Accommodation in Matosinhos or??

[trecile]

I'm helping a friend plan her Portuguese Camino. She is coming from the west coast of the US, and is on a pretty tight schedule with 11 days to walk. She'll be flying into Porto, and arriving in the morning. It looks like it might be a good idea to find a place to stay in Matosinhos, in order to make the next day's walk a little shorter. A private room somewhere, as she's never stayed in hostels, and will need a good rest after the long journey. But, I want her to be able to make connections with other pilgrims as soon as possible, so a private room in an albergue would be ideal.

Here's some info to keep in mind:
She's never been to Europe and is nervous about everything involved with that
I don't think that she's ever traveled solo
She is a fitness instructor, so in good shape, but hasn't done long distance walking before
Her plan is to start on the Coastal route, then switch to the Central from Vila do Conde

I am soooo wishing that I could go with her, but my budget doesn't make that possible, and I think that it will be very empowering for her to do this on her own.

This is planned for the beginning of September

 

[trecile]

Okay, I just was looking at Gronze, and I had an idea. It looks like there is an albergue and a guest house at the end of Gronze's first stage, in LaBruge, which looks like it's very close to the airport. Does that sound like a good option? I want her to be able to walk in as relaxed a manner as possible, without pushing herself to do a lot of kms per day.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I'm helping a friend plan her Portuguese Camino. She is coming from the west coast of the US, and is on a pretty tight schedule with 11 days to walk. She'll be flying into Porto, and arriving in the morning. It looks like it might be a good idea to find a place to stay in Matosinhos, in order to make the next day's walk a little shorter. A private room somewhere, as she's never stayed in hostels, and will need a good rest after the long journey. But, I want her to be able to make connections with other pilgrims as soon as possible, so a private room in an albergue would be ideal.

Here's some info to keep in mind:
She's never been to Europe and is nervous about everything involved with that
I don't think that she's ever traveled solo
She is a fitness instructor, so in good shape, but hasn't done long distance walking before
Her plan is to start on the Coastal route, then switch to the Central from Vila do Conde

I am soooo wishing that I could go with her, but my budget doesn't make that possible, and I think that it will be very empowering for her to do this on her own.

This is planned for the beginning of September

My son and I stayed in Matosinhos in early May 2019 at the Fishtail Sea House. It was a newer, lovely proprrty. One of my favs on the Portuguese. Many pictures on booking.com to look at with an extremely high rating. We had a private room with twin beds and bathroom. Loved staying there.

 

[JCLima]

Okay, I just was looking at Gronze, and I had an idea. It looks like there is an albergue and a guest house at the end of Gronze's first stage, in LaBruge, which looks like it's very close to the airport. Does that sound like a good option? I want her to be able to walk in as relaxed a manner as possible, without pushing herself to do a lot of kms per day.

This does not help you at all but it is Labruge, not LaBruge.

 

[trecile]

This does not help you at all but it is Labruge, not LaBruge.

Thanks. I do hate to miscapitalize things!

 

[Susan Peacock]

Yes, the Fishtail Sea House is nice and they have private rooms. Since her time is short she should take a taxi from Vila do Conde to Sao Pedro de Rates and then walk to Barcelos. The walk from Vila do Conde to the central route is not recommended due to traffic. There used to be a nicer route along the viaduct, but from what I've read and the Brierley book this is no longer part of the route. This would be a good place to save some time.

As for Labruge I have not stayed there, but have stayed in the Camp ground in Angeiras, we had our own trailer that was nice. It would certainly give her a short, but lovely day along the beautiful coast.

 

[trecile]

Yes, the Fishtail Sea House is nice and they have private rooms. Since her time is short she should take a taxi from Vila do Conde to Sao Pedro de Rates and then walk to Barcelos. The walk from Vila do Conde to the central route is not recommended due to traffic. There used to be a nicer route along the viaduct, but from what I've read and the Brierley book this is no longer part of the route. This would be a good place to save some time.

I was looking at this thread about the walk between Vila do Conde and Barcelos. Is the information out of date?

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/vila-do-conde-to-barcelos-advice-needed-thanks.54744/#post-612713

 

[Susan Peacock]

I was looking at this thread about the walk between Vila do Conde and Barcelos. Is the information out of date?

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/vila-do-conde-to-barcelos-advice-needed-thanks.54744/#post-612713

I am not sure, although her post is over a year old and discusses a Camino she took the year before. I just know that most people I met thought the walk was treacherous. I also think that walking from Vila do Conde to Barcelos would be quite a long, and hard day. Walking on the cobblestones can be hard on the legs. I do love Barcelos and they have a mass/pilgrims blessing at 7:00 nightly. They are so happy to have pilgrims and pose for pictures and have some small gifts. Also, Barcelos has a huge market on Thursdays.

