along the way. And at one point, it even offers a third option, the Spiritual variant, making part of the journey by boat. Another attraction of this Camino is that it passes through two different countries, which allows you to see differences in culture, gastronomy and even in the character of the people as you make your way to Santiago.

But something that especially characterises the Portuguese Way is the low difficulty of the routes as it is the flattest Camino, with no steep ascents or descents. If you want to make sure you take the flattest route, on the camino Portugues coastal route the gradient will be almost unnoticeable.

 

 

The History of the Camino Portugues

The Portuguese Way began to gain importance in the Middle Ages, after Portugal's independence, when several representatives of the Portuguese nobility made pilgrimages to Santiago out of devotion to the Apostle. We know of the pilgrimages of Isabel of Portugal, who asked to be buried in Coimbra with a pilgrim's walking stick; or of King Manuel I of Portugal who, in 1502, took a lamp to the cathedral of Santiago so that it would be lit day and night. But communication between Galicia and the Portuguese lands had already been established since Roman times for commercial and cultural reasons, so that pilgrims, traders and travellers have shared the road for centuries.

Like the other routes to Santiago, the Portuguese Way suffered a decline from the sixteenth century onwards. It has been thanks to the impetus of pilgrims' associations and other institutions in Galicia and Portugal that, today, it is the second busiest Camino, offering a network of highly attractive accommodation and other services for pilgrims.

 

Location

The Portuguese Way runs from south to north through the west of Portugal towards Santiago, starting from the cities of Lisbon or Oporto. In its inland variant, you will cross the Miño River, bordering Galicia, by crossing the International Bridge of Tui. If you opt for the coastal variant, you will have to take a ferry to A Guarda. The two routes meet again in the town of Redondela, from where you will walk through the interior of Galicia until you reach Santiago.

 

Map

In this map you can see the routes of the Portuguese Camino.

  

Starting & End points

The Portuguese Way usually starts from the Cathedral of Lisbon or from Oporto, shortening the days of the route considerably. From Oporto you can start from Carlos Alberto Square, in the historic centre of the city, or a little earlier, from the Cathedral Tower in Lisbon, the start of the coastal route. The end point of the Portuguese Way is the Cathedral of Santiago, located in the Plaza del Obradoiro in Santiago de Compostela.

 

Distance and length of stages

The longest option, starting in Lisbon, means 620 km (385 miles) of pilgrimage, usually divided into about 28 stages.

The other option is to start in Porto, from where we have 240 km (150 miles) to Santiago, and is usually done in 11 stages on foot. If you decide for the coastal variant, in 8 stages you can walk the 194 km (120 miles) that separate Porto from the cathedral dedicated to the Apostle.

Finally, you have the option of the Spiritual variant once you arrive in Pontevedra. From this city, you have 73 km (45 miles) and 4 stages to Santiago, one of them by boat!

If you are looking to do the last 100 km (62 miles) of the Portuguese Way and get La Compostela, the most common is to start in Tui and in 6 stages to get to Santiago.

 

Difficulty

The Portuguese Way is of low difficulty, as it runs along regional roads, paths or wooden footbridges. It is known for being rather flat, especially the coastal route, and without steep ascents. However, the cobblestones on the inland route or the long stretches of road on the coastal route will take their toll on your feet after days of walking. Special care should also be taken on roads without hard shoulders, which, although not hectic, are shared with cars and other vehicles.

You needn't worry about signposting, as all three routes are full of arrows and easy to follow without getting lost.