Tui to Santiago

[shinnyly]

Hi,

I've enjoyed ready various threads on Camino Portugues, the information has been very useful.

I've just booked flights to Porto, my first Camino, with family members. As we are short on days we are doing the last 100km. We fly to Porto on Saturday 8th April and leave Porto on Sunday 16th, Our plan is to make our way to Tui on Sunday in order to start walking on Monday. Our plan is to walk the 100km in 5 days and arrive in Santiago on the Friday, Good Friday - the group are quite fit. Is this realistic, any advice for combining stages?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Is this realistic, any advice for combining stages?

It will work. There is not a lot in Tui, so you could walk a dozen kilometers on your arrival date and not miss anything. I ran out of steam the first day, and stopped at a restaurant. It had rooms. I am not sure, but I think it was the Restaurante Casa Fina.

 

[SabsP]

Realistic and doable yes but if you have a long flight or traveltime before the start, take your tiredness into consideration.

Gronze is a good website for info regarding places to sleep...

http://www.gronze.com/camino-portugues

I did like Tui btw , nice small town.

Do take into considerationtoo that it is Semana Santa and that lots of Spaniards will take a week off and will be walking too.

Also high season for the hotelbusiness so higher prices.

 

[Former member 22438]

Hi,

I've enjoyed ready various threads on Camino Portugues, the information has been very useful.

I've just booked flights to Porto, my first Camino, with family members. As we are short on days we are doing the last 100km. We fly to Porto on Saturday 8th April and leave Porto on Sunday 16th, Our plan is to make our way to Tui on Sunday in order to start walking on Monday. Our plan is to walk the 100km in 5 days and arrive in Santiago on the Friday, Good Friday - the group are quite fit. Is this realistic, any advice for combining stages?

Thanks in advance.

In addition to Falcon and Sabine.
You will have an easy first Sunday by train to Valença do Minho.
I should say walk the 3 kms from Valença to Tui over the Eiffel bridge from Portugal into Spain.it is a nice walk .
Mind there is a time difference between Portugal and Spain of 1 hour (Portugal is GMT and Spain GMT+1 )
Because of the Semana Santa check the itinerary of the Portuguese railways on beforehand and the trainstation in Porto . Comboios Portuguêses CP.pt
http://www.cp.pt/sites/passageiros/en/train-times/Train-time-results
Unfortunately you cannot check the month of april by now but try it later I should say on the above mentioned website
Most trains leave from the Campanha railwaystation in Porto.
Bom caminho

 

[Fearbocht]

I would endorse Albertinho's suggestion. I did the Portugues from Valença in 5/6 days last Easter. There were some very short days to stretch it to the 6 days. The route is very doable and very enjoyable. The extra hour or two in Valença with the fort, the bridge and a coffee in the White Clover the far side in Tui was totally worth it. In terms of combining stages, if I was doing it again I would aim for Rua/Mos on the first day, then aim for Pontevedra, Caldas de Reis, Escravitude, Santiago. But that is purely my own personal choice. As you are in a family group there are so many variables such as fitness, desire to be in rural or large urban areas in the evenings and whether or not the Easter Parades in the larger urban areas are to be enjoyed or avoided during Holy Week. Either way, regardless how you split it enjoy the whole experience!

 

[jefferyonthecamino]

Hi,

I've enjoyed ready various threads on Camino Portugues, the information has been very useful.

I've just booked flights to Porto, my first Camino, with family members. As we are short on days we are doing the last 100km. We fly to Porto on Saturday 8th April and leave Porto on Sunday 16th, Our plan is to make our way to Tui on Sunday in order to start walking on Monday. Our plan is to walk the 100km in 5 days and arrive in Santiago on the Friday, Good Friday - the group are quite fit. Is this realistic, any advice for combining stages?

Thanks in advance.

yes, it is doable. however, Tui is not 100 km from SdC (Porriño roughly is - most guidebooks state 99 km), but more like 117 km. As others have mentioned, you are that close to Valença do Minho (other side of teh river), that it's worth crossing and spending a couple hours in teh walled city. the walk across is wonderful and it's not more than 30 minutes from Tui city centre (and on the Portuguese Camino, you could technically get your first stamp there).

so perhaps you need to reassess your times and distances (if you start in Valença, that's about 120 km in 5 days). still very doable as teh terrain is flatter and somewhat easier in my opinion than the last 100 km on French route in Galicia.

suggested stages (6 days):

1. Valença/Tui - Porriño
2. Porriño - Arcade
3. Arcade - Pontevedra
4. Pontevedra - Caldas de Rei
5. Caldas - Padrón
6. Padrón - SdC

or 5 days:

1. Tui - Mos
2. Mos - Pontevedra (long day!)
4. Pontevedra - Caldas de Rei
5. Caldas - Padrón
6. Padrón - SdC

Buen Camino!

(make sure you take the 'new routes' off teh roads, there are several

 

[Cathryn]

I believe Easter is April 16th this year. Holy week was wonderful in Pamplona last year; I'm trying to decide whether it would be better to be in Portugal or Spain this year. Has anyone been on the Portugues during Semana Santa? Any particularly good town festivities?

Many thanks!

 

[Anamya]

I believe Easter is April 16th this year.

I was going to say to the OP, you cannot arrive in Santiago by Good Friday because you will be in Porto! Good Friday is April 14th this year.