Porto Albergue Options

[lisac]

Hey all! I'm doing the Camino Portugues in September of this year and would like to find an albergue that offers a pilgrim dinner and blessing/send off. Any recommendations?

 

[lisac]

Hey all! I'm doing the Camino Portugues in September of this year and would like to find an albergue that offers a pilgrim dinner and blessing/send off. Any recommendations?

Oh! I forgot to say that I'm starting in Porto!

 

[trecile]

Unfortunately, you won't find everything that you are looking for in Porto. It's not like St Jean Pied de Port which is a small town that hosts a lot of pilgrims, and therefore has more places that focus on pilgrims.

You can find all of the albergues on Gronze.com.

Porto, Porto | Albergues y Hoteles | Gronze.com

www.gronze.com

 

[RJM]

Porto is a great city to start the Portuguese but as said before it's not a pilgrim's town like SJPdP.

 

[RJM]

Albergue de Peregrinos do Porto — Official Website

WELCOME TO ALBERGUE PEREGRINOS PORTO Our Albergue is exclusively for pilgrims. All pilgrims are welcome to stay on your way to Santiago de Compostela, before and after the Camino. You can also stay multiple days to recover and explore the beautiful city of Porto. About Us We opened our doors on...

albergueperegrinosporto.pt

 

[Anthony Rocco]

Oh! I forgot to say that I'm starting in Porto!

We did not treat our stay in Porto when we started our camino from there last September as a "Pilgrim starting point," i.e., the full pilgrim experience. Of the caminos we have walked, only 2 provide the full camino experience. And if you start in St. Jean, you get rewarded the next day with what we felt was an even more moving experience in Roncevalles. Among other routes we have walked, the experience in Loyola was unmatched. The blessing we received from the priests there was personal and moving. (That's the start of the Camino Ignaciano.) We are looking forward to walking from Le Puy this year. We understand the blessing in the cathedral there is unforgettable, as is Le Puy itself.

As for Porto, it's a big tourist city with no pilgrim feeling that we could detect. You have to go to the cathedral entrance to get a stamp by a functionary who showed no feeling...didn't even wish us buen camino. But...I do recommend you spend some time in Porto and surroundings. We spent four days there before we set out and had a wonderful time, including a day in the Duoro Valley.

Enjoy Porto! If you are going to walk the central route, the first two days are miserable. You need some energy to keep your spirits up. Like many others, we recommend the coastal route out of Porto. And if you have time, do what we did: zig zag back and forth between the central and coastal routes. Both provide a wonderful experience. You will see lots of commentary about this in other threads.

 

[Minnesotacyclist]

We did not treat our stay in Porto when we started our camino from there last September as a "Pilgrim starting point," i.e., the full pilgrim experience. Of the caminos we have walked, only 2 provide the full camino experience. And if you start in St. Jean, you get rewarded the next day with what we felt was an even more moving experience in Roncevalles. Among other routes we have walked, the experience in Loyola was unmatched. The blessing we received from the priests there was personal and moving. (That's the start of the Camino Ignaciano.) We are looking forward to walking from Le Puy this year. We understand the blessing in the cathedral there is unforgettable, as is Le Puy itself.

As for Porto, it's a big tourist city with no pilgrim feeling that we could detect. You have to go to the cathedral entrance to get a stamp by a functionary who showed no feeling...didn't even wish us buen camino. But...I do recommend you spend some time in Porto and surroundings. We spent four days there before we set out and had a wonderful time, including a day in the Duoro Valley.

Enjoy Porto! If you are going to walk the central route, the first two days are miserable. You need some energy to keep your spirits up. Like many others, we recommend the coastal route out of Porto. And if you have time, do what we did: zig zag back and forth between the central and coastal routes. Both provide a wonderful experience. You will see lots of commentary about this in other threads.

What were your favorite things about Porto?

 

[Marla in CA]

We did not treat our stay in Porto when we started our camino from there last September as a "Pilgrim starting point," i.e., the full pilgrim experience. Of the caminos we have walked, only 2 provide the full camino experience. And if you start in St. Jean, you get rewarded the next day with what we felt was an even more moving experience in Roncevalles. Among other routes we have walked, the experience in Loyola was unmatched. The blessing we received from the priests there was personal and moving. (That's the start of the Camino Ignaciano.) We are looking forward to walking from Le Puy this year. We understand the blessing in the cathedral there is unforgettable, as is Le Puy itself.

