Lisbon to Santiago

[Abuela]

• Making plans to walk the Camino Portuguese. Am interested in finding out if costs of the Camino Portuguese are comparable to costs on the Camino Frances. Walked from St. Jean to Santiago last April, May, stayed in munis, albergues, hostals, ate mostly pilgrim meals with a few splurges on dinners and single rooms averaging 40/45 euros a day overall.

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, abuela, and welcome to the forum!

I bet the Portugues will cost you a little more. From Lisbon to Porto, there are many towns where you will need to spend around 20 (maybe more on occasion) for a room in a pension type place. But check the Via Lusitana website for an up to date list of accommodations and albergues. The number of albergues increases every year. Restaurants in Portugal are probably on average 25-30% cheaper than Spain, so your food costs are likely to be less. Bom caminho, when are you planning to walk?

 

[SabsP]

I walked from Porto to SdC and spent an average of 40 €. And this included the Ponte de Lima hotel of 65 € for a single.
Especially food in Portugal, menu del dia , is much cheaper than the spanish version. And of higher quality than in Spain.
I was lucky to find a fellow pilgrim with the same pace and we shared some double rooms making the price as cheap as staying in an albergue.

Private albergues set me back 12 €.

An average day on the Portugues part :

12 € for a bunkbed.
9 € for a decent menu.
3 € for a good breakfast.
5 € for supermarket ( banana, yoghurt, bread at bakery and something to go with it, etc... ).
6 € for the breaks with coffee/Aquarius and the likes
3 € for stuff at pharmacia, donativo at a church...

 

[Geoff the Welshman]

Hi Abuela:

I walked from Lisbon to SdC in June of this year, having done the Frances in 2014. As a self-confessed "luxury pilgrim" I stayed almost all nights in private rooms - and found them to be slightly more expensive than their equivalents on the Frances. Usually around 45 to 50 euros. The rest of the group that I was loosely walking with used a combination of bombeiros stations, munis and private albergues - and experienced the rates confirmed by Peregrina 2000 and SabineP. I would agree that the cost of meals in Portugal was cheaper and better quality than in Spain - and, contrary to expectations, easier to find a vegetarian option. One strong recommendation - if you want to splurge occasionally, there are some fantastic espaco rurals on the route, offering great accommodation and wonderful home cooked dinners. Another recommendation when you reach Spain is to detour back to the coast at A Guarda from Tui (or take the ferry from Caminha) and walk up the coast through Baiona and Vigo to rejoin the main Camino route at Redondela. Its a spectacular couple of days coastal path walk going through some lovely villages.

 

[PEI_Heather]

We stayed in great residentials between Lisbon and Porto, with the occasional private hostel (such as Santarum Hostel, owned and operated by Mario and Theresa; highly recommended). The residentials were about 15 € each person a night (there were three of us) and I think came with breakfast. If not, that was minimal. Each place was clean, we shared a room (usually two double beds), there were clean sheets, towels, private bathroom/showers, no noise, TV (if it was wanted) and really nice people who ran them. @katdavis has a list of residentials and hostels that is almost identical to those we stayed at. (Look at this topic/link: Camino Portugese from Lisbon: How Challenging is it?; her response is in it.)
And there is this: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/84665557/Lodgings_Camino_Portugués.pdf

Accommodation was slightly higher but better. Food was slightly lower (in cost) and better. More people spoke English, especially the younger ones, but everyone always appreciated our speaking Portuguese, even though it was greatly massacred. Walking was harder in some places--so so so many cobblestones. Lovely to look at, lovely to behold; but when you are walking, your feet better be bold!

You will love Portugal. From Lisbon to Porto, then from Porto to Valenca! Full stop! (The rest of the Camino, from Tui to Santiago isn't that bad either! )

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi Abuela:

I walked from Lisbon to SdC in June of this year, having done the Frances in 2014. As a self-confessed "luxury pilgrim" I stayed almost all nights in private rooms - and found them to be slightly more expensive than their equivalents on the Frances. Usually around 45 to 50 euros. The rest of the group that I was loosely walking with used a combination of bombeiros stations, munis and private albergues - and experienced the rates confirmed by Peregrina 2000 and SabineP. I would agree that the cost of meals in Portugal was cheaper and better quality than in Spain - and, contrary to expectations, easier to find a vegetarian option. One strong recommendation - if you want to splurge occasionally, there are some fantastic espaco rurals on the route, offering great accommodation and wonderful home cooked dinners. Another recommendation when you reach Spain is to detour back to the coast at A Guarda from Tui (or take the ferry from Caminha) and walk up the coast through Baiona and Vigo to rejoin the main Camino route at Redondela. Its a spectacular couple of days coastal path walk going through some lovely villages.

