What is your favorite Portuguese caminho ?

[Former member 22438]

what is your favorite route in Portugal.

an explanation from my point of view.

There are nine subforums about the Caminho Português.
you can see at the threads, posts, comments that starting in Porto is the most popular one .

Fact is and I learned this when I worked as volunteer at the Pilgrims Office that there are 4 recognized caminhos, starting in Porto

1 the caminho central (Porto- Vilarinho- Barcelos —Valença to Santiago). Official 240 kms
2 the caminho pela costa ,the coastal ( Porto -Vila do Conde -Caminha-Baiona to Santiago ) 280 kms
3 the combination of the coast and the central (Porto to Vila do Conde - Barcelos -Valença to Santiago or
Porto to Caminha -Vila Nova de Cerveira to Valença) 260 kms
4 Caminho de Braga/ leading to Ponte de Lima by a detour to Braga to Santiago. I do not know the distance you walk yet.

Fact is also that no other caminho has so many variations such as the Caminho Português
There is one camino Frances. There is one camino del Norte or one Via de la Plata etc.

But you have 9 possibilities to get from Portugal to Santiago

I did it 5 times
my favorite one should start in Lisbon , and when I should do it again, I should start at the Igreja de Santiago and walk to the Oriente trainstation at the Parque das Naçôes and take the train to Azambuja and walk to Porto .
there I should take the metro to Vilar do Pinheiro and continue the central route to São Pedro de Rates and Barcelos and Caldas de Reis to Santiago.

The coastal I have done. I did the full coastal via Caminha and Baiona
I did both combinations with the central (Vila do Conde to São Pedro de Rates and Caminha to Valença

But I am following @jungleboy & Co right now on his very interesting trail on the Caminho Interior and would like to walk that one once ( Inshallah because the saw has to go into my knee soon) so hope to recover soon and can do that Portuguese caminho too

 

[jungleboy]

There are different ways to count and people can disagree on what constitutes a camino, how to divide caminos etc, but I personally count 10 Camin(h)os de Santiago in Portugal and I separate them into three categories:

The CP
1. Lisbon-Porto
2. Central from Porto
3. Coastal from Porto

Northern Routes
4. Português Interior
5. Torres (starts in Spain)
6. Zamorano Portugués (starts in Spain)
7. Geira e dos Arrieiros

Southern Routes
8. Nascente
9. Central
10. Raia (coming soon!)

I wrote an outline of these 10 routes here:
The Camino de Santiago in Portugal

My short answer to your question…

what is your favorite route in Portugal.

…is the Caminho Nascente.

Long answer to come sometime after our current CPI!

 

[Former member 22438]

There are different ways to count and people can disagree on what constitutes a camino, how to divide caminos etc, but I personally count 10 Camin(h)os de Santiago in Portugal and I separate them into three categories:

The CP
1. Lisbon-Porto
2. Central from Porto
3. Coastal from Porto

Northern Routes
4. Português Interior
5. Torres (starts in Spain)
6. Zamorano Portugués (starts in Spain)
7. Geira e dos Arrieiros

Southern Routes
8. Nascente
9. Central
10. Raia (coming soon!)

I wrote an outline of these 10 routes here:
The Camino de Santiago in Portugal

My short answer to your question…



…is the Caminho Nascente.

Long answer to come sometime after our current CPI!

Wow ! Can’t wait to read your discoveries

 

[Former member 22438]

There are different ways to count and people can disagree on what constitutes a camino, how to divide caminos etc, but I personally count 10 Camin(h)os de Santiago in Portugal and I separate them into three categories:

The CP
1. Lisbon-Porto
2. Central from Porto
3. Coastal from Porto

Northern Routes
4. Português Interior
5. Torres (starts in Spain)
6. Zamorano Portugués (starts in Spain)
7. Geira e dos Arrieiros

Southern Routes
8. Nascente
9. Central
10. Raia (coming soon!)

I wrote an outline of these 10 routes here:
The Camino de Santiago in Portugal

My short answer to your question…



…is the Caminho Nascente.

