Porto to Santiago April 2022

[Gii]

Hello again, Ginelle here


Thanks to the replies to my very first post, I have decided to walk the Coastal Route from Porto to Santiago on beginning April 17th(arrival day) - 28th(departure day).

I arrive in Porto in the morning and would like to get a head start then, I know I will be tired but I know I won't be able to settle down and rest that day either.

I am doing the coastal route, can anyone tell me where I would begin from the airport? I have been trying to gather information but have not found anything.

Also, I know it is a Holy week, what websites or apps have any of you been using so I can pre-book accommodations for the night of April 17th and 18th to play it safe.

Any tips or tricks would be greatly appreciated, thanks again!

 

[Former member 22438]

From the Porto airport take the metro for two stops where you can change to the line to Povoa de Varzim at the coast. You also can take the metro to Trindade or São Bento and start your walk from the center of Porto
but I do not know what your intention is. Because lots of pilgrims change to the central (inland) caminho at Vila do Conde (5 kms south of Povoa de Varzim)
from Povoa de Varzim you could follow the coastal all away north to Viana do Castelo and Caminha where you can cross the border to Spain by ferry
alternative is go from the airport by metro to Forum Maia and follow the central route to São Pedro de Rates ,Barcelos , Ponte de Lima and Valença do Minho , the inland route.
The first nice albergue is about 14 kms from the airport , Mosteiro de Vairão, in a former monastry .
and between Barcelos and Ponte de Lima you can stay at the famous albergue Casa da Fernanda in Vitorino dos Piães A must when you are in the north of Portugal.

let me know what your plans are

 

[andycohn]

The Coastal route runs right by the airport. Basically, you walk out of the terminal and turn left and you'll intersect the camino right away. Here's a screen shot from Windy Maps. The Coastal route is shown in blue. If you keep going straight on the route, you'll hit the coast at Vila do Conde. From the terminal building to Vila do Conde is 10 miles / 16 kilometers. Or you could take the metro as suggested above.

 

[Gii]

From the Porto airport take the metro for two stops where you can change to the line to Povoa de Varzim at the coast. You also cant take the metro to Trindade or São Bento and start your walk from the center of Porto
but I do not know what your intention is. Because lots of pilgrims change to the central (inland) caminho at Vila do Conde (5 kms south of Povoa de Varzim)
from Povoa de Varzim you could follow the coastal all away north to Viana do Castelo and Caminha where you can cross the border to Spain by ferry
let me know what your plans are

To be honest, I would like for it to be half coastal half central. I know the coastal distance is 280km, whereas Central is 260km. Based on the time I have, walking day 1: april 17th and departing on the 28th, I am trying to be realistic.

If walking becomes too much and I am running out of time I will take a bus to do the last 100km for the certificate which is my goal. What do you suggest? I am open to everything.

 

[Gii]

The Coastal route runs right by the airport. Basically, you walk out of the terminal and turn left and you'll intersect the camino right away. Here's a screen shot from Windy Maps. The Coastal route is shown in blue. If you keep going straight on the route, you'll hit the coast at Vila do Conde. From the terminal building to Vila do Conde is 10 miles / 16 kilometers. Or you could take the metro as suggested above.View attachment 117947

Thank you kindly, I will be downloading this app ASAP

 

[Grousedoctor]

My wife and I will be just one day ahead of you. As we are coming into Porto a couple days early, in part because it is such a great city to visit, then we’ll be leaving from the center of town and walking up the coast towards Povoa de Varzim. From there we’re continuing up the coast until we cut inland at Vigo. After Pontevedra we’re also including the Variante Espiritual on our way to Santiago. Essentially, we’re spending about half our Camino on the coast while being inland for the second half of the walk. If you do want to walk the coast more on your first day, take the metro from the airport to Matosinhos and begin your Camino there. We began there a couple years ago on our first CP and had a great first day walking. Hopefully, we’ll bump into you along The Way.

