Vila Franca de Xira to Azumbuja or Valada?

[trecile]

Which would you choose?
Either way I will have a long day, either from Azumbuja to Santarém (33.2km) or Vila Franca de Xira to Valada (32.9km) .
Which stretch is better for that long day?

 

[jungleboy]

Which would you choose?
Either way I will have a long day, either from Azumbuja to Santarém (33.2km) or Vila Franca de Xira to Valada (32.9km) .
Which stretch is better for that long day?

Tough decision! A few things to consider:

• The day starting in VFX has more road walking, so that might be a tougher day as the long day.
• Azambuja is the usual end-of-stage destination, with an albergue. I don’t really remember Valada but I’d say Azambuja would be a nicer place to stay.
• Santarém is one of the most interesting towns on the CP, so if you’re not taking a rest day there, having a shorter day entering the town will give you some time for exploring.

We were able to split these two days into three but with Paula’s passing, Quinta da Burra is no longer an option. Have you looked into any other accommodation options that might allow you to split it?

Here are some of my notes about the trail on those days to give you a bit of an idea of what it’s like.

Day 3: Vila Franca de Xira to Azambuja (~20km)

We were prepared for an uninspiring stage today based on what we had read, and that turned out to be true. There was a lot of road walking and industrial sections, more so than the first two days, and not much of interest at all.

Day 4: Azambuja to Quinta da Burra (past Porto de Muge, ~16.5km)

Roman roads, wild flowers, more tomato fields, our first vineyards and a scorpion (edit: apparently a less exciting crayfish) - it was all happening on the trail today! It was a much nicer walk than yesterday, with less road walking, no industry and a large part of the walk on a dyke next to the river.

Day 5: Quinta da Burra to Santarém (~14km)

An uneventful but short and pleasant walk today. Most of it was on a quiet dirt road which was good for feet but dusty when a car or truck drove past. We saw more tomatoes, vineyards and corn fields.

 

[peregrina2000]

I was hopeful that @jungleboy would offer his opinion. My memory is pretty vague on these stages (I walked from Lisbon more than 14 years ago, yikes!), but I remember pleasant walking. I was going to suggest that you do whichever longer day takes you to a place you’d rather be. But that brings you back to a conundrum

— if you take the longer day on your first day, you wind up in Valada with nothing to do. But your second day into Santarém will be shorter, and as Nick says it is an interesting place.

— If you take your longer day on your second day, you have a first day with a stop in the bigger town of Azambuja, but then have a longer day into Santarém.

On balance, I think having more time in Santarém is more appealing than spending the night in Azambuja, so I would go for Santarém and the long first day into Valada.

If asphalt is a consideration, there is more before Azambuja than after, as I recall. I remember crossing the train tracks in Azambuja and feeling like the caminho had changed, and for the better.

 

[tarredon]

It’s unfortunate that you only have two days because it really would be better to break this into three, depending on the weather. When we walked around 1 September last year, it was so hot that we could really only walk in the morning, by the time it was early afternoon the heat was unbearable, and there is precious little shade. We ran across one young pilgrim from Germany who had to call it quits after arriving in Vila Franca because she had started with such long days - She was sunburnt badly and overheated. But you should be fine if you start very early in the morning, or if you have cooler weather.

 

[jungleboy]

We also had mid-high 30s (Celsius) weather on the CP in September but trecile is starting in a couple of weeks and heat doesn't look like it will be a problem (13 degrees Celsius in Lisbon today, 21 is the high in the 10-day forecast).

 

[jungleboy]

On balance, I think having more time in Santarém is more appealing than spending the night in Azambuja, so I would go for Santarém and the long first day into Valada.

I deliberately sat on the fence in my post but in the end I agree with this.

 

[peregrina2000]

I deliberately sat on the fence in my post but in the end I agree with this.

But the picture of the food at the restaurant in Azambuja looks pretty great!

 

[trecile]

But the picture of the food at the restaurant in Azambuja looks pretty great!

Yes, I just saw that post. Yum!

I think that it comes down to if I can get a reservation in Valada, because I think that I'd prefer a shorter day into Santarém. So far I've struck out with the albergue there.

@tarredon - I would love to split it into three days, but with the passing of Paula at Quinta da Burra, that's not really doable now.

 

[jungleboy]

But the picture of the food at the restaurant in Azambuja looks pretty great!

She can have lunch there en route to Valada!

 

[peregrina2000]

Yes, I just saw that post. Yum!

I think that it comes down to if I can get a reservation in Valada, because I think that I'd prefer a shorter day into Santarém. So far I've struck out with the albergue there.

@tarredon - I would love to split it into three days, but with the passing of Paula at Quinta da Burra, that's not really doable now.

There is (or was) an option for what they called “pick and drop” among the albergue owners on that stretch. You may not be a fan of this type of thing, but maybe some will find it helpful with the closing of Quinta da Burra.

An older thread discussing the service here

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/thinking-about-the-caminho-portuguese-concerned-about-starting-in-lisbon-read-on.29795/#post-254367

I would definitely contact Mario at Santarem Hostel (if anyone wants his email address let me know). He was the mover and shaker. And btw, let me give a shout out for his hostel. He has been a very loyal forum member and by all accounts operates a great place.

 

[tarredon]

@tarredon - I would love to split it into three days, but with the passing of Paula at Quinta da Burra, that's not really doable now.

We did stay with Paula at Quinta da Burra in Sept 2021, but according to our schedule, before I knew that Quinta da Burra would be open, I'd planned on staying at Albergue Dois Caminhos in Valada, and that would break up the day between Azumbuja and Santarem. So, to summarize, our initial plan looked like this:
Lisbon to Alpriate (22 km)
Alpriate to Vila Franca de Xira (19 km)
VF de Xira to Azambuja (19.5 km)
Azumbuja to Valada (13.3 km)
Valada to Santarem (22 km)

Admittedly, we had a SHORT day from Azumbuja to Valada planned (and it ended up being a bit longer because we stayed at Quinta da Burra instead) but it was a very good plan for us due to the heat and the fact that we had not trained extensively before beginning, so we needed to start slow. Anyway, I hope you have a wonderful camino - we loved it, and loved Portugal! I'll be watching for your posts.

 

[trecile]

It appears that the decision has been made for me. I contacted both places listed on Gronze directly - Albergue Dois Caminhos and Casal das Areias, and neither has a vacancy on my date.

Also the Santarém Hostel is completely booked on the date that I will be there.

 

[peregrina2000]

It appears that the decision has been made for me. I contacted both places listed on Gronze directly - Albergue Dois Caminhos and Casal das Areias, and neither has a vacancy on my date.

Also the Santarém Hostel is completely booked on the date that I will be there.

I think it’s Fátima pilgrims. May is their month.

 

[trecile]

I think it’s Fátima pilgrims. May is their month.

Ah, that makes sense.