 

[trecile]

I am not sure, although her post is over a year old and discusses a Camino she took the year before. I just know that most people I met thought the walk was treacherous. I also think that walking from Vila do Conde to Barcelos would be quite a long, and hard day. Walking on the cobblestones can be hard on the legs. I do love Barcelos and they have a mass/pilgrims blessing at 7:00 nightly. They are so happy to have pilgrims and pose for pictures and have some small gifts. Also, Barcelos has a huge market on Thursdays.

Do you have a suggestion for connecting to the central route from the Coastal?

 

[JillGat]

Another possibility would be to spend a night in Porto and then take the #500 bus to Matosinhos in the morning and start walking from there. The bus travels along the river to the coast, basically following the camino route to the Senda Litoral, so she'd see pilgrims along that way, too. It's very easy walking from there to Angeiras the next day (and stay in that cool campground with the tiny houses.) Transferring from Vila do Conde to the central route is very easy. I know I was concerned about that before I left, but it was super easy with good markers.

 

[Susan Peacock]

Another possibility would be to spend a night in Porto and then take the #500 bus to Matosinhos in the morning and start walking from there. The bus travels along the river to the coast, basically following the camino route to the Senda Litoral, so she'd see pilgrims along that way, too. It's very easy walking from there to Angeiras the next day (and stay in that cool campground with the tiny houses.) Transferring from Vila do Conde to the central route is very easy. I know I was concerned about that before I left, but it was super easy with good markers.

Was the walk from Bila do Conde to the central route not along a busy road? We had been told we needed safety vest. He seems, we took a cab over to the central route.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I walked Vila do Conde to Rates in May and did not enjoy that stretch. It was my least favorite on the Portuguese camino. It wasn't as dangerous to me as some say, but the cars do go fast and their tires make loud rumbling noises on the cobblestone roads. Not attractive towns or views either.

 

[linkster]

We took the metro out of Porto to Matoshinos. We over shot our stop, so it was a little longer to get to the bridge. We walked the Senda Litoral on the boardwalk the first day to Vila do Conde. We did not see many pilgrims walking the first day. Albergue de peregrinos Santa Clara in Vila do Conde was packed when we got there. They recommended Venceslau Wine Boutique Hostel. We split hotel rooms which were very nice about ~25€.

We then swithced to the central, and walked to Rates. The road was not dangerous. We stayed at Albergue de peregrinos de São Pedro de Rates on 5/25/19. They had a cool stamp, and a little ceremony in the courtyard about 10:00PM with a Queimada that was pretty cool. That day felt more like a camino day.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I also stayed at the Venseslau Wine Boutique hotel, too. Very nice and we had a nice meal and bottle of wine in their restaurant for dinner.

 

[linkster]

Do you have a suggestion for connecting to the central route from the Coastal?

We took the southern route from Vila do Conde to Arcos where we joined the central. Then the central to Rates. Here is a hyperlink to Google Maps. I am not sure how long they actually stay up there before they get purged. I can send you the kmz file if interested.

 

[Turga]

She's never been to Europe and is nervous about everything involved with that

Please tell her not to worry too much - we are generally civilized

 

[trecile]

Please tell her not to worry too much - we are generally civilized

Yes, I have been telling her not to worry so much.

 

[linkster]

@trecile You may want to share this references from Gronze with your friend. We made the mistake of walking the industrial road in the sun. I marked the intersection on the Google map referenced earlier.

Section of Ribadelouro to O Porriño in jpg / and in pdf .

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Please tell her not to worry too much - we are generally civilized

Key word..."generally". That leaves room for uncivilized.

 

[JillGat]

I don't remember being terrified on the route between Vila do Conde and Rates. I also don't remember it being ugly. I do remember the beautiful countryside and villages after Rates, though. Here is one pic I took.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Gorgeous photo, Jill. I personally preferred the scenery and walking after Rates and felt it changed for the better. I loved seeing so many vineyards planted around the perimeters of large vegetable gardens; very different than the ones in Spain.

 

[trecile]

I don't remember being terrified on the route between Vila do Conde and Rates. I also don't remember it being ugly. I do remember the beautiful countryside and villages after Rates, though. Here is one pic I took.View attachment 61889

Beautiful!

I wish that I was going next month!