 

[Caomhin O Fearghaill]

If you wish to avoid hard walking through Porto take the Metro to Maia, and you can easily connect with the way-marked path from the Igreja de Maia...watch out for the tiny cobble stones which seems to be a feature on some of the roads on the Portuguese Way.....beautiful to look at but hard on the soul... and if the walking is too much take advantage of public transport...its not a competition, preserve your mind, body and soul for your next Camino. One year on the Northern Route, I used a bus, taxi, train, tram and a boat, not all at the time but sprinkled generously throughout the Way...As I get older I am finding more and more ways of making life easier for myself....enjoy your Camino. vaya con dios....

 

[Dilbin]

Hello again, Ginelle here


Thanks to the replies to my very first post, I have decided to walk the Coastal Route from Porto to Santiago on beginning April 17th(arrival day) - 28th(departure day).

I arrive in Porto in the morning and would like to get a head start then, I know I will be tired but I know I won't be able to settle down and rest that day either.

I am doing the coastal route, can anyone tell me where I would begin from the airport? I have been trying to gather information but have not found anything.

Also, I know it is a Holy week, what websites or apps have any of you been using so I can pre-book accommodations for the night of April 17th and 18th to play it safe.

Any tips or tricks would be greatly appreciated, thanks again!

Hi. Yes basically as mentioned the Camino passes right by the airport. You can continue then on the coastal route or crossover to the Littoral which hugs the coast line. I've walked out of Porto on the littoral and crossed back into the Central route after 2 stages which was truly wonderful. The blue lines indicate crossover points and there are 3 routes out of Porto. Unfortunately we are going again but a week after yourself so Buen Camino and enjoy. "All roads lead to Rome" as the saying goes so enjoy whatever route you take. Daniel

 

[Dilbin]

Hi. Yes basically as mentioned the Camino passes right by the airport. You can continue then on the coastal route or crossover to the Littoral which hugs the coast line. I've walked out of Porto on the littoral and crossed back into the Central route after 2 stages which was truly wonderful. The blue lines indicate crossover points and there are 3 routes out of Porto. Unfortunately we are going again but a week after yourself so Buen Camino and enjoy. "All roads lead to Rome" as the saying goes so enjoy whatever route you take. Daniel View attachment 117971

P.s The orange line is the Littoral, Red Coastal and Black is central. The Littoral and Coastal meet many times as you go up through Portugal and is a couples of stages longer.

 

[Dilbin]

Hello again, Ginelle here


Thanks to the replies to my very first post, I have decided to walk the Coastal Route from Porto to Santiago on beginning April 17th(arrival day) - 28th(departure day).

I arrive in Porto in the morning and would like to get a head start then, I know I will be tired but I know I won't be able to settle down and rest that day either.

I am doing the coastal route, can anyone tell me where I would begin from the airport? I have been trying to gather information but have not found anything.

Also, I know it is a Holy week, what websites or apps have any of you been using so I can pre-book accommodations for the night of April 17th and 18th to play it safe.

Any tips or tricks would be greatly appreciated, thanks again!

 

[Way Wanderer]

To be honest, I would like for it to be half coastal half central. I know the coastal distance is 280km, whereas Central is 260km. Based on the time I have, walking day 1: april 17th and departing on the 28th, I am trying to be realistic.

If walking becomes too much and I am running out of time I will take a bus to do the last 100km for the certificate which is my goal. What do you suggest? I am open to everything.

I'm planning to do the central route in July for my first Camino and will probably do the following, for a variety of reasons:

Begin at the airport, take it slow all the way to Santiago, then take transit back to Porto. Best case scenario, I will have a couple of days to explore Porto, a couple of days to finish the early legs of the Camino that I skipped, and stay near the airport before my flight home.

Bom Caminho/Bueno Camino to you!

 

[Grousedoctor]

Hello again, Ginelle here


Thanks to the replies to my very first post, I have decided to walk the Coastal Route from Porto to Santiago on beginning April 17th(arrival day) - 28th(departure day).

I arrive in Porto in the morning and would like to get a head start then, I know I will be tired but I know I won't be able to settle down and rest that day either.

I am doing the coastal route, can anyone tell me where I would begin from the airport? I have been trying to gather information but have not found anything.

Also, I know it is a Holy week, what websites or apps have any of you been using so I can pre-book accommodations for the night of April 17th and 18th to play it safe.