Long answer to come sometime after our current CPI!

Interesting is that the Pilgrims Office only recognizes 3 caminhos . Anyway from Porto .
During my time as being volunteer I only met pilgrims who hiked the Lisbon and Porto variants .

 

[alipilgrim]

jungleboy, I think you can add the Senda Litoral to your CP category. Although they have common stages, the Senda stays on the coast while the Coastal often detours inland for the day's walk.

 

[Former member 22438]

jungleboy, I think you can add the Senda Litoral to your CP category. Although they have common stages, the Senda stays on the coast while the Coastal often detours inland for the day's walk.

For the Certificate of Distance there is no difference in kilometers between the so called senda litoral and the coastal.
one leads through the hills almost parallel to and about 1 km from the beaches and the other one follows the beaches (so called Beira Mar in Portuguese)
Beginning and ending of both are in the same places.
At the Pilgrims Office they count it as the Coastal

 

[Aotearoa]

what is your favorite route in Portugal.

an explanation from my point of view.

There are nine subforums about the Caminho Português.
you can see at the threads, posts, comments that starting in Porto is the most popular one .

Fact is and I learned this when I worked as volunteer at the Pilgrims Office that there are 4 recognized caminhos, starting in Porto

1 the caminho central (Porto- Vilarinho- Barcelos —Valença to Santiago). Official 240 kms
2 the caminho pela costa ,the coastal ( Porto -Vila do Conde -Caminha-Baiona to Santiago ) 280 kms
3 the combination of the coast and the central (Porto to Vila do Conde - Barcelos -Valença to Santiago or
Porto to Caminha -Vila Nova de Cerveira to Valença) 260 kms
4 Caminho de Braga/ leading to Ponte de Lima by a detour to Braga to Santiago. I do not know the distance you walk yet.

Fact is also that no other caminho has so many variations such as the Caminho Português
There is one camino Frances. There is one camino del Norte or one Via de la Plata etc.

But you have 9 possibilities to get from Portugal to Santiago

I did it 5 times
my favorite one should start in Lisbon , and when I should do it again, I should start at the Igreja de Santiago and walk to the Oriente trainstation at the Parque das Naçôes and take the train to Azambuja and walk to Porto .
there I should take the metro to Vilar do Pinheiro and continue the central route to São Pedro de Rates and Barcelos and Caldas de Reis to Santiago.

The coastal I have done. I did the full coastal via Caminha and Baiona
I did both combinations with the central (Vila do Conde to São Pedro de Rates and Caminha to Valença

But I am following @jungleboy & Co right now on his very interesting trail on the Caminho Interior and would like to walk that one once ( Inshallah because the saw has to go into my knee soon) so hope to recover soon and can do that Portuguese caminho too

 

[Aotearoa]

Why not start from lisbon to azambuja?

 

[alipilgrim]

For the Certificate of Distance there is no difference in kilometers between the so called senda litoral and the coastal.
one leads through the hills almost parallel to and about 1 km from the beaches and the other one follows the beaches (so called Beira Mar in Portuguese)
Beginning and ending of both are in the same places.
At the Pilgrims Office they count it as the Coastal

True, it may not be one of the 4 recognized Caminos but it is certainly a beautiful possibility and a different walk staying seaside instead of going inland!

 

[Former member 22438]

Why not start from lisbon to azambuja?

Because you walk along a very busy road most of je the time and industrial areas .
From Azambuja you will come in a more rural and agricultural landscape.

But feel free to start in Lisbon and hike instead of taking the train or bus.
I have hiked it and my next time if I should do it again is taking the train to Azambuja and hike from there. But I should walk in Lisbon to the Oriente trainstation. It is about 10 kms towards the Parque de Nações to the station .

