Coastal Portuguese Way from Porto

If you have never been to Porto, we strongly recommend to arrive early and spend the day getting to know the city: its old town, the bridges, the cathedral… you can even visit some wine cellars. Furthermore, the local gastronomy will allow you to taste some of the best Portuguese specialties, such as cod fish, custard pastries or Port wine.

If you need, we can organise a transfer from the airport or the train station to your accommodation.

This stage is not particularly difficult, although there are quite a few kilometres ahead of you. In fact, some pilgrims prefer to divide it into two days and spend the night at an intermediate location.

In any case, in this stage you will walk at all times near the coast and along fairly flat tracks, alternating between wooden walkways and cycle paths that will allow you to enjoy the best views of the Atlantic Ocean and its beaches.

The Camino continues with a simple stage along the coastline on wooden walkways that allows you to visit the town of Vila do Conde, with a beautiful historic centre and a great cultural heritage in which its aqueduct of 999 arches, the convent of Santa Clara or the fortress of São João stand out.

Further on, when you reach Póvoa de Varzim, you will also be able to appreciate its beautiful heritage and monuments.

You will leave Póvoa de Varzim behind to undertake a not very beautiful, but diverse stage.

You will walk on tarmac and on cobblestone, as well as along seafront promenades, wooden walkways on beaches and dirt tracks, making this stage very enjoyable.

Today, beaches and ocean views will be out of sight for the entire length of the stage, although this will not prevent you from enjoying beautiful landscapes, such as the path that takes you down to the river Neiva, which you will cross by a granite slabs platform, or Viana do Castelo’s old town, at the very end of today’s walk.

The last stage running fully in Portuguese territory presents you with the possibility of choosing between the official inland route, following the yellow arrows, or the coastal route, taking a detour and advancing on walkways close to the sea.

Regardless what option you go for, make sure you take some time to enjoy the wonderful Portuguese cuisine while you visit Caminha’s beautiful old town.

You will start by taking a ferry to cross onto Galician land over the Miño river, natural border between Portugal and Spain.

Once in Galicia, you will advance with the ocean always on your left-hand side until your reach O Serrallo, in Viladesuso. Along the way, you will have the chance to visit some picture-perfect viewpoints over the ocean as well as to enjoy unique places, like A Guarda’s lovely old town and Santa María de Oia’s monastery.

Today’s journey starts parallel to the coastline and very close to the sea. At some point, the route will take you inland and up a hill, offering wonderful sea views. Once you climb down that hill, Baiona awaits with its lovely landscapes, the fortress and a rich gastronomy strongly influenced by the sea.

You will leave Baiona behind and soon reach A Ramallosa, where, right after crossing its medieval bridge, you will have to choose between following the yellow arrows of the official route far from the sea or to continue along the coastline following the green arrows.

We recommend to stick to the coastline, since this route takes you across beautiful beaches on the Atlantic ocean, before joining the central variant of the Portuguese Way, moving away from the sea.

The first stretch of today’s stage will offer you stunning panoramic views of the estuary from the forest path of the Senda da Traída das Augas.

It is also the last stage of the Portuguese Coastal Way, which joins the central variant in Redondela, meeting up with those pilgrims that will walk with you until reaching Santiago.

This is a short stage, with very little gradient and, therefore, little physical demand, and with exceptional signposting. At all times you will walk very close to the Vigo estuary, although you will rarely be able to see it, and you will reach Pontevedra thanks to a beautiful river path. Pontevedra has a great historical heritage with an atmosphere difficult to find anywhere else. You can visit places of interest such as the Virgen Peregrina church and the Ruins of Santo Domingo, as well as stroll through the old town.

You leave the city of Pontevedra behind to begin a short and easy stage that constantly advances along comfortable dirt tracks and, occasionally, on asphalt, which will guide you through numerous towns and villages characteristic of the Galician countryside, until you reach the town of Caldas de Reis, known for the richness of its thermal waters and their health-giving attributes.

Today you will change the province of Pontevedra for that of A Coruña in a stage that is perhaps one of the most scenically beautiful of the Portuguese Way in Galicia. You will advance parallel to the N-550, with more frequent slopes than in the previous stage, although easy to overcome.

Once you reach your destination, don’t forget to taste the famous Padrón peppers, small in size and with their own motto: ‘Pementos de Padrón, uns pican e outros non’ (‘Padrón peppers, some are hot and some are not’).

You can already sense Compostela. This is the last stage of the Portuguese Way in which you will reach the Cathedral after overcoming the distance that separates the two towns. It is an easy stage, with many small villages and urban areas with a moderate and progressive slope.

Rest day to visit all the attractions that make Santiago so special, from the Cathedral to the Abastos market, as well as the numerous squares that can be found in the historical town.