As for Porto, it's a big tourist city with no pilgrim feeling that we could detect. You have to go to the cathedral entrance to get a stamp by a functionary who showed no feeling...didn't even wish us buen camino. But...I do recommend you spend some time in Porto and surroundings. We spent four days there before we set out and had a wonderful time, including a day in the Duoro Valley.

Enjoy Porto! If you are going to walk the central route, the first two days are miserable. You need some energy to keep your spirits up. Like many others, we recommend the coastal route out of Porto. And if you have time, do what we did: zig zag back and forth between the central and coastal routes. Both provide a wonderful experience. You will see lots of commentary about this in other threads.

What were your stopping points each day on the Coastal route the 1st two days out of Porto? Was it easy to get back onto Central? Where did you do that (from where to where?). Very interested! Leaving a week from today!

 

[Anthony Rocco]

What were your favorite things about Porto?

We had four perfect days. One could spend a lot more time there, but this is what we did.

Day 1 Walking tour of Porto, including stops that feature azulejos and churches, including the cathedral. And the main shopping street. There are far more fascinating places...and eateries to stop at... than we could cover. We ripped out pages from Rick Steve's book. His recommendations for a walking tour were spot on. We ended up at the Ribera. We calculated that we walked 12 miles!

Day 2 Walk across the Luis I bridge for great views to the other side, Villa Nova de Gaia. At the other side, on a viewpoint near the bridge, we sat on the grass with many others as a band performed. The view across to Porto and the Ribera were breathtaking. We then walked along the waterfront and toured several port lodges. There are many options. If you are not a port drinker, Calem or Sandeman are top choices. As veteran port drinkers, we headed straight to Graham's. It's a superb tour, and if you have two people, as we were, you can order 8 different wines for tasting. Yum. On the way back, take the funicular up to the bridge.

Day 3 Bus tour to Bom Jesus, Braga and Guimares. None of these are along the camino, and we really wanted to see them. This, however, may not be on your priority list. If not, you may want to take a bus trip down to Coimbra. You can do that on your own without a tour or take a tour. We stopped there before we arrived in Porto and really enjoyed our stay there.

Day 4 Bus tour of the Duoro Valley. Our tour was in our view THE best bus tour we ever taken anywhere. Not to recommend one over another, since I don't know the others, but ours was a Viator tour run by Living Tours described as Douro Valley Historical Tour with Lunch, Winery Visit with Tastings and Panoramic Cruise. Every moment was a dream, including the lunch outdoors at a centuries old estate where we had a communal meal with table full of fun travelers from the UK and Brasil. It was like a communal meal on the camino.

 

[trecile]

What were your stopping points each day on the Coastal route the 1st two days out of Porto? Was it easy to get back onto Central? Where did you do that (from where to where?). Very interested! Leaving a week from today!

It depends on how far you want to walk each day, but you can cut over to the Central Route at Vila do Conde.

I highly recommend leaving Porto from the Cathedral and walking along the river to the sea.

For a short day you can stop in Matosinhos, or farther along in Labruge.

Porto - Labruge | Camino Portugués de la Costa | Gronze.com

La jornada inicial plantea una disyuntiva: seguir la orilla del río Duero y las playas del litoral atlántico, en un recorrido variado y entretenido, o bien optar por el trazado interior por Padrão da Légua y el aeropuerto, sin alicientes y donde no veremos el mar en ningún momento. Tratándose de...

www.gronze.com

 

[Anthony Rocco]

What were your stopping points each day on the Coastal route the 1st two days out of Porto? Was it easy to get back onto Central? Where did you do that (from where to where?). Very interested! Leaving a week from today!

I wish I could remember the thread where many of us commented on zig zagging. There were many excellent suggestions. Yes, it is easy to go back and forth. It all depends on how much time you have. And if you have the time, please add the Variante Spiritual.

 

[Former member 22438]

Hey all! I'm doing the Camino Portugues in September of this year and would like to find an albergue that offers a pilgrim dinner and blessing/send off. Any recommendations?

The only one I know so far ,serving a pilgrims common menu is Casa da Fernanda, a donativo albergue on the Central route in Vitorino de Piães between Barcelos and Ponte de Lima By the way the best albergue on the entire Caminho Português

 

[lisac]

Unfortunately, you won't find everything that you are looking for in Porto. It's not like St Jean Pied de Port which is a small town that hosts a lot of pilgrims, and therefore has more places that focus on pilgrims.

You can find all of the albergues on Gronze.com.

Porto, Porto | Albergues y Hoteles | Gronze.com

www.gronze.com

Thanks for that insight, @trecile ! I appreciate you letting me know having only done the Frances.

