Lisbon to Santiago in September

[Ulysse]

Anybody leaving from Lisbon to Santiago in mid/end September.

 

[Arn]

Ulysse...welcome to the Class of 2008!

May I humbly suggest that you check the Class of 2008 thread and also the calendar at the bottom of the page. There you will find folks that will be traveling the Milky Way at about the same time as you.

In addition, add your travel info to the calendar so that others may seek you out.

Buen Camino,

Arn

 

[eapuris]

Hello there!

I'm also planning to do the Camino Portugues in September (starting either Sept. 29 or Oct. 6).

I have a limited time to do the walk so I'm planning to start from Tui.

Perhaps we could arrange something together with those who would be interested.

Hope to hear some response.

Thanks.

Eduardo from NY

 

[Ritahugues]

Hello,

We are going to do the camino potugues the 6th of may and we would like to have more information on the road, the accomodation, etc...

ANY information that you have will certainly interest us

Rita and Hugues

 

[canadianperegrino]

Hello all,

I am just in the beginning stages of planning my Porto/Santiago/Finesterre/Muxia pigrimage for September. I am very excited, and a little nervous! I am in the process of gathering as much information as possible to fine-tune my plans, but have at least booked my flight.

My friend completed the Camino Frances last year, and I have been yearning to walk since hearing his stories and seeing his pictures.

At this point I plan on leaving Porto early September.

While I appreciate that everyone does this pilgrimage for a variety of reasons, I also think the camaraderie which develops on the road is one of the great results of walking the trail. I have been a bit tentative to even post anything on this site, as I want things to unfold naturally. However, it was just too tempting to not participate!

Buen Camino everyone,
CR

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Hi CR

Welcome. We all share your excitement and enthusiasm. I'll be on this very route in late August/September myself hopefully. I'm currently leafing through the guide by John Brierley and the waymarking and infrastructure from Porto seems to be in place. Certainly that is the case from Santiago to Finisterre and Muxia (the latter is well worth a visit btw). There are very good postings on the forum relating to both of these routes and I do recommend the CSJ guide to Finisterre and Muxia.

Happy planning.

John

 

[Shirley]

I really do believe that much more is gained from the experience of spending time walking alone, than with a group or gang. Yes, so much of my wondeful memories are of my fellow pilgrims, their stories, jouney, kindness and of course - Buen Camino that kept me going. However, equally rewarding was the time spent in silence, not knowing were the path led, taking in the beautiful sights, sounds and smells of the countryside (including the farmyards), and of stopping for a few broken words of Spanish with the locals, all the time knowing I was being guided to some unknown destination. Ive never felt such happiness, joy and appreciation of being fit and healthy to walk the Camino that so many thousands have walked before. I doubt I would have experienced the same 'spiritual' journey had I been with a group of people. In my experience, there is ample time to talk and meet with fellow pilgrims in the evenings over a bottle of wine (or 2), which makes the whole thing even more enjoyable!

 

[canadianperegrino]

Thanks for your responses. This forum is getting to be addictive for me, as I find myself searching for any information related to the Camino. I have yet to get my hands on the John Brierley guide, as it's not found locally. I'm a little concerned about finding my way out of Porto, and will feel better once I have the guide to help me plan these details. I'll be ordering it soon on-line...

I'm just looking forward to the adventure of walking in a foreign country, and relying on myself for the strength that comes from doing such a journey on my own. I had considered cycling, but really feel that the walk is just that much more rewarding somehow.

Oh, and yes, there's the wine, too!
CR

 

[sillydoll]

Trivia:

Remember that there is a 1 hour time difference between Spain and Portugal. (Portugal is an hour behind).

Roman Portugal was called Luisitania.

It is said that it was on the Portuguese route that Sant' Iago first preached in Iberia.

The Order of St. James appeared in Portugal, as early as 1172

Britain and Portugal have had a Treaty of Alliance since 1373 and have never fought each other in a war.

King Manuel II, Portugal's last king, was deposed in 1910 and lived in exile in Twickenham, just outside London.