Any tips or tricks would be greatly appreciated, thanks again!

Hi Ginelle,
Just a couple other thoughts for you. I don’t know how far you’re traveling before you reach Porto, but we now wait a day or two before we start walking. On our last trip to Porto, we missed our connection in Brussels and arrived in Porto 9 hours later than we expected. Argh, way too much time at the Brussels and then Frankfort airports! Arriving at midnight and starting out the next morning proved to be a tough way to start our CP. We also deal with the jet lag presented by crossing so many time zones. We’ve learned that not starting out immediately has made us more refreshed and has made the start of the walk more enjoyable. In Porto, we wanted the first stamp in our Credencial to be from the cathedral. So, not hurrying out of the city worked well. But, if you do leave immediately, be sure to take your backpack into the plane cabin with you. Don’t check it! If if were to be delayed, this happened to us regarding our checked poles flying into Santiago a couple years ago, it causes other problems for you getting started right away. Finally, as you mentioned, it will be Semana Santa when you get there. I’d reserve your accommodations for the first couple nights.

 

[kenwilltravel]

To be honest, I would like for it to be half coastal half central. I know the coastal distance is 280km, whereas Central is 260km. Based on the time I have, walking day 1: april 17th and departing on the 28th, I am trying to be realistic.

If walking becomes too much and I am running out of time I will take a bus to do the last 100km for the certificate which is my goal. What do you suggest? I am open to everything.

Just be careful with the bus. For you to get the certificate, the last 100 km must be by walked. You can take a bus, or other forms of transportation before the last 100 km, but you must show you walked all of the last 100.

 

[maxcruzing]

Hello again, Ginelle here


Thanks to the replies to my very first post, I have decided to walk the Coastal Route from Porto to Santiago on beginning April 17th(arrival day) - 28th(departure day).

I arrive in Porto in the morning and would like to get a head start then, I know I will be tired but I know I won't be able to settle down and rest that day either.

I am doing the coastal route, can anyone tell me where I would begin from the airport? I have been trying to gather information but have not found anything.

Also, I know it is a Holy week, what websites or apps have any of you been using so I can pre-book accommodations for the night of April 17th and 18th to play it safe.

Any tips or tricks would be greatly appreciated, thanks again!

Ola,
My wife and I completed the Costal Camino last summer and followed the coast from the Rio (River) Douro that runs along the southern edge of Porto and we then headed north at the Atlantic Ocean. If you’re going to start from the Porto Airport basically you’d want to head west and go north when you get to the walkway along the coast. Try putting Praia (Beach) do Paraiso into a GPS from the airport that should take you somewhat due west where you‘ll reach the coast in about 3.5 miles, and you’ll be motivated when you start finding “The Way” shells to guide you. There’s times where you might be on the road or path along the coast and you won‘t be walking on the beach unless you choose to do so. I would suggest following the coast north and take the water taxi (5 euros) at Caminha into Spain and proceed north along the coast until starting east at Baiona towards the Central Camino.
Bom Camino…

 

[maxcruzing]

Just be careful with the bus. For you to get the certificate, the last 100 km must be by walked. You can take a bus, or other forms of transportation before the last 100 km, but you must show you walked all of the last 100.

Actually, the requirement is two stamps per day and there’s no way for officials at Santiago to determine if a pilgrim used some form of transportation after getting the stamps on a particular day. But, that would be dishonest and contrary to the reason for endeavoring the pilgrimage. Though, stuff happens such as an injury or illness and there might be a reason to take some form of transportation to rest a day or two prior to getting back on trail. It‘s also advisable to have the stamps dated to show the progression of movement towards Santiago. Bom Camino…

 

[Gii]

My wife and I will be just one day ahead of you. As we are coming into Porto a couple days early, in part because it is such a great city to visit, then we’ll be leaving from the center of town and walking up the coast towards Povoa de Varzim. From there we’re continuing up the coast until we cut inland at Vigo. After Pontevedra we’re also including the Variante Espiritual on our way to Santiago. Essentially, we’re spending about half our Camino on the coast while being inland for the second half of the walk. If you do want to walk the coast more on your first day, take the metro from the airport to Matosinhos and begin your Camino there. We began there a couple years ago on our first CP and had a great first day walking. Hopefully, we’ll bump into you along The Way.

