Camino Portugués
25.3 km, 227 m up and 257 m down, through 14 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 Porto. 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.
Between Porto and the border with Spain, the camino splits into three distinct routes. They are known as the Central Way, the Coastal & Litoral Ways, and the Braga Way. Additionally, there are several paths that connect each of these options, creating a network of trails that can sometimes seem confusing. The best plan is to pick one of the options and simply follow it to its natural end.Leaving a large city is often a challenging combination of searching for arrows, heavy traffic, and durable city pavements. As an alternative, it is possible to take the Porto Metro to the city limits or beyond.THE CENTRAL WAYThe Central Way is currently the most popular and well-developed option. As the name implies, the route continues due north from Porto up the center of Portugal. It crosses into Spain at Valença/Tui and continues from there through Redondela to Santiago. THE COASTAL and LITORAL WAYSThe Coastal Way is gaining in popularity as the infrastructure and signage improve. It is sometimes referred to as the Senda Litoral, although this name is technically reserved for the sections of the route that strictly follow the coast. As the primary motivation for choosing the route is the proximity to seaside views, the route set out in this book is a combination of these two routes and the blue line indicated on the map should be interpreted as such. It leaves Porto along the Litoral Route, rather than sharing the first day of walking with the Central Way before turning westward. Where options exist they are indicated on the inset maps. The route passes through Vigo and rejoins the Central Way in Redondela.THE BRAGA WAYSome would consider this the original way, as it passes through the city of Braga where many of the Church's earliest decisions regarding Santiago were made, and where the first Bishop ordained by Santiago (Saint Peter of Braga/Rates) officiated. It was once the capital of Galicia and remains an influential city and massive tourist attraction. These days the infrastructure along the route has not kept pace with the needs of pilgrims and it is seldom traveled. Tours to Braga can be arranged in Barcelos (on the Central Way) if you wish to visit the city. This route is not included in this guide.THE VARIANTE ESPIRITUALThe Variante Espiritual is a popular alternative route north of Pontevedra. It is a two day walk which ends in a 29km boat ride to the town of Pontecesures.
Before you set off be certain to pick up a pilgrim’s credencial if you have not already done so. It can be found at the Sé Cathedral. This accordion-fold booklet is your passport to the camino and will become your most cherished souvenir of the trip. It is a required document in most pilgrim-specific accommodation, earns you pilgrim prices in many museums, and will serve as proof of your journey when presented to the Pilgrim Office in Santiago if you are planning on getting your Compostela Certificate.As large towns go, Porto is no different when it comes to finding the camino. In fact, it is complicated somewhat by the fact that there are three different caminos between here and Santiago, be aware that you may see signs indicating the ‘Coastal Route’ or the ‘Braga Route,’ or the ‘Central Route’; amongst others.
The sprawl from Porto's centre runs all the way to Giao — 25 km of continuous urban development. This is more than enough walking on hard surfaces, and it's not uncommon for pilgrims to bypass the worst of it by taking t…
The split between the Central and Coastal (not litoral) routes occurs at the Chapel of the Ramada Alta, a small church roughly 1.5km from where the pedestrian zone ended. Walk around the church, keeping it on your left, and follow the road behind the church. At the fork, turn right. Street signs indicate that you have left Largo Ramada Alta and are now on Rua de Nove de Julio.The road ends at apartments, which you pass under. Cross the road and cross under the apartments opposite as well. Where you emerge from the second set of apartments, turn left.This road (still the Nove de Julio) merges with another. Keep going straight. Eventually, you will pass under the highway. From here there is nothing to do but keep on going straight. You will eventually pass under another highway, where the camino splits into two distinct options.
The Metro of Porto Line C (Linha da Maia) affords an option to walking the most durable part of the camino leaving Porto.
A hamlet in the suburban sprawl north of Porto. No services on the camino.
The Metro Line C stops here twice — first at the Araujo station, then at the Custio station, which is closer to the camino. This is the practical point to rejoin the route if you took the metro out of Porto.
Entering Moreira, turn right at the cemetery.The camino will take a right-left-right a short distance on, and the arrows are painted low on the curb. Whether you follow them, or you miss them, you will arrive at the main road. Turn right there. A Pingo Doce and a Lidl tell you that you are on the correct road.From here it is a straight road to the Zona Industrial of Maia. Turn left when you get there.
An industrial zone. The Metro's Zona Industrial stop is nearby but not on the camino. Pingo Doce and Lidl along the road provide supplies. Turn left when you reach the zone.
The Metro of Porto Line C (Linha da Maia) has a stop called Zona Industrial but it is not along the camino.
Barranha marks a welcome change in scenery. The congestion and noise of Porto are finally behind you, though you're still on paved or cobbled paths. The walking improves from here.
If you wish to spend the night here, turn left. Otherwise, keep on straight through the intersection, passing a few bars on the way out of town.
A small kids' park and a pretty but disused square offer shade for a rest. The church is up the road to your right; the camino passes straight through.
Turn right and head towards Igreja.
At Gião - Joudina the camino has followed alongside the narrow N306 for about 2km.
The road narrows ahead, and the going was sufficiently dangerous for the camino to be rerouted to the east along a much quieter road. The distance added is 1km, but the route is pretty enough and peaceful enough to feel shorter than along the road.
There are also plenty of bars along the way, and the albergue of Vairão is best reached via the detour as well.
Public restrooms next to the church. The camino passes through on the detour between Giao and Vairao.
A hamlet on the road between Igreja and Vairao. No services.
A hamlet on the approach to Vairao. No services.
Shortly before arriving at the Monastery the camino turns left sharply. Follow that road 500m, and turn right onto a trail through the forest.
Where the forest ends turn right, and at the next big road (N318), turn left again into Vilarinho.
The camino follows the road out of town in the direction of Fontaínhas and keeps to the left at the fork, leaving the busy road just before a curve. It passes through a small hamlet and then crosses back over the road. Old arrows indicate that the camino continues along the road, but this way should only be followed if the bridge at Ponte do Ave is not passable.
The camino goes straight across the road to a set of stairs that take you down to the river.
Distance, climb and descent are measured along the GPS track for this camino — 166 recorded points across this span, the same track the app carries. The town-to-town figures in my data put it at 26.9 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.