 

[Javier Martin]

For all of who are planning the Camino Portuguese, remember it's possible to obtain a free guide downloading it from http://www.amigosdelcamino.com, in spanish or portuguese. Yellow arrows has been repainted by AGACS last year in may and this year two weeks ago.

Buen Camino for all you

Javier Martin
Madrid, Spain.

 

[sillydoll]

Javier - please say muchisimas gracias to those who marked the way. My friend is starting from Lagos on 1st August, walking to Lisboa, then Fatima, then to Santiago. I have already downloaded the maps from Lisboa to Santiago for him (not the guide because he doesn't read Spanish or Portuguese).
Abrazos,

 

[Javier Martin]

Sil, I've sent your words to my association, I know for them it's important to know their work is useful for next pilgrims.

Buen Camino, for all you and specially for your friend in his Camino Portuguese

Javier Martin
Madrid, Spain.

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, Javier,
Let me chime in to add much appreciation to all those Camino lovers who take the time to help us all by painting arrows. It's such a tremendous contribution. I would love to be able to help out someday, is there a group we can contact or is this all organized locally?
Laurie

 

[Javier Martin]

Usually each organization is in charge of his part of Camino. I belong to the Galician Association and we use to paint arrows in Galicia and in Portugal. I also belong to the Association from Barcelona and then we paint the Camino from Barcelona until the connection with the other Caminos.

Every association has their planning to repaint arrows, or to maintain paths, or to attend albergues, or whatever is needed.

But I usually have no time for these activities because I live far from the Caminos and my work doesn't let me enough time.

A good way to work for the Caminos is to be associated to any association close to your ideas and to work with this association.

CSJ run two albergues, other foreign associations run other albergues too, galician association has another albergue, so a little work is always welcome.

It dependes on your free time and on what you like to do.

Buen Camino,

Javier Martin
Madrid, Spain.

 

[taurus]

Hi!
I will start camino portugese in the beggining of August from Lisbon. I will come to the Railway station in Gare Oriente in Lisbon. As I see in this free guide from Asosiacion Galega Amigos do Camino de Santiago, there is one albergo near Gare Orinete: Pousada da Juventude, Parque das Nacoes. But the oficial start of Camino is la Catedral Se de Lisboa, which is ,as I think , is 7 km from Parque das Nacoes. So, what is the best start of Camino Portugese - to get credentials, to see some Lisbone, to find the way out of the big city. This could be a problem!
Thanks for suggestions!
mateja

 

[sillydoll]

Hello Taurus,
A friend will start walking from Lagos on Thursday next week and will be staying at Lisboa for two days when he gets there. We found out that there are no peregrino albergues in Lisboa but there are youth hostels and a few reasonable hotels.

Lisboa Youth Hostel
R. Andrade Corvo, 46
1050-009 Lisboa
Tel: 21 353 26 96
Fax: 21 353 75 41
E-mail: lisboa@movijovem.pt

and

Hostel Oasis
Rua de Santa Catarina, 24
ph: (00351) 213 478 044
1200-402 - Lisboa – Portugal
http://www.hostelsoasis.com

You will find updates from Lisboa – Coimbra and Coimbra – Porto with extra info and a couple of maps on the John Breirley website here:

http://www.caminoguides.com/latest.html

Good luck!

 

[taurus]

Sil, thanks!
I have some fears about going from Lisbon - I prefer peaceful roads, but from what i have read there are a lot of busy roads and autoroutes before you leave the city ... if anybody in the forum has done the whole road from Lisbon to Santiago, please, share your experience with me. Maybe it is better start from Porto ?
taurus

 

[sillydoll]

Taurus, the update from Lisboa states that:
"The Entire route is now well waymarked. It is little used and most is on quiet country roads (70%) the balance split between dangerous main roads, delightful farm tracks and woodland paths. Facilities for pilgrims are minimal with no dedicated hostels. Accommodation may be available in towns with a Fire Brigade Bombeiros but with climate change fuelling forest fires this option is likely to be more limited. Youth Hostels and camping from €10, Hostales and Pensãos €20, Hoteles €30, Casa Rurales €40, Quintas €50, Pousadas €90.
Note: This route should only be undertaken by experienced walkers
with good physical fitness and a reasonable grasp of the Portuguese language.