Thank you for the tips! I will look into Matosinhos. Having an idea of what others are doing/have done does help me plan things accordingly.

It would be awesome to see you guys, safe travels when you get there!

 

[Gii]

If you wish to avoid hard walking through Porto take the Metro to Maia, and you can easily connect with the way-marked path from the Igreja de Maia...watch out for the tiny cobble stones which seems to be a feature on some of the roads on the Portuguese Way.....beautiful to look at but hard on the soul... and if the walking is too much take advantage of public transport...its not a competition, preserve your mind, body and soul for your next Camino. One year on the Northern Route, I used a bus, taxi, train, tram and a boat, not all at the time but sprinkled generously throughout the Way...As I get older I am finding more and more ways of making life easier for myself....enjoy your Camino. vaya con dios....

Thank you. It is true, I dont want to overexhaust myself because I feel it must be done a certain way. Thank you. I will look into the Metro system to Maia.

 

[Gii]

Hi. Yes basically as mentioned the Camino passes right by the airport. You can continue then on the coastal route or crossover to the Littoral which hugs the coast line. I've walked out of Porto on the littoral and crossed back into the Central route after 2 stages which was truly wonderful. The blue lines indicate crossover points and there are 3 routes out of Porto. Unfortunately we are going again but a week after yourself so Buen Camino and enjoy. "All roads lead to Rome" as the saying goes so enjoy whatever route you take. Daniel View attachment 117971

Thank you for displaying map, this places things into perspective. Best of luck on your travels as well

 

[Gii]

Ola,
My wife and I completed the Costal Camino last summer and followed the coast from the Rio (River) Douro that runs along the southern edge of Porto and we then headed north at the Atlantic Ocean. If you’re going to start from the Porto Airport basically you’d want to head west and go north when you get to the walkway along the coast. Try putting Praia (Beach) do Paraiso into a GPS from the airport that should take you somewhat due west where you‘ll reach the coast in about 3.5 miles, and you’ll be motivated when you start finding “The Way” shells to guide you. There’s times where you might be on the road or path along the coast and you won‘t be walking on the beach unless you choose to do so. I would suggest following the coast north and take the water taxi (5 euros) at Caminha into Spain and proceed north along the coast until starting east at Baiona towards the Central Camino.
Bom Camino…

Thank you for the maps and the details, I appreciate it!

 

[Former member 22438]

To be honest, I would like for it to be half coastal half central. I know the coastal distance is 280km, whereas Central is 260km. Based on the time I have, walking day 1: april 17th and departing on the 28th, I am trying to be realistic.

If walking becomes too much and I am running out of time I will take a bus to do the last 100km for the certificate which is my goal. What do you suggest? I am open to everything.

In this case if I where you I should choose to start from the airport directly for the central route.
walk directly from the airport to Vairão where you can stay in the Monasterio de Vairão albergue , 14 kms first day

second day to the albergue in São Pedro de Rates or walk on for 6 kms to Pedra Furada where is a restaurant where you can rent a room ( but phone ahead in time for reservation becouse they have only three rooms.)

Pedra Furada

Pedra Furada

www.pedrafurada.com

third day from Rates you arrive in Barcelos where are 2 albergues (one before the medieval bridge and one in the Barcelos center. Or you can easily reach , leaving from Pedra Furada , the albergue in Tamel or even better 8 kms further preferable at casa da Fernanda in Vitorino dos Piaēs . Casa Fernanda will be your best experience on the entire caminho to stay .

fourth day a short trip 14 kms to Ponte de Lima where is an albergue

fitth day the hardest day over the top of the Labruja mountain to Rubiães where isxan albergue

sixth day to Valença do Minho where is an albergue or 5 kms more to Tui in Spain where your 100 kms to Santiago starts

seventh day to O Porriño

eighth day to Redondela to the albergue or 3 more to the refuxio de la Jerézana in Cessantes I should prefer that one above the one in Redondela .