 

[lisac]

Albergue de Peregrinos do Porto — Official Website

WELCOME TO ALBERGUE PEREGRINOS PORTO Our Albergue is exclusively for pilgrims. All pilgrims are welcome to stay on your way to Santiago de Compostela, before and after the Camino. You can also stay multiple days to recover and explore the beautiful city of Porto. About Us We opened our doors on...

albergueperegrinosporto.pt

I'll definitely take a look at this! Thanks for sharing.

 

[lisac]

Unfortunately, you won't find everything that you are looking for in Porto. It's not like St Jean Pied de Port which is a small town that hosts a lot of pilgrims, and therefore has more places that focus on pilgrims.

You can find all of the albergues on Gronze.com.

Porto, Porto | Albergues y Hoteles | Gronze.com

www.gronze.com

Also, Groze.com is such a great resource!! I hadn't heard of it. Thank you!

 

[lisac]

We did not treat our stay in Porto when we started our camino from there last September as a "Pilgrim starting point," i.e., the full pilgrim experience. Of the caminos we have walked, only 2 provide the full camino experience. And if you start in St. Jean, you get rewarded the next day with what we felt was an even more moving experience in Roncevalles. Among other routes we have walked, the experience in Loyola was unmatched. The blessing we received from the priests there was personal and moving. (That's the start of the Camino Ignaciano.) We are looking forward to walking from Le Puy this year. We understand the blessing in the cathedral there is unforgettable, as is Le Puy itself.

As for Porto, it's a big tourist city with no pilgrim feeling that we could detect. You have to go to the cathedral entrance to get a stamp by a functionary who showed no feeling...didn't even wish us buen camino. But...I do recommend you spend some time in Porto and surroundings. We spent four days there before we set out and had a wonderful time, including a day in the Duoro Valley.

Enjoy Porto! If you are going to walk the central route, the first two days are miserable. You need some energy to keep your spirits up. Like many others, we recommend the coastal route out of Porto. And if you have time, do what we did: zig zag back and forth between the central and coastal routes. Both provide a wonderful experience. You will see lots of commentary about this in other threads.

This is all great info! Thanks for taking the time to write it all out. I really appreciate all the details.

 

[lisac]

What were your stopping points each day on the Coastal route the 1st two days out of Porto? Was it easy to get back onto Central? Where did you do that (from where to where?). Very interested! Leaving a week from today!

Exciting!!! Buen Camino!

 

[Marla in CA]

I wish I could remember the thread where many of us commented on zig zagging. There were many excellent suggestions. Yes, it is easy to go back and forth. It all depends on how much time you have. And if you have the time, please add the Variante Spiritual.

I am definitely adding the Variante Spiritual. I am about to leave - less than a week now, and after I read someone's post/recommendation last night about doing the coastal for the 1st two days out of Porto, I am back to the drawing board and revising my route! Starting to go a little crazy.... I do have time, so I am very interested in comments regarding zigzagging.

 

[Marla in CA]

It depends on how far you want to walk each day, but you can cut over to the Central Route at Vila do Conde.

I highly recommend leaving Porto from the Cathedral and walking along the river to the sea.

For a short day you can stop in Matosinhos, or farther along in Labruge.

Porto - Labruge | Camino Portugués de la Costa | Gronze.com

La jornada inicial plantea una disyuntiva: seguir la orilla del río Duero y las playas del litoral atlántico, en un recorrido variado y entretenido, o bien optar por el trazado interior por Padrão da Légua y el aeropuerto, sin alicientes y donde no veremos el mar en ningún momento. Tratándose de...

www.gronze.com

THank you! I am doing it!

 

[green_spork]

THank you! I am doing it!

I walked the Portuguese central in 2017, leaving from Porto Cathedral!
I stayed the first night, at the Tattva hostel, before moving onto the Albergue de Perigrinos!
The albergue is in a nice quiet part of the city, I think it was run by a farther and his younger son!
Wasn’t offered communal meal/blessing!
If you’re starting from the Cathedral, it’s a bit of a walk, but the walk along the Douro is stunning, especially in the early morning!
The walk along the beach/boardwalks towards Vila do Conte, is a pleasant first stage! If it’s a sunny day, the sea breeze is great and there are plenty of bars/cafes for lunch/drinks!
Porto is definitely worth exploring, if time permits, great food, architecture, lively bar scene!