Hi Geoff. Would you mind sharing the names of some of your splurges? I go to Portugal every year for work and we always like a weekend in a pretty part of rural Portugal. Thanks.

 

[mspath]

Laurie,
The Golden Age card (over 55) of the Pousadas of Portugal offers great luxurious hotel values. One of my favorites is in the mountain town of Marvao.

Happy planning!

Margaret Meredith

PS I'm writing this on the CF at Viana. All goes well. For more see my current blog.

 

[Siom]

Hi Abuela:

One strong recommendation - if you want to splurge occasionally, there are some fantastic espaco rurals on the route, offering great accommodation and wonderful home cooked dinners. Another recommendation when you reach Spain is to detour back to the coast at A Guarda from Tui (or take the ferry from Caminha) and walk up the coast through Baiona and Vigo to rejoin the main Camino route at Redondela. Its a spectacular couple of days coastal path walk going through some lovely villages.

Hi Geoff, just to find out more information on this detour. I assume there are no markers on this detour, am I correct? If so, do you just follow the coastal road from A Guarda all the way to Vigo? How many days did it take you on this detour? Thanks.

 

[Geoff the Welshman]

Hi Geoff. Would you mind sharing the names of some of your splurges? I go to Portugal every year for work and we always like a weekend in a pretty part of rural Portugal. Thanks.

Sorry for the delay in response. Two particular recommendations are:

Casa de Capela in Pecene - Coussourado. Restored farmhouse with 7 en suite rooms, all with modern bathrooms and incorporated into the attached chapel. Swimming pool and nice lounge / outdoor patio for relaxation. The lovely hostess, Marguerita, will take you to / collect from the nearby restaurant, but the night I stayed there was a communal dinner, cooked by her mother. Delicious food and great wine. Wonderful value.
http://www.casadacapela.pt/portal/

Os Lambrans, just north of Padron - casa rural. Again, beautifully restored and modernized farmhouse with v chic decor and well appointed rooms and bathrooms. No swimming pool, but lovely garden to relax and completely stocked honor bar with great breakfast provided. The proprietress, another Marguerite, will run you to any of several good restaurants in the next village.

 

[Geoff the Welshman]

Hi Geoff, just to find out more information on this detour. I assume there are no markers on this detour, am I correct? If so, do you just follow the coastal road from A Guarda all the way to Vigo? How many days did it take you on this detour? Thanks.

Hi Siom: - again, apologies for the delay in response. The route is well marked where it is (infrequently) necessary, but in general you just follow the coastal path all the way from A Guarda to Baiona. Baiona to Vigo and on to Cesantes has more urban stretches and the markers are plentiful. There is a pavement plaque at the harbour in A Guarda, marking the start of the "Caminho Portugues A Costa". It was the recommendation of a friend from the Camino Frances who I met in Tui and who persuaded me it was worthwhile. I caught a bus from Tui back to A Guarda, walked the first day to Baiona (fantastic coastal scenery, waterfront monasteries, small villages); the next day to Vigo, where I stayed with my friend and the third day to Cesantes. You could do it in two days, but then you would also have a long leg back inland to Pontevedra.

 

[Siom]

Hi Siom: - again, apologies for the delay in response. The route is well marked where it is (infrequently) necessary, but in general you just follow the coastal path all the way from A Guarda to Baiona. Baiona to Vigo and on to Cesantes has more urban stretches and the markers are plentiful. There is a pavement plaque at the harbour in A Guarda, marking the start of the "Caminho Portugues A Costa". It was the recommendation of a friend from the Camino Frances who I met in Tui and who persuaded me it was worthwhile. I caught a bus from Tui back to A Guarda, walked the first day to Baiona (fantastic coastal scenery, waterfront monasteries, small villages); the next day to Vigo, where I stayed with my friend and the third day to Cesantes. You could do it in two days, but then you would also have a long leg back inland to Pontevedra.

Thanks for the reply, Geoff! Merry Christmas to you and to all members of this wonderful site!