I would say that 70% on quiet roads is pretty good. And that the busy main roads could be in and out of the towns and cities - as they are on the Camino Frances.
I don't speak Portuguese but Googled two questions - are there small/quiet roads from here to....
estão lá a partir de pequenas estradas aqui para .....
calma lá estão para aqui a partir de estradas ........

 

[Ritahugues]

Hello everyone,

My boyfriend and I did the camino portuguese in may-june of this year. We really liked it. We wanted to start in Lisboa, however we heard that the road wasn't very pretty, so we decided to start in Coimbra.

The waymarking is really well all through the portuguese side. However, the spanish side is not as well marked. Since the arrows are not freshened up, some are not very visible. That said, we never got lost, but the use of a guide book was very helpful sometimes.

For those who want to start in the Sé Cathedral, I just want to say that I never saw arrows in the heart of the city. The way really starts there, but the arrows are more present starting at the Oriense station. We had some friends who started at the cathedral and who got lost, they finally arrived to the destination at 7p.m. Therefore, I suggest to start at the Parque de nacoes (oriense metro station).

Another important point on this camino is the road... it is a LOT on asphalt and village and car roads. You do not walk in the forests... You walk through beautiful villages however the asphalt is not very pleasant for the feet. That is why we decided to walk from Coimbra to Agueda and finally take the bus-train to go to Porto and continue from there. The way from Porto is a lot prettier and pleasant. I suggest to start from there. The views are prettier and more in the forests.

Also, the way Porto-Santiago has albergues. In January 2009, Barcelos and Ponte de Lima (two beautiful cities) will have albergues too. The first albergue that you will see is at Rates. The place is beautiful and the hospitaleros great. The only destination that does'nt have an albergue (except for Barcelos and Ponte de Lima for now) is Caldas de Reis... However, you can easily walk a little more and sleep in an albergue further away... But, even if there are not albergues everywhere, you can find a place to stay (pousadas, pensions, etc).

The albergue de Rates will be able to give you a lot of information on the road. It is there that we got our credencial. They have a web site that is VERY interesting http://www.alberguederates.com. I strongly suggest to go visit it.

Hence, I recommand to start in Porto. I found the way a lot prettier and fun. If you want to do more kms, you can continue until Fisterra-Muxia. That is what we did and I can assure you that you will not regret it. It is simply beautiful.

If you need more information on accomodations or on the road, don't hesitate to write back.

Rita

 

[taurus]

Hi, Sil, Rita!
Thanks you both!
Rita, you saved my life: I decided to start from Porto or maybe even from Rates. I really enjoy peaceful roads... and hate trafic. Is it better to start in Porto - is it worth visiting? - or is it better start from this great alberge in Rates, get credentials and start walking? Thanks for their web site, i have downloaded some really good maps!
thanks!

 

[Ritahugues]

Hello Taurus,

You are very much welcome. I really do suggest however to start in Porto. It is a BEAUTIFUL city. I would even consider staying one more day to visit. It is so, but so beautiful! There is I think a youth hostel in Porto but it is very far from the center and the camino... I suggest that you sleep at «Duos Nacios». It costs us 25 euros for 2. It was a very clean place. We had to share the bathroom but we had a sink in the room. It is in the center and very close to the camino. It is an excellent place to start the camino, since Porto is very elevated as a city, you won't have to get up the hills in the morning...

