First Time Help

[Dorin]

Hi,

I am completely new to this but was intending to walk from Porto to Santiago as I have around 2 weeks off. would this be enough to cover the whole route?

Also, my main concern is not knowing any portugese! Would it be really hard to get by?

Thanks,
Dorin

 

[edumad]

That is plenty of time, even taking it easy. You should be alright without any portuguese skills, most of the young people have some English knowledge. However, its always good to know some basics for courtesy and to get around.

 

[Bobcat77]

hi Dorin. Welcome to the Forum.
When we got married we honeymooned in Majorca. Zero Spanish, so we bought a tiny English/Spanish dictionary. It IS tiny. About 4x3 centimetres! We still have it ... after 41 years and it has returned to Spain many times!!
Nowadays good dictionary / phrase books easily available. Worth the money so you can order nice coffee or sandwich the way you like it. A friend recommended I get Spanish language tapes from the library so I could talk to the locals along 'The Way', especially if you're lost or looking for a loo, or tourist spot. Sounds like good advice to listen and learn on training walks.
Buen Camino

 

[BethC]

Hi,

I am completely new to this but was intending to walk from Porto to Santiago as I have around 2 weeks off. would this be enough to cover the whole route?

Also, my main concern is not knowing any portugese! Would it be really hard to get by?

Thanks,
Dorin

Dorin, if you have an iPhone (or possibly Android or Samsung Galaxy), you can download free OFFLINE Google Translate, which will do Portuguese. With the more "pictorial" (for lack of a better word) languages it occasionally gives kind of clumsy translations, but even so has been enough to get needs met. Have fun planning and taking your trip! Others experienced with that region can tell you better, but my guess is that they're well-accustomed to helping people with limited Portuguese along that route.

 

[Former member 22438]

In addition to @edumad you'll have time enough to get from Porto to Santiago.
Two possibilities to walk out of Porto. The coastal detour from Matosinhos. -take the metro to stop Mercado- on to Vila do Conde.
From there day 2 connection to the central route in São Pedro de Rates.
Other possibility. Take the metro in Porto to Forum Maia and walk from there to Mosteiro de Vairão and on to São Pedro de Rates.
From there can be your stops
Day 3 Barçelos
Day 4 casa Fernanda
Day 5 ponte de Lima
Day 6 Rubiaēs
Day 7 Valença do Minho or Tuí
Day 8 O Porriño
Day 9 Redondela or better Cessantes (Refuxio de la Jerézana is good albergue)
Day 10 Pontevedra
Day 11 caldas de Reis
Day 12 Padrón
Day 13 santiago

All distances between 15 and 20 kms per day

Only Padrón to Santiago is 24 kms but even that you could break by staying in Teo
The next day , the day of glorie entering Santiago is 8 kms by then and you can be early in Santiago eventually attending the pilgrims mass.

To speak portuguese or spanish is no need. There are so many international walkers that the population of both countries are used to speak english.
Non verbal language is international.


Bom caminho

 

[Dorin]

That sounds like a great idea...althoguh battery lasting the day might be an issue with a phone and the temptation to "get online" would be too much! But sounds positive..

Dorin, if you have an iPhone (or possibly Android or Samsung Galaxy), you can download free OFFLINE Google Translate, which will do Portuguese. With the more "pictorial" (for lack of a better word) languages it occasionally gives kind of clumsy translations, but even so has been enough to get needs met. Have fun planning and taking your trip! Others experienced with that region can tell you better, but my guess is that they're well-accustomed to helping people with limited Portuguese along that route.

 

[Dorin]

In addition to @edumad you'll have time enough to get from Porto to Santiago.
Two possibilities to walk out of Porto. The coastal detour from Matosinhos. -take the metro to stop Mercado- on to Vila do Conde.
From there day 2 connection to the central route in São Pedro de Rates.
Other possibility. Take the metro in Porto to Forum Maia and walk from there to Mosteiro de Vairão and on to São Pedro de Rates.
From there can be your stops
Day 3 Barçelos
Day 4 casa Fernanda
Day 5 ponte de Lima
Day 6 Rubiaēs
Day 7 Valença do Minho or Tuí
Day 8 O Porriño
Day 9 Redondela or better Cessantes (Refuxio de la Jerézana is good albergue)
Day 10 Pontevedra
Day 11 caldas de Reis
Day 12 Padrón
Day 13 santiago

All distances between 15 and 20 kms per day

Only Padrón to Santiago is 24 kms but even that you could break by staying in Teo
The next day , the day of glorie entering Santiago is 8 kms by then and you can be early in Santiago eventually attending the pilgrims mass.

To speak portuguese or spanish is no need. There are so many international walkers that the population of both countries are used to speak english.
Non verbal language is international.


Bom caminho

Thanks you sooo much Albertinho! Is it not possible to walk more than 20km a day or would that be an average? I was trying to fathom in my head and 20km doesn't sounds like a huge deal considering I have a whole day to walk...I was thinking of walking about 8 hours a day but then again it's for longer duration of two weeks so maybe i'm pushing it? Do hostel have to be entered by a certain time or they close or something?

 

[Former member 22438]

Thanks you sooo much Albertinho! Is it not possible to walk more than 20km a day or would that be an average? I was trying to fathom in my head and 20km doesn't sounds like a huge deal considering I have a whole day to walk...I was thinking of walking about 8 hours a day but then again it's for longer duration of two weeks so maybe i'm pushing it? Do hostel have to be entered by a certain time or they close or something?

