The Central Portuguese Camino de Santiago is the most established route and the second most popular Camino after the French Way. As you can see from this map, the journey is inland and almost directly northwards, encompassing many important towns and cities. What’s the terrain like? As with any longRead More →
The Coastal Portuguese Camino de Santiago route was developed by pilgrims who arrived on Portuguese shores by boat from western lands then made their way north on foot. Although the word ‘coastal’ suggests that you’d be sending a lot of time by the ocean, most of this route is actually inland. Not sureRead More →
Many pilgrims start their Portuguese Way of St. James with this 2-day section walking north from just outside Porto towards Barcelos and beyond. For me it was the very last stage I did as part of my “mop up Camino”, an extra 5 days walking the remaining stages of the coastalRead More →
A part of my “mop up Camino de Santiago”, I spent 3 days in May walking the Coastal Portuguese Way of St. James from Vila do Conde to Caminha, on my own. I’d already completed a 4-day stint on this Coastal Camino in Galicia between A Guarda and Redondela (whereRead More →
It took Dori and I two days to walk the Portuguese Way of St. James from Caldas de Reis to Santiago de Compostela with an overnight stop near Padrón. You could, however, split these 43-45 km into three stages if you want to arrive in Santiago feeling relatively refreshed or get there in timeRead More →
Redondela is where the coastal and central Portuguese Camino de Santiago become one. Pilgrims enter the small Galician town from different directions but once on Rúa Padre Crespo, there is only one Camino Português. Dori and I stopped for lunch in Redondela having walked all the way from O Porriño that morning and carried onRead More →
It’s time to take you on the Portuguese Way of St. James from Valença to Redondela, although some people begin their pilgrimage across the river in Tui. There’s a reason why Valença and Tui are popular starting points for the central Portuguese Camino de Santiago. If you want to qualify forRead More →
As with the previous section of the central Portuguese Way of St. James, I’m covering the two days between Ponte de Lima and Valença in one blog post. This is partly because I’ve already written about the first of those days as it was the experience that sparked this wholeRead More →
Exactly what clothes and equipment you need to pack for the Way of St. James in Portugal, or any other multi-day walk, will depend on things like the weather and your personal needs. The most important factor is whether you will be carrying it around with you all day or optRead More →