If you do not want to walk from Porto to Rates because it is a long first day's walk, you can stop on the road to Vilarinho. On this first day, you will walk a lot on roads since you have to leave the city. Also, be careful on the road when you get to Vilarinho. You will walk on a national route, just be careful ! However, there is nowhere to stay in Vilarinho, you have to take the bus (around 10 minutes and costs 1,40 euros) and you get to Vila do Conde. This is a beautiful city next to the beach. You will relax on the beach and enjoy the pretty of the city. You can take back the bus the next morning to Vilarinho and continue walking. You just have to ask where the bus is, but it is at the entrace of the city, you will cross the main street and turn right. We stayed there at Hospedaria Venceslau. It was a very clean place and cost 30 euros for 2. We had a bathroom in the room. The only problem by stopping at Vilarinho, is that you will not do a lot of kms to get to Rates, where I do suggest to stay. The village is very small, but the hospitaleros are very nice and you will meet other pilgrims.

Then we walked from Rates to Barcelos, Barcelos to Ponte de Lima, Ponte de Lima to Rubiaes, Rubiaes to Tuy (the beginning of Spain -- you can even stay at Valenca at the frontier of Portugal, there is an albergue there too)... then the spanish side which is not very complicated to follow. We did Tuy-Redondela, Redondela-Pontevedra, Pontevedra-Caldas de Reis, Caldas de Reis-Padron and finally Padron to Santiago. We continued to Fisterra-Muxia and if you have the time, I strongly suggest to go till there, it is simply WOW!

I hope that these informations will help you more. Have a good camino,

Rita

 

[taurus]

Hi, Rita!
I have studied some tourist information about Porto, and intend to stay there a day or two, after that I'll take a bus to Rates and start there. Last question: do you know, is there a public transport from the Porto's airport to the centre and hotels, or do you reccomend taxi?!
thanks a lot!!!
mateja

 

[jeff001]

Taurus:

The Porto Metro goes to the airport and there are also buses. This website has good links to the information you are looking for:
http://www.ana.pt/portal/page/portal/AN ... RTO_PORTO/

 

[Ritahugues]

Hello Taurus,

I don't know if there is a bus shuttle that goes from the airport to the city center, but I am very certain that there is. I haven't taken it, but usually in big cities you always find that option. I would consider that one and not the taxi, too expensive for no reason.

Another detail that I forgot to tell you about the albergue in Rates is that it is possible that it will be closed at the moment you get there. No need to worry! You just have to go a little further on that road (around 50m) and you will find there a shop (little food store) where you will be able to ask for the key for the albergue and they will give it to you. You just have to ring and they will answer.

If you have other questions, don't hesitate.

In Ponte de Lima, even if there won't be an albergue at the time you will go, september, I heard that the youth hostel at the entrance of the city is beautiful! I suggest you go there.

Have a safe trip! Bom camino!

Rita

 

[Anniesantiago]

Oh, I also LOVED Porto!

Be sure to go to the Port tasting rooms and also to go down by the river and find the lady with the barbecue grill set up. The sardinhas are EXCELLENT!

We walked from Porto to Santiago and found much of the road to be beautiful and quiet, but other parts to be very curving and dangerous. We tied orange bandanas on our sticks and held them high so autos could see us around the bends.


There was one time when we found a hostel closed, but a friendly local took us to another hotel.

I'd love to do this portion again, but beginning perhaps in Lagos or Fatima.

If anyone has walked the coast of Portugal, could you please contact me?
Thanks!

 

[sillydoll]

Annie, my friend John started in Lagos on 3rd August with the intention of following John Merril's route from Lagos to Santiago. (See his book "North to Santiago De Compostela Via Fatima" available on his webiste - http://www.johnmerrillwalkguides.com/pa ... 365300.htm)
It was very hot and there were no paths so he walked on the roads. There were no hostels so he started out staying in hotels which proved to be too costly so he hitched a ride to Lisbon and walked from there to Fatima and then to Santiago. He walked up to Coruna, got a bus to Ferrol and walked back to Santiago from there.
There are two routes from Lisbon, one more inland from the coast. If you have a credential you can see them on the back.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Thanks SD!
I'll order his book.
I wouldn't mind starting from Fatima or Lisbon.
I'd like to stay a few days in Sintra.
Anybody going through Lisbon should visit Sintra and see Quinta Regalaria, especially if they're interested in masons, templars, etc. Plus Sintra is just beautiful.

I've been to Fatima but Joe hasn't.
I'd love for him to see it.