You are welcome.
Your question is depending on where are places to sleep.
You could walk day I from Porto Sé to Vila do Conde 30 km
Day 2 from VdC to Barcelos. 35 km
To Ponte de Lima is 32 om -you miss the best place to stay Casa Fernanda
Ponte de Lima to Rubiaēs is a hard day an ofcroad trail climbing up a mountain 18 km
You could day 4 walk 38 km to Porriño and agter that every 20 kms or about are places to sleep. So within 9 or 1o days you could be in Santiago .

There are albergues in most of the places. In Portugal most are privat. Some municipal. In Spain most are municipal so arrival time will not be an issue after 8 hours walking.

 

[Dorin]

Thank you all so much for the help..have been planning and sorting things out.

I have preliminary route planned. Could anyone please advice how this sounds?

Day 1 - Matosinhos to Vila Do Conde - 22.5km

Day 2 - Vila Do Conde to Barcelos - 26.8

Day 3 - Barcelos to Ponte De Lima (potential extra night stop at Casa de Fernanda) - 29.6km

Day 4 - Ponte De Lima to Rubiaes - 19.5km

Day 5 - Rubiaes to Tui - 18.8km

Day 6 - Tui to Redondela - 27.9km

Day 7 - Redondela to Pontevedra - 18.5

Day 8 - Pontevedra to Caldas des Reis - 25.3km

Day 9 - Caldas des Reis to Teo - 24km

Day 10- Teo to Santiago

Also how/where do I get my pilgrim passport and shell? Is this something I have to arrange before hand?
And where in Porto/Matosinhos do I start? I understand I can get off at the metro station but then where do I find the first set of arrows? Are there any places I can call and book previously, like a couple of days before I arrive or something?

I know this sounds very basic, but just a little apprehensive as well as excited! Thanks again for your help.

 

[KinkyOne]

Hi, @Dorin ,

Take a look in forum resources section and download the guidebook to your prefferences:
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/resources/categories/camino-portugues.40/
There's also John Brierleys guidebook you can buy via this forum, same goes for credencial and (not sure for that though) the shell.

Bom Caminho

 

[jsalt]

Also how/where do I get my pilgrim passport and shell?

Hi Dorin, I saw shells for sale in a gift shop near the Torre dos Clerigos in Porto. Bom caminho. Jill

 

[Former member 22438]

Thank you all so much for the help..have been planning and sorting things out.

I have preliminary route planned. Could anyone please advice how this sounds?

Day 1 - Matosinhos to Vila Do Conde - 22.5km

Day 2 - Vila Do Conde to Barcelos - 26.8

Day 3 - Barcelos to Ponte De Lima (potential extra night stop at Casa de Fernanda) - 29.6km

Day 4 - Ponte De Lima to Rubiaes - 19.5km

Day 5 - Rubiaes to Tui - 18.8km

Day 6 - Tui to Redondela - 27.9km

Day 7 - Redondela to Pontevedra - 18.5

Day 8 - Pontevedra to Caldas des Reis - 25.3km

Day 9 - Caldas des Reis to Teo - 24km

Day 10- Teo to Santiago

Also how/where do I get my pilgrim passport and shell? Is this something I have to arrange before hand?
And where in Porto/Matosinhos do I start? I understand I can get off at the metro station but then where do I find the first set of arrows? Are there any places I can call and book previously, like a couple of days before I arrive or something?

I know this sounds very basic, but just a little apprehensive as well as excited! Thanks again for your help.

Eventually if Vila do Conde to Barcelos is too far at one day you could walk 15 kms from Vila do Conde to Sāo Pedro de Rates 15 km or 4 kms further on to Pedra Furada where is hostal Pedra Furada who rents one double bedroom or a room. With 3 or 4 beds. Reservation is advised. The phonenumber is in Brierley's guide

Also between Valença do Minho/Tui and Redondela is an albergue and are several hotels and hostals in O Porriño at 20 kms from Tui.
Forget the crowded ,noisy and smelly albergue in Redondela amd walk on 3 extra kms to Cessantes where is a comfortable quiet and clean albergue, refúxio de la Jerézana. Much better !
Bom caminho

 

[SabsP]

Hi Dorin,

The younger people have excellent english skills, the older generation good french skills.
These were my stops. I walked 13 days.

1. Porto : Pensoa Central, indeed very central in Matosinhos for 37 € for a single room/own bathroom and breakfast. Metrostop in front of door.
http://www.pensaocentral.net/en/home/

2. Vila do Conde : Hospedaria Casa Venceslau

3. Pedra Furada , the Acogida of Anton Martins has an award winning resto, this was closed but the bar and his mini albergue of two bunkbeds and one private room was open. 12 € for bed in bunkbed. Anton has wisdom of knowledge about the Portugues and seems to know everyone living on it. He even gave two pilgrims the keys to his private place in Barcelos!!! And his sisters make delicious food.
http://www.gronze.com/portugal/braga/pedra-furada/acogida-en-pedra-furada

4. Tamel : municipal Casa da Recoleta : 5 € for a bunkbed.

5. Ponte de Lima

6. Rubiaes : chose for the new private one since the muni was just one big room with 34 beds in one room.
NINHO is the private one, 12 € for a bunkbed.

7. Tui, private one El Camino for 12 € .

8. O Porrino : was a short day so already in town at 1 o' clock and albergue opened only at 3. So private pension at Pension Louro with private bathroom for 25 €.

9. Cesantes , three k. after Redondela : Refuxio de la Jerezana.

10. Pontevedra : Habitaciones Alicia.

11. Caldas de Reis : Albergue O Cruceiro, basically a converted hostal with rooms for 2, 4 or 6 people.

12. Padron.

13. Ames , just after Teo

Santiago...