Pilgrims on the road and friends along the way send me changes every day, and they go out the same day. The Camino Portugués app carries all of it offline, and it's still being built — new features arrive routinely.
Get the appVila do Conde is the first town along the Coastal route that genuinely merits an extended visit. It's a popular destination among the Portuguese, though it's somewhat overshadowed by the larger Povoa de Varzim to the north.
The town's most striking feature is visible from a distance: the Aqueduct of Santa Clara, a 17th-century engineering marvel whose 999 arches carry water some 4 kilometers from a spring to the Convento de Santa Clara. The convent itself dates to the 14th century and sits high above the Rio Ave. Both the aqueduct and the convent are to your right after crossing the bridge into town.
In the town center, the Igreja Matriz is a handsome Manueline church built at the order of King Manuel I, who passed through Vila do Conde in 1502 on his own pilgrimage to Santiago. His visit left a lasting mark on the town's architecture. Down by the waterfront, the Forte de Sao Joao Baptista (also known as the Forte de Nossa Senhora da Assuncao) guards the river mouth -- it's a bit off the camino but falls along one of the waterfront alternatives.
Vila do Conde has a centuries-old tradition of bobbin lace, known as rendas de bilros. The craft still survives, and you can see lace-makers at work at the Museu das Rendas de Bilros near the center. The town also played a significant role in Portugal's Age of Discovery as a shipbuilding center -- a full-scale replica of a 16th-century nau is on display at the waterfront.
The Metro of Porto Line B (Linha da Póvoa) passes through Vila do Conde. To stop here, disembark at the Santa Clara station.
The Feira de Gastronomia runs during the third week of August -- plan on being hungry for nine days. The Feira Nacional de Artesanato, a well-known crafts fair, runs from the last week of July through the first week of August. Friday is market day, held next to the church.
Vila do Conde is among the oldest known settlements in Portugal, with archaeological discoveries dating back more than 100,000 years. More recently it was a seaport that played a critical role in Portugal's 16th-century Age of Discovery. King Manuel I passed through on his pilgrimage to Santiago in 1502, a visit that led to the construction of the Igreja Matriz and several other notable buildings. The town's shipyards built many of the vessels that carried Portuguese explorers to Africa, India, and Brazil.
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.
27. May 2026 - 12:40
Small museum but lovel to see lave making as an art today. And breakfast at Anchor Roasters was an oasis in the heat.
21. August 2025 - 11:09
stumbled upon humble anchor coffee roasters and wished I hadn’t had already my second breakfast - it’s a great cozy place with a garden terrace and very welcoming for pilgrims and English speakers. recommend!
1. June 2025 - 12:39
Excellent place to stay! If you are walking the Camino with a small group this place is for you! It is a beautiful spacious 2 bedroom, 1 bath, kitchen, living room and dining room apartment. The host was helpful and friendly. The price was $125 American dollar. It is only 100 meters from the beach and restaurants.
4. April 2025 - 22:22
An oasis on the Camino. A most beautiful place for coffee, breakfast or lunch. Beautiful people own the restaurant and a wonderful repute for pilgrims
31. October 2024 - 21:11
Stayed at new Casa da Laura and turned out to be the only one. Very friendly and helpful owner. $20 for a bed in quite large dormitory which has 5 beds in total.
Large kitchen, 2 bathrooms. Nice and clean.
Only 5 min walk from main square.
6. October 2024 - 23:13
Since 5 oct 2024 a new hostel opened in Vila do Conde at rua general lemos 21. 5 min further then albergue Santa Clara. € 20 per night. Clean and new, big kitchen. No Laundry machine. A bit sterile. The owners have also casa de Laura in Vilarinho.
17. September 2024 - 14:32
Right on the Camino in the middle of town! Fantastic coffee, a quiet garden space to enjoy it. Lots of homemade baked goods and lunch. Many languages spoken by the staff. Very very friendly.
12. September 2024 - 20:46
We stopped here for a menu de dia. The service was good. A full 12 inch pizza and drink for 9.9 euros . You only need one pizza for two people.
10. August 2024 - 10:46
An absolute amazing place with a nice garden with great coffee and food. A must - just wonderful.
30. July 2024 - 12:54
What an amazing stay!! Our second Camino and we’ve been walking since Lisbon and this is one of our favorites. The host/owner was amazing. Extremely communicative. Showed us around with full tour, had Water in fridge for us to take, free washing machine and even had a gift bag with a small lunch for us that we weren’t expecting.
The place was nice with a kitchen and family room, A/C in the family room. Great burger place right down the street. Think is was €60 for the 2 of us total. We will stay again!
22. July 2024 - 17:12
Excellent stay at Laranjal Guesthouse. Host Emanuel is very hospitable and treats you with a welcome pack and a bottle of water. The welcome package makes a good breakfast too. Good beds, central location. Highly recommended!
27. September 2021 - 22:14
I followed the purple route on map to join central route from Vila do Conde to Rates. Overall pretty route, but last bit of forest path looks like a rubbish pile. Keep going as the route suggests and it will open to a more clear path. Also note this route may get muddy/wet towards Rates. If I did it again, I would consider going to Arcos instead.
27. September 2021 - 22:10
I had a long and lazy lunch at Portugesia and it was lovely. Pilgrims meal was 9;50 so not the cheapest, but I greatly enjoyed the ambiance and food
29. July 2021 - 14:53
Cafe do Parque in Vila do Condo
Charming outdoor seating. Very reasonably priced.
View of tennis & park
1. September 2020 - 23:58
Stayed in bellamar hostel. Not the most modern or fresh but was conveniently located and staff were nice. Definitely were not too concerned about COVID safety and the completely filled the rooms. An ok stay.
25. January 2019 - 18:45
We also walked across to Arcos. Reasonably straightforward but we relied on Google Maps. Basically followed Rua du Lapa. The hostel also provided a map. We left at 0715 and got to Barcelos at 1530, about 30 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.