 

[Betterisgood]

Hello,
I thought give a couple of thoughts. I walked from Porto in 2017 changing over in vila do conde and took 9 days to Santiago and again from Lisbon in 2018 changing over from Caminha to Tui, the portion from Porto to Santiago took 10 days so 11 days should work just fine especially if your friend is in shape. The day from Porto to Villa do Conde is long but flat if you take the 'literal' and one of our favorite days, if you walk down from the Cathedral to the river you just start walking, I actually plan on walking this stage on a family trip to Porto at the end of August.
You mention this is your friends first trip to Europe, I wouldn't want her to miss Porto ( or the famous wine) by going straight to Matasinhos from the airport.
We did cross over through Rates and I have to admit it wasn't easy for us to find our way, we used a combination of Google (I have a data plan here so this was possible) and Brierly it was a very long day so I like the suggestion above about a cab to Rates to switch over to the central. I was walking with family and we didn't have any pilgrims around us, I imagine if she meets up with some in Vila do Conde that walking the crossover would be easier assuming someone would know the way. When we walked nothing was marked until we stumbled onto an arrow a little before Rates this could have changed. I do recommend switching there, it really gives you a taste of both routes. For me the most beautiful days from Lisbon to Santiago are the days between Rates and Valença on the central. Your friend will have a wonderful time.
Good luck!!
Buen camino
MaryEllen

 

[Nick B]

I'm helping a friend plan her Portuguese Camino. She is coming from the west coast of the US, and is on a pretty tight schedule with 11 days to walk. She'll be flying into Porto, and arriving in the morning. It looks like it might be a good idea to find a place to stay in Matosinhos, in order to make the next day's walk a little shorter. A private room somewhere, as she's never stayed in hostels, and will need a good rest after the long journey. But, I want her to be able to make connections with other pilgrims as soon as possible, so a private room in an albergue would be ideal.

Here's some info to keep in mind:
She's never been to Europe and is nervous about everything involved with that
I don't think that she's ever traveled solo
She is a fitness instructor, so in good shape, but hasn't done long distance walking before
Her plan is to start on the Coastal route, then switch to the Central from Vila do Conde

I am soooo wishing that I could go with her, but my budget doesn't make that possible, and I think that it will be very empowering for her to do this on her own.

This is planned for the beginning of September

What date does she start walking ?

I'm walking from Porto with two ladies starting Sept 8 if she's looking for walking companions to start with, we're Australian so sort of civilized to a degree......

 

[TMcA]

Life is full of tradeoffs, so here's one...

If your friend is flying overnight from the western U.S., I would recommend the O Valentim hotel in Matosinhos. This is not a pilgrim hotel, but it is on the Coastal Camino and the food is excellent. Yes, right there at the hotel. The beach and shopping is blocks away as is the subway (tram) stop if your friend wants to use public transport all the way from the airport the hotel. After an overnight flight, she may want to take a taxi from the airport which is what my wife and I did. The staff is solicitous and speaks English.

Another forum member also stayed at this place, so they do host people walking the Coastal route. She could ask at the desk upon arrival or after settling in about this possibility and maybe make an introduction at dinner in the upstairs dining room (with its view of the seafood canning district and ocean). She could also meander around the oceanfront area near the hotel to easily get her feet wet on her first day in Europe. "Feet wet" in the Atlantic Ocean if she'd like.

The next morning after breakfast, she's out the hotel door and on the Coastal. Ideally with some company she met at the hotel, but if not, there will be company in the form of people with backpacks heading north.

BTW, I requested an early check-in at the O Valentim and we were in our room by about 1PM after our excellent lunch in the hotel's dining room. I would ask for this option no matter where she winds up reserving. Those trade-offs again...early check-in is maybe less available at an albergue type place.

 

[Hilarious]

What date does she start walking ?

I'm walking from Porto with two ladies starting Sept 8 if she's looking for walking companions to start with, we're Australian so sort of civilized to a degree......

Love it! Nick B

 

[John H.]

Totally agree with earlier recommendations for the Fishtail Seahouse in Matosinhos. Small, nice, modern, clean. Book ahead. Early September is quite busy on the CP Coastal route and I generally found there to be fewer accommodation choices than what you find on the CF. While I generally do not like booking ahead, you definitely should try to book Fishtail now if you want to stay there in September.

 

[MarGoX]

My son and I stayed in Matosinhos in early May 2019 at the Fishtail Sea House. It was a newer, lovely proprrty. One of my favs on the Portuguese. Many pictures on booking.com to look at with an extremely high rating. We had a private room with twin beds and bathroom. Loved staying there.

 

[MarGoX]

glad to hear that, I and 3 friends have booked a 4 bed room with en suite 19th October, haven't seen a bad review anywhere, lookin forward to start after a good nights rest.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

glad to hear that, I and 3 friends have booked a 4 bed room with en suite 19th October, haven't seen a bad review anywhere, lookin forward to start after a good nights rest.

I'm sure you will really enjoy your stay there, and the accompanying breakfast was quite good, too!

 

[trecile]

My friend ended up booking the Casa da Praia Guest House in Labruge. It's really close to the airport, and there's also a municipal albergue in Labruge, so I'm hoping that she can find some other pilgrims there to get started with.

