How To Prepare For Walking The Portuguese Camino

One of the biggest worries people have before walking the Portuguese Camino de Santiago is whether they’re fit enough.

I completely understand that feeling. Even if you walk regularly, doing consecutive long walking days with hills, cobbles, heat, blisters, luggage and tired legs is different from a Sunday hike.

What surprised me most on my first Camino wasn’t the distance. It was the cumulative fatigue. And the impact of mindset.

This guide is based on my experience walking several Portuguese Camino routes, including the Coastal Camino and the Senda Litoral, and what I’d recommend now in terms of physical preparation, pacing and expectations.

If you’d rather skip ahead, there’s a summary of practical training tips at the end of this post.

Physical training for the Camino de Santiago

You probably don’t need extreme training

Most people don’t need to hike 30 km with a full backpack every weekend before the Camino.

For each of my Caminos, my training intentions got waylaid for one reason or another and I still managed each one. My overall advice is to start training a few months ahead, get professional advice for any specific health issues, and do the best you can to prepare your body and mind for the challenge.

Don’t panic or beat yourself up if your training doesn’t go according to plan – if you’ve done some preparation and have a realistic sense of what’s involved, you’ll probably manage just fine.

What tends to matter more is getting your body used to walking regularly, on consecutive days if possible, and wearing the shoes you plan to use.

If you’re already reasonably active, the biggest adjustment is often recovery rather than fitness.

My experience of training for my first Camino, and subsequent ones

The first time around, I started the year with the best of intentions, setting myself a goal of walking an average of 2 hours per day.

Did I manage it?

No.

My excuses? A couple of nasty colds, weeks of torrential rain, a sudden surge of client work and competing deadlines, visits from friends and family and a housesitting stint in Lisbon.

I ended up averaging about 1 1/4 hours a day over 4 months. 

I also revived my somewhat neglected yoga practice in the final week so the rest of my body wasn’t too stiff.

The most important result of doing yoga was strengthening and remembering how to engage my core muscles, which I rediscovered, buried somewhere under my belly flab.

While we were walking, Dori and I kept reminding each other to “engage your core”. It really does help to take the strain off your back.

Daily stretches along the Camino de Santiago

During each Camino, I spent 10-15 minutes each morning doing a short yoga routine to loosen up before walking. The hip and shoulder stretches in particular helped prevent the aches and stiffness I’d felt on the 4-day walk.

Dori had been going to the gym several times a week and working with a personal trainer to correct her gait and posture so she had her own set of stretches to do before and after each day’s walk.

I would also recommend doing some stretches at regular intervals during your walking day, just to give your muscles a break. On my more recent Caminos, my hips have complained a lot and I found that hip opening exercises before, during and after the walk made a difference. And Ibuprofen!

Were we fully fit and prepared?

Not exactly!

Both of us were suffering with bad backs and didn’t feel as though we’d done enough exercise in the weeks before we started for various reasons.

Did it matter?

On reflection, I think our muscles were ready enough thanks to months of regular exercise. And our backs just about survived, thanks to core strength, kinesiology tape, painkillers and walking poles.

Training for the Senda Litoral vs inland Camino routes

If you’re planning to walk the Senda Litoral from Porto, the good news is that the terrain is generally flatter than the Central Camino.

That said, flat doesn’t necessarily mean easy. Boardwalks, concrete promenades and long distances on hard surfaces can still leave your feet and hips surprisingly tired.

You can read more about my experience on the Litoral Way here.

Pacing, energy levels and planned rest days on the Camino Portugues

What took us both by surprise was the level of exhaustion we experienced, despite being no strangers to long walks.

We were averaging 20 kilometres per day and on most days, we were shattered by the time we got to our accommodation and longing for bed by 9 pm, if not before.

The early nights weren’t an issue but I had anticipated doing more sightseeing. In practice, I was too tired to care where I was or what I ate most days.

On reflection, we should perhaps have done a couple of consecutive long walks as part of our training in order to increase our endurance and stamina.

