Tui or Valença?

[Frankybaby66]

Hi all, starting my Camino in just over a week.
Was thinking of (loosely) planning a rest day around the Spanish border.
Any recommendations on which border town to stay in . . . ?

 

[Former member 22438]

Valença of course
Visit the fortress and overview the Minho river , the Eiffel bridge and Tui in the distance .
Taste the pasteís de nata and the bacalhau fish dishes
Enjoy the Portuguêse life .
Bonus is that later on you walk over the Eiffel bridge into Spain and get one hour extra into the future. There is one hour in between both countries

 

[mspath]

Indeed. I agree with Albertinho.
Check out this earlier post re walking through the Valença Fortress towards Tui. Pictures are included.
Bom caminho.

 

[wisepilgrim]

It really just depends on what sort of accommodation you want. The two are close enough that you can spend the night in one and eat your meals in the other.

 

[Paul Wilson]

It seems a silly reason but that hour makes a big difference the next day so if you’re having a rest day by all means spend it in Valenca but spend the night in Tui if you start walking at 7am the second you cross the bridge it’s 8am and you’ve lost an hour

 

[Desert Bruce]

Valença of course
Visit the fortress and overview the Minho river , the Eiffel bridge and Tui in the distance .
Taste the pasteís de nata and the bacalhau fish dishes
Enjoy the Portuguêse life .
Bonus is that later on you walk over the Eiffel bridge into Spain and get one hour extra into the future. There is one hour in between both countries

Thanks for the tips.
I walked from Lisboa last October and had planned to go by way of the Spiritual Variant, but my Camino friends had a time limitation so I passed it by. This year I have a Rick Steves tour of Portugal that ends in Porto. From there I will take the train or bus to Valença in order to do the Variant. With your tips I will linger in Valença to savor the end of my visit to Portugal.

 

[Andorinha]

Thanks for the tips.
I walked from Lisboa last October and had planned to go by way of the Spiritual Variant, but my Camino friends had a time limitation so I passed it by. This year I have a Rick Steves tour of Portugal that ends in Porto. From there I will take the train or bus to Valença in order to do the Variant. With your tips I will linger in Valença to savor the end of my visit to Portugal.

It’s the most amazing feeling to soak up the last of Portugal and then walk the bridge in the AM and feel the cultural shift - new sights, language, smells, coffee in Spain!

 

[gittiharre]

Hi all, starting my Camino in just over a week.
Was thinking of (loosely) planning a rest day around the Spanish border.
Any recommendations on which border town to stay in . . . ?

Valenca is absolutely beautiful. No question, I would def stay there.

 

[LavanyaLea]

This year I have a Rick Steves tour of Portugal that ends in Porto. From there I will take the train or bus to Valença in order to do the Variant.

Sounds like a dream trip to me!

 

[Eleonore]

Hi all, starting my Camino in just over a week.
Was thinking of (loosely) planning a rest day around the Spanish border.
Any recommendations on which border town to stay in . . . ?

We took the train from Porto to Valenca. Taxi to our pension in Tui. Walked back to Valenca to visit and explore, wonderful food. Spent the night in Tui.

 

[Former member 22438]

Thanks for the tips.
I walked from Lisboa last October and had planned to go by way of the Spiritual Variant, but my Camino friends had a time limitation so I passed it by. This year I have a Rick Steves tour of Portugal that ends in Porto. From there I will take the train or bus to Valença in order to do the Variant. With your tips I will linger in Valença to savor the end of my visit to Portugal.

You could either take the bus or train
the bus follows the highways - Porto (Casa da Música) Porto airport, Braga to Valença

the train is more scenic
Porto Campanhã trainstation to Barcelos , Tamel and Baroselas to Viana do Castelo. Very rural area. Then the coast to Caminha with nice views at the ocean and than by Vila Nova de Cerveira to Valença alongside the Minho river
The train stops everywhere and takes a bit more time but I prefer the train. I travelled both bus and train many times.