 

[David Tallan]

I don't remember being terrified on the route between Vila do Conde and Rates. I also don't remember it being ugly. I do remember the beautiful countryside and villages after Rates, though. Here is one pic I took.View attachment 61889

Are you sure that is after Rates? I took pretty much exactly the same photo last October and the information attached to the photo puts the location I took it at 42°22'23.9"N 8°42'48.7'W, on the way to Junqueira from Vila do Conde, well before Arcos. So if one were to skip the section between Vila do Conde and Rates, this would be part of what one skips. I also don't remember the walk between Vila do Conde and Rates being especially dangerous. I didn't remember it being especially attractive either, in the immediate aftermath of the Camino but when I later looked back at the photos, there were definitely some nice spots, like this one.

@trecile I can't speak to Labruge. I walked a few km more and slept at Vila Chã. The albergue there isn't far from the camino and includes a museum devoted to the local fishing industry.

Eleven days is certainly doable but I wasn't pushing myself and did it in thirteen. In this case, for a first time pilgrim, I might advise starting in Barcelos to give her plenty of time. She can make her leisurely way to Santiago and have an extra day there. On the other hand, this would deprive her of the walk along the coast at the beginning. I just always like to leave myself some wiggle room rather than planning things tight and in case of any unexpected mishaps, perhaps finding myself racing to Santiago.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Are you sure that is after Rates? I took pretty much exactly the same photo last October and the information attached to the photo puts the location I took it at 42°22'23.9"N 8°42'48.7'W, on the way to Junqueira from Vila do Conde, well before Arcos. So if one were to skip the section between Vila do Conde and Rates, this would be part of what one skips. I also don't remember the walk between Vila do Conde and Rates being especially dangerous. I didn't remember it being especially attractive either, in the immediate aftermath of the Camino but when I later looked back at the photos, there were definitely some nice spots, like this one.

@trecile I can't speak to Labruge. I walked a few km more and slept at Vila Chã. The albergue there isn't far from the camino and includes a museum devoted to the local fishing industry.

Eleven days is certainly doable but I wasn't pushing myself and did it in thirteen. In this case, for a first time pilgrim, I might advise starting in Barcelos to give her plenty of time. She can make her leisurely way to Santiago and have an extra day there. On the other hand, this would deprive her of the walk along the coast at the beginning. I just always like to leave myself some wiggle room rather than planning things tight and in case of any unexpected mishaps, perhaps finding myself racing to Santiago.

Although I didn't think the stretch between Vila do Conde and Rates especially dangerous, I did not really care for it. Many cars zooming by were noisy on the cobblestone roads with their tires making loud noise and the few villages nondescript. That was my impression anyway.

 

[Mudcrone]

My son and I stayed in Matosinhos in early May 2019 at the Fishtail Sea House. It was a newer, lovely proprrty. One of my favs on the Portuguese. Many pictures on booking.com to look at with an extremely high rating. We had a private room with twin beds and bathroom. Loved staying there.

The private rooms are nice, but the dorm is crowed and not limited to Pilgrims.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

The private rooms are nice, but the dorm is crowed and not limited to Pilgrims.

Ha! Didn't even know they had dorms!
Note to future pilgrims...do not stay in the dorms, wherever on the premises they may be.

 

[KariC]

When I started out of Matosinhos in 2016, I stayed at Casa de Godinho - really lovely place!

 

[Marcus-UK]

Yes, the Fishtail Sea House is nice and they have private rooms. Since her time is short she should take a taxi from Vila do Conde to Sao Pedro de Rates and then walk to Barcelos. The walk from Vila do Conde to the central route is not recommended due to traffic. There used to be a nicer route along the viaduct, but from what I've read and the Brierley book this is no longer part of the route. This would be a good place to save some time.

If you continue along from Vila do Conde on the Coastal path to Povoa do Varzim. You can take a bus from the central bus station direct to Barcelos. This cuts out the bad bit of road walking. It also costs less than 3 euros which is cheaper than a taxi.

Assumming you are arriving by plane into Oporto, then the best way to get around is via the metro system. From the airport take the Purple line E to Senhora da Hora. Then change onto the Blue line A to Matosinhos. The best stop to start the Camino from is Mercado where you cross the bridge then follow the arrows.

 

[trecile]

You mention this is your friends first trip to Europe, I wouldn't want her to miss Porto ( or the famous wine) by going straight to Matasinhos from the airport.

She's actually going to start from Labruge, but hopefully she will have some time in Porto before her flight home.

 

[trecile]

I couldn't resist a "bonus" Camino this year and will be joining my friend! So excited, but my husband thinks that I'm crazy.