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.
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The ground behind you: what the walk into Vilanova de Arousa crosses, and where it could have been broken.
Tomorrow from Vilanova de Arousa
Nothing says you have to stop here, or there. These are simply the towns within a comfortable day's walk, so you can decide tonight.
| Town | km from here | Shared | Private | The walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Padrón | 3.3 | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | |
| Iria Flavia | 4.2 | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | |
| Vilar | 8.6 | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | The walk from Vilanova de Arousa to Vilar |
| A Escravitude | 9.4 | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | The walk from Vilanova de Arousa to A Escravitude |
| Angueira de Suso | 11.3 | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | The walk from Vilanova de Arousa to Angueira de Suso |
| Picaraña | 12.4 | — No | ✓ Yes | The walk from Vilanova de Arousa to Picaraña |
| O Faramello | 13.7 | ✓ Yes | — No | The walk from Vilanova de Arousa to O Faramello |
| Rúa de Francos | 14.6 | — No | ✓ Yes | The walk from Vilanova de Arousa to Rúa de Francos |
| Osebe - Casalonga - Pedreira | 16.0 | ✓ Yes | — No | The walk from Vilanova de Arousa to Osebe - Casalonga - Pedreira |
| O Milladoiro | 20.5 | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | The walk from Vilanova de Arousa to O Milladoiro |
| Santiago de Compostela at the end of the Camino Portugues | 27.2 | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
A seaside harbour town with bars and restaurants but not much else besides the pleasure of gazing out to sea after days of walking inland. The albergue is the operational hub for arranging the boat to Pontecesures.
The boat recreates the Translatio — the legendary voyage that brought Santiago's body from Palestine to Galicia. Schedule varies with the tide, the number of passengers, and the captain's calculations. You can't reliably plan it days in advance — show up at the albergue and arrange things with the hospitalero.
The alternative to the boat is a roadside walk roughly mirroring the coastline but providing little contact with it. Arrows are lacking in places, and accommodation along this stretch is unreliable outside peak summer months.
THE BOAT. Everything you need to know about the boat to Pontecesures is impossible to print here. The schedule varies with the tide, the number of passengers, and the whims of the captain and the hospitalero at the albergue (he who makes the arrangements). The matter is complicated by the fact that the same captain helms two boats of different sizes and capabilities and there is a daily calculation to maximize profit. Unfortunately, this means that there is little that you can do to plan it days in advance, and more or less need to turn up at the albergue and arrange things with the hospitalero.THE ROAD. The alternative to the boat is a predominantly roadside walk along a path that roughly mirrors the coastline but doesn’t provide for much contact with it. The arrows are lacking in certain areas and the accommodation along this stretch should only be relied upon during peak Summer months and with a reservation.
15. May 2026 - 18:41
So glad we stopped short of Villanova and stayed at Arco Iris. The owner will drive you into town for dinner and pick you up again. Beautiful spot 20 minutes before Villanova so easy to get to the boats in the morning.
10. November 2025 - 7:10
I've been out here 3 times in winter and not once was the boat operating.The only remaining options are walking and talking the train.
The walk to Padron is less than pleasant. I certainly won't be heading out here again for my 6th Camino Portuguese.
26. September 2025 - 9:08
Avoid for now! Fellow pilgrims got badly bitten last night and also found bugs in backpacks.
21. July 2025 - 8:57
Good value, and yummy food - nice to pilgrims
4. June 2025 - 17:36
First, we and other guests had to wait for our check-in for around 1.5 hour, just for the lady to come. The "reception desk" was empty, and nobody answered the phone the entire time.
Kitchen not even usable, most of surfaces super old and even sticky, there was rotten chicken with flies in the fridge, like a scene from horror movie. The building is super worn out inside. In the evening there was a cigarette smell.
Also when we came in the evening buildings doors was closed and we had to contact owner to open them ( we were not notified about it beforehand).
Overall - price and quality ratio is awful, for us- the worst place to stay on our Camino unfortunately. We think that total renovation of the building is required until they could host people. And after that, it would be great place to stay for sure!
1. October 2024 - 6:59
Wonderful time and the food was great. Run by a family for decades. Jorge and his sister Helena were delightful hosts and their Mother does the cooking! Best food of the trip! Very much worth the stay.
26. June 2024 - 18:05
If you have a reservation on Barco Peregrino be sure to check with them the night before. They cancelled our 9:30 boat sent an email they were leaving an hour early. I didn’t see the email until 8:30 and the boat was gone! We ended up walking.
21. May 2024 - 17:24
We arrived in Vila Nova at about 5pm and almost all the boats were fully booked. We got the last 3 spots. Prebook.
10. July 2023 - 8:58
Nice, cozy room to stay in for a good price. Weak internet in the room. Has kitchen, bathroom and 5 minutes walk to the beach.
20. June 2023 - 15:44
Wer Bedenken hat, einen Platz in der Herberge zu bekommen, kann im Hotel Dinajan, zwei Kilometer vor Vila Nova de Arousa (an der Brücke zur Insel) ein Doppelzimmer für 40 Euro bekommen.
Es sind 100 m zum Strand, ein Supermarkt ist in der Nähe und am Campingplatz kann man gut essen.
16. May 2023 - 8:13
https://www.labarcadelperegrino.com
You want the Route Translatio from Villanova to Pontecesure. 25€.
Or there are other companies that take you on a rib style sporty boat.
7. May 2023 - 18:11
I stayed here in Apr 2023, in a private room. Take care, the hot and cold taps were reversed!! Generally a good stay. There was a washing machine but only a small rack on which to hang laundry to dry. Main shopping area is a short walk, with several bars, cafe and restaurants close by. The hospitalera was great. Welcoming and helpful. Basic breakfast that I supplemented from the local supermarket, but several cafes were also open nearby in the morning.
8. April 2023 - 10:20
The phone number listed everywhere for the public albergue appears to belong to someone else now. There was another number posted for “Fran” who I believe was the woman sitting at the check in desk. +34 633319459
2. October 2022 - 12:15
I booked in advance online with Amare Turismo Náutico. Very efficient system. Cost €30 per person. They use two modern open speed boats which make for quite an exciting trip and get you to the destination ahead of the larger Pilgrim boat. Some stops on the way to point out things of interest. Commentary in Spanish and Spanglish. We did it in beautiful sunny weather. Might not be so much fun in the rain.
20. June 2022 - 18:09
When you walk across the wooden bridge into Vilanova de Arousa, there is a boat office more or less straight across the road. FYI it closes in the afternoon and re-opens at 4pm. I got a ticket for the following morning- 23 euros cash- with either a 7 or 9.30am departure
7. October 2019 - 18:18
October 2019, there operate 2 companies, A Mare and Pilgrims boat. went at 8, 9 and 11 o'clock. Both costs around 20€. We booked in advance, but in Vilanova is Office and you can buy the tickets evening before in the town.
I highly recommend to wear everything you have, its very windy and cold!!!!! on A Mare open boats.
Ride takes 1 hour 15 minutes. You will receive a stamp. No problem taking boat to get Camino ať the end.
21. September 2019 - 17:33
Wished I went straight here instead of the municipal. We poked our head in and the owner invited us to look around. Beautifully renovated, small albergue. Looked like two rooms of 4 people and a camas matrimonial. €17 for a bunk. Awesome. Lovely hospitalero too.
31. May 2019 - 16:17
Does the boat generally go in the morning? I understand it depends on the tide. But generally.?
27. April 2019 - 8:38
It would not be wise to turn up without having booked the boat. As of 27 April 2019 it can sell out and there are brochures with phone numbers (also in the Brierly book).
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.