 

[Former member 49149]

I have no terms of reference to choose a favourite, other than the one I walked. From Oporto along the coast to Vila do Conde, then Rates and onwards. In 2013, and subject to available funds, the coastal route was too uncertain for us. It was a most enjoyable 12 days. We met the same individuals over the days, and most of us gathered at the end, signing off a companionable camino at table. Thanks for the question. I will look out my notes and photos!
A snippet: there were distance markers that were so cute: they gave supposed timings for the upcoming stages. One guy, from Lisbon, made a game of it with us, leaving notes we picked up, where he left us encouraging words to keep going! He had to move on a bit faster after Ponte de Lima...Carlos, a gem with a smile that covered his face!

 

[Friend from Barquinha]

My short answer to your question…



…is the Caminho Nascente.

Long answer to come sometime after our current CPI!

Historical digression from the topic:

I am convinced, based on anecdotal observation in various small towns, that there once was a variant that cut northwest from Crato area towards the Tejo, with a possible crossing at Abrantes, Constancia or Tancos in our municipality, and then a walk along the north side of the Tejo towards Atalaia where there is a very significant church, just renovated. It is sad that almost all the Lisbon-starting pilgrims walk directly past this church, but there is no easy accesss to its interior. I have only seen it in photos!

Church of Atalaia - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The town across the river from Tancos (Arrepiado, about 10 km east, along the Tejo) shares some church activities and apparently was politically much more closely attached to Tancos (part of our municipality) on the north bank in previous centuries, before the current administrative regions were put in place. This, to me, makes it definitely a possibility in the past for pilgrim crossings. That part is difficult to research because Arrepiado's old church is long-gone, and they received a new one in the 20th century.

To support this hypothesis, we have a small chapel in the north east part of Barquinha, dedicated to one of the pilgrim saints, that otherwise makes no sense. Isolated from the main town; no-one uses it anymore, but it is a historic site.

But the possibility is intriguing, and would make for a very interesting long caminho--the length of the country: Faro >Tomar>the north>Santiago.

That routing would in some ways be a more comfortable walk than crossing the Tejo further east, where the canyon starts, and where the current Nascent crosses a 20th-century bridge, I believe.

I'm looking forward to having the time eventually to research this. I imagine you would be interested, too, jungleboy.

 

[Former member 22438]

True, it may not be one of the 4 recognized Caminos but it is certainly a beautiful possibility and a different walk staying seaside instead of going inland!

That is true but does not add anything the the content “ coastal. Anyway not for the Pilgrims Office.
And personally ,but this is my opinion, I prefered the Beira Mar trail more than the one in the hills, off the beaches. Especially with rain it is a dirty slippery path with risks of falling , fracturing your bones and damaging your clothes and or backpack.Nevertheless it is a beautiful path with nice views at the ocean and the beaches.

 

[James X]

what is your favorite route in Portugal.

an explanation from my point of view.

There are nine subforums about the Caminho Português.
you can see at the threads, posts, comments that starting in Porto is the most popular one .

Fact is and I learned this when I worked as volunteer at the Pilgrims Office that there are 4 recognized caminhos, starting in Porto

1 the caminho central (Porto- Vilarinho- Barcelos —Valença to Santiago). Official 240 kms
2 the caminho pela costa ,the coastal ( Porto -Vila do Conde -Caminha-Baiona to Santiago ) 280 kms
3 the combination of the coast and the central (Porto to Vila do Conde - Barcelos -Valença to Santiago or
Porto to Caminha -Vila Nova de Cerveira to Valença) 260 kms
4 Caminho de Braga/ leading to Ponte de Lima by a detour to Braga to Santiago. I do not know the distance you walk yet.

Fact is also that no other caminho has so many variations such as the Caminho Português
There is one camino Frances. There is one camino del Norte or one Via de la Plata etc.

But you have 9 possibilities to get from Portugal to Santiago

I did it 5 times
my favorite one should start in Lisbon , and when I should do it again, I should start at the Igreja de Santiago and walk to the Oriente trainstation at the Parque das Naçôes and take the train to Azambuja and walk to Porto .
there I should take the metro to Vilar do Pinheiro and continue the central route to São Pedro de Rates and Barcelos and Caldas de Reis to Santiago.

