Camino Portugués
9 km, 22 m up and 16 m down, through 4 places, 3 of which have somewhere to sleep. Where you stop is up to you.
Every place on the path in order, with the distance from Mindelo. Most are too small to sleep in — a fountain, a chapel, a bar that may or may not be open — but they are what the day is actually made of.
There are two ways from Mindelo to Ávore, one along the waterfront and one inland. In recent years the waterfront option has become sand-swept, making it difficult for cyclists.
The new boardwalk out of Mindelo has been completed and you no longer need to take the red alternate route.
From Ávore the walking is entirely along paved roads.
Between Azurara and Vila do Conde flows the Rio Ave. Once over the bridge, turn left and walk along the park and Plaza de la Republica. At the end of the park follow straight (along the waterfront) until the next side street (the Rua do Lidador) where you turn right and uphill. At the top of hill there is an intersection of the old-town style, which is to say many directions all difficult to describe. Keep straight here, if somewhat to the right, and head towards the Igreja Matriz.
The Metro of Porto Line B (Linha da Póvoa) passes through Azurara. To stop here, disembark at the Azurara station, but note that one more stop takes you to Vila do Conde’s Santa Clara station.
From the Igreja Matriz you have two options, the one indicated by the signs takes you through the center of this large town and carries on straight past the church. It is well marked.
The other option is to follow along the Litoral route which is unmarked but easy enough to get to. Opposite the church (on your left as you approach the church) is a small plaza, cross it and follow to the right. Turn left on the second street, the Largo de Doutor Antonío José Almeida. This will take you down to the waterfront, where you turn right and follow the walk all the way to Povoa de Varzim. Just past the harbor the beach-front picks up, and it is here where the main route rejoins.
The Metro of Porto Line B (Linha da Póvoa) passes through Vila do Conde. To stop here, disembark at the Santa Clara station.
An unofficial route connects the Coastal route in Vila do Conde with the Central route in Sao Pedro de Rates. It's marked with two sets of arrows -- one newer and brighter, the other faded and sometimes hard to spot. The…
The entirety of the walk between Póvoa and A Ver-o-Mar can be done along the coast, following the shoreline. Shortly before arriving in A Ver-o-Mar the signs are unclear. If you get to a large soccer field (no grass) you want it to be on your right, but it will likely be on your left. If it is on your right, the way is across a small bridge. If it is on your left, simply turn left at the end of the field and keep on straight, across a different bridge but one which will likewise take you across a small sandy stretch into A Ver-o-Mar.
The Metro of Porto Line B (Linha da Póvoa) terminates here.
Distance, climb and descent are measured along the GPS track for this camino — 160 recorded points across this span, the same track the app carries. The town-to-town figures in my data put it at 8.9 km.
Esta entidad ha sido beneficiaria de una ayuda del Programa de incentivos a la movilidad eficiente y sostenible (MOVES III), gestionado por la Xunta de Galicia a través del Instituto Enerxético de Galicia (INEGA) en el marco del Real Decreto 266/2021, y cofinanciada por la Unión Europea — NextGenerationEU, dentro del Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia.