Camino Portugués
12.5 km, 91 m up and 76 m down, through 10 places, 6 of which have somewhere to sleep. Where you stop is up to you.
Every place on the path in order, with the distance from Pontecesures. 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.
The arrows go under the road and over the bridge and across the Río Sar to Aduana. Here it runs all the way into Padrón.
A hamlet between Pontecesures and Padron on the main camino. No services.
Take a look at the elevation profile for an idea of what these last 24km will be like, many pilgrims underestimate the elevation changes which increase as you near Santiago.
Pass through Pazos, Rueiro, Tarrio and Vilar (albergue); none with services.
A hamlet between Iria Flavia and the approach to Santiago. No services.
A hamlet. No services.
A hamlet. No services.
A hamlet with an albergue but no other services.
In town, turn right off the N550 at the church, passing around its park. A country road takes you steeply uphill. You will pass through the hamlet of Cruces, Angueira de Suso, and into Areal before returning to the main road at Picaraña.
A hamlet on the approach to Santiago. No services.
A hamlet between Angueira de Suso and Picarana. No services.
NOTE: BEFORE the gas station a set of faded arrows directs you left and away from the road. Going that way takes you through a new route marked out by the local friends of the camino and is a much-preferred option to the road. After turning left keep an eye open for arrows which will turn right onto a grass (sometimes tall) path. This arrow might be a bit faded but the way is obvious, and it turns into a well-worn trail with plenty of arrows. It will bring you right up to the road at the entrance to Faramello.
The path splits here and rejoins before Picaraña. Both ways are below, because the question is which to take, and that is not a question two separate pages can answer.
To get there simply follow the red arrows marked Herbón. This detour if for anyone wishing to spend the night in the Albergue at the Monastery of Herbón (recommended). From Pontecesures it is 2.7km, with an additional 3km the following morning to bring you to Padrón. In all this detour adds 3.1km to the official route.
Distance, climb and descent are measured along the GPS track for this camino — 128 recorded points across this span, the same track the app carries. The town-to-town figures in my data put it at 12.4 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.