The coastal I have done. I did the full coastal via Caminha and Baiona
I did both combinations with the central (Vila do Conde to São Pedro de Rates and Caminha to Valença

But I am following @jungleboy & Co right now on his very interesting trail on the Caminho Interior and would like to walk that one once ( Inshallah because the saw has to go into my knee soon) so hope to recover soon and can do that Portuguese caminho too

To answer your question in a very narrow context. I have done 4 Caminos north of Porto ( 1 Coastal and 3 Centrals...I think I've already answered the question) I have also walked some of the path north of Faro

I preferred the Central for a number of reasons:

1) I found it more traditional and authentic
2) I'm more of an inland / mountain person than a coastal person.
3) I liked the fact that the Central was one definitive route as opposed to the Coastal where you could be on the traditional Coastal or The Senda Litoral
4) Related to 3 I found there was a greater sense of camaraderie / shared experience between everyone and you were more likely to bump into the same people more often ( as opposed to the 2 route coastal where I found people split )
5) While the likes of Caminha and Baiona are beautiful towns I got more out of Ponte de Lima and Tui

I know people will differ on this and I see many opinions how people love the Coastal and I can appreciate that ( I will give the Coastal another chance at some stage ). Strongly influenced by Jungle Boy / Nick (who has done so much to inform people on the many routes) I look forward to doing the Interior at some stage which looks so interesting and beautiful.
I have also walked sections in the Algarve north of Loule, which were nice but which I considered just a hike.

I know people will have different views but I hope this answers your question from my personal perspective.

 

[Former member 22438]

To answer your question in a very narrow context. I have done 4 Caminos north of Porto ( 1 Coastal and 3 Centrals...I think I've already answered the question) I have also walked some of the path north of Faro

I preferred the Central for a number of reasons:

1) I found it more traditional and authentic
2) I'm more of an inland / mountain person than a coastal person.
3) I liked the fact that the Central was one definitive route as opposed to the Coastal where you could be on the traditional Coastal or The Senda Litoral
4) Related to 3 I found there was a greater sense of camaraderie / shared experience between everyone and you were more likely to bump into the same people more often ( as opposed to the 2 route coastal where I found people split )
5) While the likes of Caminha and Baiona are beautiful towns I got more out of Ponte de Lima and Tui

I know people will differ on this and I see many opinions how people love the Coastal and I can appreciate that ( I will give the Coastal another chance at some stage ). Strongly influenced by Jungle Boy / Nick (who has done so much to inform people on the many routes) I look forward to doing the Interior at some stage which looks so interesting and beautiful.
I have also walked sections in the Algarve north of Loule, which were nice but which I considered just a hike.

I know people will have different views but I hope this answers your question from my personal perspective.

Thanks for your feedback
I agree with your arguments about the Central .

I do not know all but on the Lisbon trail the albergue in Alpriate and the one I stayed, albergue Hilario in Sernadelo just outside Mealhada and on the Central from Porto
casa da Fernanda in Vitorino dos Piães serve common meals with all pilgrims together.
But maybe there are more albergues on the Portugues , doing this now. Please your comments . Interesting for everybody who wants to walk the Portugues in one or other form. On the coastal caminhos it is not common to do this as far as I know.
The only one I stayed was in Póvoa da Varzim and the facilities were only a roof above your head, showers , a kitchen and bunkbeds . You could cook for yourself or have diner in a restaurant.Furthermore we always had to go to out for diner and breakfast.

 

[jungleboy]

All these responses are a bit much for my tired self to deal with after 25km on the CPI today! I’ll try to reply tomorrow.

 

[jungleboy]

jungleboy, I think you can add the Senda Litoral to your CP category. Although they have common stages, the Senda stays on the coast while the Coastal often detours inland for the day's walk.

Yes, you could add it but I guess I just consider it pretty much the same as the coastal for classification purposes, although I haven’t actually walked either. The Camiño Miñoto Ribeiro might also be in the list but it’s similar to the Geira and the rivalry between them is a long story!