 

[ronhenry2]

What were your stopping points each day on the Coastal route the 1st two days out of Porto? Was it easy to get back onto Central? Where did you do that (from where to where?). Very interested! Leaving a week from today!

I'm planning to walk Camino Portuguese again in May. I walked it in 2017. I walked Coast from Porto to Vila Cha the first day and stayed at Sandra's (a small motel and restaurant that I recommend). There is also an albergue there. The second day I walked to Vila do Conde and turned inward and walked to join the inland route, stayed second night at Arcos. Brierley's guide book says they have taken down the arrows from Vila do Conde to join the inland route (apparently trying to discourage people from doing it). The guide book gives relatively good directions on how to do that. I do plan to do that again this year. Later on I will extend my walking by turning back to the ocean from Valenca, and then rejoin the inland route at Redondela, on to Pontevedra, where I plan to take the "Variante Espiritual" route (back toward the ocean), rejoining inland route near Padron. Both diversions add several days of walking to the Portuguese. Brierley's guide has descriptions and maps of these routes. Buen Camino! the Portuguese is a beautiful Camino!

 

[Marla in CA]

I'm planning to walk Camino Portuguese again in May. I walked it in 2017. I walked Coast from Porto to Vila Cha the first day and stayed at Sandra's (a small motel and restaurant that I recommend). There is also an albergue there. The second day I walked to Vila do Conde and turned inward and walked to join the inland route, stayed second night at Arcos. Brierley's guide book says they have taken down the arrows from Vila do Conde to join the inland route (apparently trying to discourage people from doing it). The guide book gives relatively good directions on how to do that. I do plan to do that again this year. Later on I will extend my walking by turning back to the ocean from Valenca, and then rejoin the inland route at Redondela, on to Pontevedra, where I plan to take the "Variante Espiritual" route (back toward the ocean), rejoining inland route near Padron. Both diversions add several days of walking to the Portuguese. Brierley's guide has descriptions and maps of these routes. Buen Camino! the Portuguese is a beautiful Camino!

Thank you!

 

[ronhenry2]

I'm planning to walk Camino Portuguese again in May. I walked it in 2017. I walked Coast from Porto to Vila Cha the first day and stayed at Sandra's (a small motel and restaurant that I recommend). There is also an albergue there. The second day I walked to Vila do Conde and turned inward and walked to join the inland route, stayed second night at Arcos. Brierley's guide book says they have taken down the arrows from Vila do Conde to join the inland route (apparently trying to discourage people from doing it). The guide book gives relatively good directions on how to do that. I do plan to do that again this year. Later on I will extend my walking by turning back to the ocean from Valenca, and then rejoin the inland route at Redondela, on to Pontevedra, where I plan to take the "Variante Espiritual" route (back toward the ocean), rejoining inland route near Padron. Both diversions add several days of walking to the Portuguese. Brierley's guide has descriptions and maps of these routes. Buen Camino! the Portuguese is a beautiful Camino!

Just a couple more hints. If you want to walk to Vila Cha or Vila do Conde the first day and don't want to walk that many miles or K's, you can take Tram #1 to Foz do Douro (which would cut off about 6 K's, or you can take the metro to Matosinhos, from there cross the river bridge, turn left, walk briefly to the ocean front. (that's what I did on my first Portuguese Camino because I wanted to start out with fewer miles). There are lots of options. Buen Camino!

 

[Marla in CA]

Just a couple more hints. If you want to walk to Vila Cha or Vila do Conde the first day and don't want to walk that many miles or K's, you can take Tram #1 to Foz do Douro (which would cut off about 6 K's, or you can take the metro to Matosinhos, from there cross the river bridge, turn left, walk briefly to the ocean front. (that's what I did on my first Portuguese Camino because I wanted to start out with fewer miles). There are lots of options. Buen Camino!

Great tip, thank you!

 

[srtoothpaste]

Do you need a guidebook as am looking to do the same route here

 

[Regulator]

Albergue de Peregrinos do Porto — Official Website

WELCOME TO ALBERGUE PEREGRINOS PORTO Our Albergue is exclusively for pilgrims. All pilgrims are welcome to stay on your way to Santiago de Compostela, before and after the Camino. You can also stay multiple days to recover and explore the beautiful city of Porto. About Us We opened our doors on...

albergueperegrinosporto.pt

I have tried contacting the Albergue a number of time but never get a response. I've actually booked into a hotel for a couple of nights before starting my Camino.

 

[Roland49]

Had no Problem to reserve there.
Started on the 18th of July. Albergue was booked out that day.