Starting in Porto tomorrow need advice!

[Gracesarah86]

Hello everyide. I am currently sat in Dublin airport waiting for my flight to Porto where I begin my Camino in the morning. I booked it very late notice and was not able to get my hands on the excellent Camino portugues guidebook and was wondering is there anywhere I could get it in Porto before I start or somewhere along the route? In English language too! Thanks!

 

[amorfati1]

Hello everyide. I am currently sat in Dublin airport waiting for my flight to Porto where I begin my Camino in the morning. I booked it very late notice and was not able to get my hands on the excellent Camino portugues guidebook and was wondering is there anywhere I could get it in Porto before I start or somewhere along the route? In English language too! Thanks!

do search this forum - Peregrina2000 (LaurieR) has compiled a good guide from Lisboa and also Porto. Downloadable.
Bom Caminho!

 

[Introibo]

...and there's the fantastic Lello&Irmao bookshop. A €3 charge to get in but that's redeemable against any purchase. Upstairs,on the left and by the front window they had the Brierley guide and the quirky little guide which has a shell on the front and a hole punched through the book.

 

[danielc]

Hello everyide. I am currently sat in Dublin airport waiting for my flight to Porto where I begin my Camino in the morning. I booked it very late notice and was not able to get my hands on the excellent Camino portugues guidebook and was wondering is there anywhere I could get it in Porto before I start or somewhere along the route? In English language too! Thanks!

My wife and I did this route in Oct 2014 a wonder trip. Somewhat different to the French Way ,at the start not as many pilgrims , few churches open , more road walking – be careful – and cobblestones, but the weather, food, people were great – not as remote as parts of the French Way .

We got the Ryanair flight from Dublin arrived a bit late in Porto, so pre booked a hotel near the airport. Next day again we pre booked a hostel in Porto – The Poets Inn – would recommend this.

Spent a full day in Porto, I would recommend it, a very easy city to walk around – got some advice from the staff from the hostel which was invaluable.

Next used the metro to travel to Matosinhos on the coast – again easy to use – just make sure you validate your ticket before you board .Walked up the coast to Vila do Conde , stayed overnight , next day got a taxi to Rates to join the interior route .The reason for the taxi was to avoid the road walk to Rates , by all accounts this is not the best – opinions will vary on this !

Then just continued the interior route using John Brierleys guide as follows – Rates – Barcelos – Ponte de Lima - Rubiaes – Tui – Redondela – Pontevedra – Caldas de Reis - Pardon – Teo – Santiago

We completed the journal in 13 days – split days towards the end – in fact we could have done it in maybe 11 days.

Do not forget Casa Fernanda between Barcelos and Ponte de Lima – a great deal has being said about it on the forum – for my part I found it exceed expectations – the highlight of the trip!

Again a lot of discussion on the forum re the section after Tui before Porrino – the ‘industrial area ‘ - just got a taxi from Tui to the Alberque in Porrino - thus avoiding this section .

Enjoy your trip

 

[Theatregal]

Stop in at any tourist office - in Porto or along the way. I found good information at the central tourist office in Porto - guide, maps, route info. Most guides and maps were available in several languages - including English. Tourist offices all along the way were a great source for current accommodation and local info.

Buen Camino!

Central Tourist Office
25, Rua Clube dos Fenianos, Porto, Portugal

 

[SabsP]

Indeed a taxi to Rates from Vila da Conde is not a bad idea...lots of road walking : I did it but next time yes I certainly would take a taxi.

No need for a taxi to O Porrino....you can avoid the industrial section by taking the alternative route that the local amigos recommend. The sign will be burnt down by the local barowners so they lead you with their " signs" to what they call their " official Camino ". Do not do this but at the sign in Orbenlle take the left road at the fork into the woods. From there on the local amigos did a splendid job with their signs.
At the end where this alternative road crosses the industrial road there is a carting circuit. 250 metres from this road there is a sign to Churrasqueria Tia Maria: lovely place for food and a sello/ stamp.

Last week the O Porrino albergue was closed down a couple of days because fumigating the bedbugs.

Very recommendable : the private NINHO albergue in Rubiaes.

Buen Camino!

 

[SabsP]

PS the nice route through the woods....to O Porrino.




And in words....http://www.amigosdelcamino.com/attachments/article/541/orb_porr_eng.pdf

 

[purplesage]

Hello everyide. I am currently sat in Dublin airport waiting for my flight to Porto where I begin my Camino in the morning. I booked it very late notice and was not able to get my hands on the excellent Camino portugues guidebook and was wondering is there anywhere I could get it in Porto before I start or somewhere along the route? In English language too! Thanks!

You can get what you need in Santiago. Ask at the pilgrim office. Try and stop for a night at Pedra Furado @ Antonio Martins Ferreria's. He's got two rooms behind his restaurant for pilgrims and charges a reasonable rate for a bed. He's an EXCELLENT cook and will dish out a pilgrim's meal for you ... very reasonable again.... which you'd absolutely love. I

 

[purplesage]

You can get what you need in Santiago. Ask at the pilgrim office. Try and stop for a night at Pedra Furado @ Antonio Martins Ferreria's. He's got two rooms behind his restaurant for pilgrims and charges a reasonable rate for a bed. He's an EXCELLENT cook and will dish out a pilgrim's meal for you ... very reasonable again.... which you'd absolutely love. I

oops..... unfinished post.... I did enjoy the food. The family have been welcoming pilgrims for years. Enjoy

 

[Introibo]

Churrasqueria Tia Maria:

What a great little place this was on a wet and rainy day. However, when I asked for a cafe con Baileys,
to warm myself along, there was no Baileys to be had. Instead I was offered and accepted a shot of
something white from an unlabelled bottle. Ay Caramba. There's a potted plant that will have withered
away by now.

The bocadillo's were enormous and the patrons a lovely mix of local and weary trampers. Great sello.
Well worth the very short detour

 

[danielc]

But after Sāo Pedro de Rates to Barcelos is the worst roadwalking !

By the way. The interior route is a different route more at the east side of Portugal
The route you and I and many others walked is called the central route of the caminho Português from Porto or if you like Lisbon to Santiago by Barcelos and Ponte de Lima.
The caminho Interior has a subforum on this forum and leads from nearby Coimbra in central Portugal via Viseu to Ourense in Spain and leads via the Via de la Plata route to Santiago.

Officially you have to walk the last 100 kms to obtain a compostella certificate so your taxi from Tui to O Porriño was not legal, anyway if you applied for the certificate. I do not care -it is your party- but this is one the rules of the pilgrimsoffice. And the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.

By the way we did a couple of detours – in total we walked about 250 km in total – I sure ST. James in the spirit of the Camino would understand !!!!

 

[amsimoes]

Did you play his trumpets,saxophone and clarinets hanging on the wall ?
Not in Portugal but in Spain ask for a Carijillo. Coffee with cognac brandy. Warms you up.

In Portugal ask for a coffe with "cheirinho", is the same.

 

[danielc]

Yes...St.James..yes. He definitively will not care about it and be understandable but the people at the pilgrims office if you should have told them ?

As I already stated we did some detours which made up for the 10 km we skipped – in one of the detours in I remember following red arrows at one stage and staying in a most usual convent ,so we well and truly covered the last 100km . This is my final response to this subject as I feel it is against the spirit of the Camino – I just want to wish you best in any future Caminos