Historical digression from the topic:

I am convinced, based on anecdotal observation in various small towns, that there once was a variant that cut northwest from Crato area towards the Tejo, with a possible crossing at Abrantes, Constancia or Tancos in our municipality, and then a walk along the north side of the Tejo towards Atalaia where there is a very significant church, just renovated.

Very interesting! From Crato it’s about 55km north to the Tejo on the Nascente. Obviously at some point the route needs to turn northwest towards Santiago, so that could just as easily be south of the Tejo as north if it.

That routing would in some ways be a more comfortable walk than crossing the Tejo further east, where the canyon starts, and where the current Nascent crosses a 20th-century bridge, I believe.

Yes it does. The Tejo is spectacular here at the Portas de Ródão, but it’s also very wide so bridging it at this point would have been challenging in pre-modern times.

 

[Former member 22438]

All these responses are a bit much for my tired self to deal with after 25km on the CPI today! I’ll try to reply tomorrow.

Tomorrow is another day.

Yes, you could add it but I guess I just consider it pretty much the same as the coastal for classification purposes, although I haven’t actually walked either. The Camiño Miñoto Ribeiro might also be in the list but it’s similar to the Geira and the rivalry between them is a long story!


Very interesting! From Crato it’s about 55km north to the Tejo on the Nascente. Obviously at some point the route needs to turn northwest towards Santiago, so that could just as easily be south of the Tejo as north if it.


Yes it does. The Tejo is spectacular here at the Portas de Ródão, but it’s also very wide so bridging it at this point would have been challenging in pre-modern times.

the Dutch are world famous with their waterworks constructions
we even live here minus 12 meters below sealevel
building bridges , tunnels, waterprotections etc is no problem for our construction companies . We can make land from the sea so that part of the Tejo we can make it so that you can walk over land

 

[jungleboy]

I personally count 10 Camin(h)os de Santiago in Portugal and I separate them into three categories:

The CP
1. Lisbon-Porto
2. Central from Porto
3. Coastal from Porto

Northern Routes
4. Português Interior
5. Torres (starts in Spain)
6. Zamorano Portugués (starts in Spain)
7. Geira e dos Arrieiros

Southern Routes
8. Nascente
9. Central
10. Raia (coming soon!)

I wrote an outline of these 10 routes here:
The Camino de Santiago in Portugal

To give some visual context to this, there is a good map posted on the walls of the xunta albergues on the Sanabrés that shows most of these routes.

Considering the CP from Lisbon and then Central from Porto as one route, they show nine routes in Portugal, with two that I didn’t list and vice-versa. The two extras they have are the Senda Littoral and the Braga route (Porto - Ponte de Lima). The two they are missing are the Geira and the Raia (which admittedly has not actually been launched yet).

The Portuguese routes on the map are:
PT01 - CP from Lisbon incl central from Porto.
PT02 - CPI
PT03 - Coastal
PT04 - Senda Littoral
PT05 - Braga route
PT06 - Torres
PT07 - Zamorano
PT08 - Central Faro-Santarém
PT09 - Nascente

 

[Former member 22438]

To give some visual context to this, there is a good map posted on the walls of the xunta albergues on the Sanabrés that shows most of these routes.

Considering the CP from Lisbon and then Central from Porto as one route, they show nine routes in Portugal, with two that I didn’t list and vice-versa. The two extras they have are the Senda Littoral and the Braga route (Porto - Ponte de Lima). The two they are missing are the Geira and the Raia (which admittedly has not actually been launched yet).

The Portuguese routes on the map are:
PT01 - CP from Lisbon incl central from Porto.
PT02 - CPI
PT03 - Coastal
PT04 - Senda Littoral
PT05 - Braga route
PT06 - Torres
PT07 - Zamorano
PT08 - Central Faro-Santarém
PT09 - Nascente

View attachment 126544

meanwhile you are the concious of the caminho Português