Anyone got ideas where to take couple of days break during Camino?

[woody66]

Hi everyone!
I have booked my flight and accommodation for the Portuguese Coastal for next September 17th onward up until Vila Praia de Ancora.(I still have about 180 klms from here to Santiago)
However during my camino i would like to stay over for a couple of days in at least 3 or maybe 4 places.

On Stingy Nomads they mentioned a few places but for the life of me i cant find them i think one was Baiona anymore suggestions very welcome!
I know they will be your personal favorites but they will be favorite for good reason! (i do have free cancellation for all bookings up until next year; so if i've missed the unmissable i could perhaps re book)
Thanks for any replies.
WOODY66
Lets hope things are better for all by then.

 

[ranthr]

Check up weather there is a mediaval festival in Pontevedra at the time. Happened to arrive there in fiesta time and it was a great experience. Had booked at the Parador and they informed about the fiesta, and when arriving served me an exellent medieaval meny for dinner.

 

[RNC]

Hi Woody66
We walked the Portuguese Senda Litoral in June 2018 and would recommend Porto and Baiona as places to spend an extra day:
Porto - wonderful architecture, fabulous food and historical port wine warehouses
Baiona - beautiful coastal town with lots of accommodation, great restaurants, medieval fortress and replica of the Pinta
Enjoy your Camino!

 

[woody66]

Hi ranthr and RNC thanks for the info; Ranthr i will check it out! Yeah RNC as my start is in Porto i thought a few days there would be a good idea i 've booked for three nights!
From Porto i night each in Matosinhos, Vila do Conde, Esposende, Viana do Castelo, Vila Praia de Ancora.
Thats as far as i've gone before the light bulb moment hit me of longer stays in beautiful places.
I am not time pressured as no return flight booked will do that in Santiago or just before.
I did intend to do shorter stages but accommodation that suits me already appears in short supply for my dates. Thanks again Woody66

 

[MarkyD]

Hi everyone!
I have booked my flight and accommodation for the Portuguese Coastal for next September 17th onward up until Vila Praia de Ancora.(I still have about 180 klms from here to Santiago)
However during my camino i would like to stay over for a couple of days in at least 3 or maybe 4 places.

On Stingy Nomads they mentioned a few places but for the life of me i cant find them i think one was Baiona anymore suggestions very welcome!
I know they will be your personal favorites but they will be favorite for good reason! (i do have free cancellation for all bookings up until next year; so if i've missed the unmissable i could perhaps re book)
Thanks for any replies.
WOODY66
Lets hope things are better for all by then.

I can recommend the beautiful coastal town of Viana do Costelo (assuming you are walking the coastal route). If walking the central route, then Ponte de Lima is a wonderful riverside town, worth staying a day, or two so you explore both sides of the river.
Nearer to Santiago the old town part of Pontevedra is also a great place to stop for a day.

 

[David Tallan]

On the Coastal, I can't speak to the places before Redondela where it joins with the Central, but after Redondela there are three potential spots: Pontevedra, Caldas de Reis, and Padron. Take your pick.

There is a ton to see and do in Pontevedra with lots of churches, museums and historic sights. Especially famous among the churches is La Peregrina in the shape of a scallop shell.

On the other hand Caldas de Reis is filled with spas and hot springs, so if you'd rather relax there than see the sights in Pontevedra, it may make for a better rest day.

Finally, Padron is just a day from Santiago, so it may seem a silly spot to take a rest day. But Padron is steeped in Jacobean lore and, as we are on a Jacobean pilgrimage, it makes sense to pause here and see these particular sights: the mooring stone to which was attached the boat that brought his remains that now rest a day away or the hill where St. James preached while he was still alive and trying to convert the local Galicians. And what better place for a plate of Padron peppers?

 

[Holly West]

Hi everyone!
I have booked my flight and accommodation for the Portuguese Coastal for next September 17th onward up until Vila Praia de Ancora.(I still have about 180 klms from here to Santiago)
However during my camino i would like to stay over for a couple of days in at least 3 or maybe 4 places.

On Stingy Nomads they mentioned a few places but for the life of me i cant find them i think one was Baiona anymore suggestions very welcome!
I know they will be your personal favorites but they will be favorite for good reason! (i do have free cancellation for all bookings up until next year; so if i've missed the unmissable i could perhaps re book)
Thanks for any replies.
WOODY66
Lets hope things are better for all by then.

We loved San Xenxo after we finished the Portuguese camino. It is near Vigo. We were able to get massages and it is a beautiful little spa resort there with a winery right behind the property and the waterfront is beautiful as well as the whole town along the water. Highly recommend it!!

 

[woody66]

WOW many thanks for the info Marky ,David and Holly that's a multitude of choices;looks like a could spend a few days everywhere just booked 3 days in Baiona

 

[Lucy Keenan]

Baiona definitely. I had a rest day there last year. It was lovely.

 

[Morning Waters]

Definitely spend an extra day or two in Porto, a wonderful city with some great places to see. I moved inland after Vila do Conde and spent an extra day in Barcelos/Barcelinhos to see these two wonderful towns that straddle a river. Valenca on the border of Portugal and Spain is worth an extra day to see the medieval town/fort. The town of Combarra, on the Camino Espiritual portion, is another good place to stop and explore. I also loved Padron. On the way back to Porto from Santiago, I took the train and spent a few days in lovely medieval Viana Do Castelo.

 

[4 Eyes]

Santarem, Coimbra and Pontevedra were among my favorite places. Don't know where you are starting so not sure if they are on your route.

 

[SabsP]

And Caldas de Reis for the hot springs maybe?