O Refuxio de la Jerezana | Redondela

O Refuxio de la Jerezana, Redondela. 1,249 likes · 9 talking about this · 495 were here. Albergue en el Camino Portugués (2,8 km después de Redondela) Hab. compartidas y privadas. Wifi gratis. Menú....

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from there on the ninth day to Pontevedra

on the tenth day to Caldas de Reis

on the eleventh day to Padrón

we always stopt on the twelfth day after 12 kms in Teo (albergue) or Milladoiro (hotel) for an easy 10 kms walk into Sqntiago the thirtheenth day.
but we walked a max of 20 kms on which this schedule is based.

Hope it gives an idea .

bom caminho
Albertinho

 

[SarahPriestman]

Ola,
My wife and I completed the Costal Camino last summer and followed the coast from the Rio (River) Douro that runs along the southern edge of Porto and we then headed north at the Atlantic Ocean. If you’re going to start from the Porto Airport basically you’d want to head west and go north when you get to the walkway along the coast. Try putting Praia (Beach) do Paraiso into a GPS from the airport that should take you somewhat due west where you‘ll reach the coast in about 3.5 miles, and you’ll be motivated when you start finding “The Way” shells to guide you. There’s times where you might be on the road or path along the coast and you won‘t be walking on the beach unless you choose to do so. I would suggest following the coast north and take the water taxi (5 euros) at Caminha into Spain and proceed north along the coast until starting east at Baiona towards the Central Camino.
Bom Camino…

Hello - This information is great. I am starting the Camino in Porto on Ap 10. Walked the Camino de Santiago in 2019 and learned that I'm not a fan of walkng through the cities. Can you let me know where I can start the Camino on the outskirts of the city of Porto? I'm shameless about taking taxis in these situations. Thanks!

 

[auburnfive]

you can take the metro to Matosinhos and walk from there, but the walk along the coast along the Douro to Matosinhos is very nice and does not feel like an urban walk.

 

[kenwilltravel]

you can take the metro to Matosinhos and walk from there, but the walk along the coast along the Douro to Matosinhos is very nice and does not feel like an urban walk.

I agree. Also, there's the symbolism involved with starting your walk from the Porto cathedral and then ending at the one in Santiago.

 

[Gii]

In this case if I where you I should choose to start from the airport directly for the central route.
walk directly from the airport to Vairão where you can stay in the Monasterio de Vairão albergue , 14 kms first day

second day to the albergue in São Pedro de Rates or walk on for 6 kms to Pedra Furada where is a restaurant where you can rent a room ( but phone ahead in time for reservation becouse they have only three rooms.)

Pedra Furada

Pedra Furada

www.pedrafurada.com

third day from Rates you arrive in Barcelos where are 2 albergues (one before the medieval bridge and one in the Barcelos center. Or you can easily reach , leaving from Pedra Furada , the albergue in Tamel or even better 8 kms further preferable at casa da Fernanda in Vitorino dos Piaēs . Casa Fernanda will be your best experience on the entire caminho to stay .

fourth day a short trip 14 kms to Ponte de Lima where is an albergue

fitth day the hardest day over the top of the Labruja mountain to Rubiães where isxan albergue

sixth day to Valença do Minho where is an albergue or 5 kms more to Tui in Spain where your 100 kms to Santiago starts

seventh day to O Porriño

eighth day to Redondela to the albergue or 3 more to the refuxio de la Jerézana in Cessantes I should prefer that one above the one in Redondela .

O Refuxio de la Jerezana | Redondela

O Refuxio de la Jerezana, Redondela. 1,249 likes · 9 talking about this · 495 were here. Albergue en el Camino Portugués (2,8 km después de Redondela) Hab. compartidas y privadas. Wifi gratis. Menú....

www.facebook.com

from there on the ninth day to Pontevedra

on the tenth day to Caldas de Reis

on the eleventh day to Padrón

we always stopt on the twelfth day after 12 kms in Teo (albergue) or Milladoiro (hotel) for an easy 10 kms walk into Sqntiago the thirtheenth day.
but we walked a max of 20 kms on which this schedule is based.

Hope it gives an idea .

bom caminho
Albertinho

Sorry I didn’t see this!

This information is very helpful. Now that it’s almost a month a way I am extremely excited. Thank you!