Next time, we’d definitely build in at least one rest day so our bodies could recover and we’d have more energy to enjoy the places we visited.

As it was, we made a point of enjoying the actual walks and scenery. We managed to have a look around the most attractive towns and cities while we were there but it would have been nice to have the time and energy to appreciate them better.

Taking frequent breaks is key to maintaining energy levels

I’ve learned the hard way that it’s worth making a point of taking a short break after every hour of walking to keep hydrated and have a quick stretch. When I forget and push on, my body lets me know about it later!

At lunch, we usually stop for about an hour, depending on where we’re eating. If possible, I like to take off my shoes and socks to give my feet a proper rest.

It took longer than expected to cover the distances, too.

We average about 5 km per hour when walking at home for 2-3 hours. On the Portuguese Camino, our average dropped to about 3.5 km an hour, including rest and photo stops. After several Caminos, this has remained our typical walking speed.

We set off at around 9 am most days and arrived about 4 or 5 pm. This wasn’t an issue in April or May, but in winter the shorter daylight hours need factoring in. In the summer, it will be too hot for walking by mid afternoon so you should either set off earlier or plan to take an extended break until it cools down sufficiently.

In future, I’d rather aim to walk around 16-18 kilometres per day in order to fully enjoy both the journey and the destination. This isn’t always possible as the daily distance depends on where accommodation lies but is useful as a rule of thumb when you’re planning your Camino itinerary.

If you’d rather not piece together accommodation, luggage transfers and route logistics yourself, you can also work with a trusted local Camino specialist.

👉 Request a personalised Portuguese Camino itinerary and quote

Mindset matters when you’re on the Camino

On my initial 4-day foray into long distance walking, I encountered several setbacks, including poor signage and torrential rain.

I found it surprisingly easy to cope with, and even enjoy, the difficult day by not focusing on the negatives or how much further I had to go. For me, it was more about acceptance, perseverance and looking on the bright side when obstacles appeared.

Other days that were less physically demanding turned out to be more of a mental struggle. This was particularly noticeable on the days I walked alone and I now realise I could have done more to shift my mindset. Focusing on the natural beauty, feelings of gratitude and taking pride in your achievements can all help.

When I walked with Dori, I also noticed that we approached the last few kilometres of each day with opposite attitudes that affected the way we walked. She was worn out by the notion that there were still 3 or 4 kilometres to cover and began to slow down with exhaustion.

I, on the other hand, found a reserve of energy when I knew I only had a few kilometres to go and began to pick up the pace for that final leg.

If you’re still figuring out which Portuguese Camino route suits your fitness level, walking style or available time, my free 5 Camino Questions guide can help you narrow things down before you start booking accommodation.

Physical preparation for walking the Camino – summary

Start training at least a couple of months in advance and gradually increase your walking distances Try a few full-day walks and, if possible, a couple of consecutive walking days Strengthen your whole body, especially your core muscles Learn a simple stretching routine for before, during and after walking Build at least one rest day into your itinerary Keep stages manageable instead of trying to push through overly long days Practice walking with the shoes and backpack you intend to use Use walking poles if they help reduce pressure on hips, knees or back Work on mindset as well as fitness

• Start training at least a couple of months in advance, gradually increasing the distances you walk
• Do some full-day walks and a couple of consecutive ones if possible
• Strengthen your whole body, especially your core muscles (the ones around your trunk and pelvis)
• Consult a personal trainer or health/fitness professional to get a personalised training programme
• Learn a simple stretching routine that you can do before, during and after you do a day’s walk
• Include one or two rest days in your itinerary
• Keep stages manageable instead of trying to push through overly long days
• Learn some techniques for keeping a positive mindset on challenging days
• Work on mindset as well as fitness
• Practice walking with the shoes and backpack you intend to use
• Get two walking poles and learn the most effective techniques for using them if if they help reduce pressure on hips, knees or back

👉 See this article for a Camino packing checklist and detailed tips

Pin this for later