Portuguese Camino from Porto to Santiago

Welcome to the UNESCO-protected city of Porto in northern Portugal. Transfer from the airport to your hotel in the heart of the city before taking the time to familiarize yourself with the neighborhood. Pick up your Pilgrim Passport, drink wine and dine on local fare, followed by an evening stroll along the Douro River.

Begin your pilgrimage from the Romanesque Porto Cathedral, one of the city’s oldest monuments, to work your way out of the city and into the charming countryside.

Enjoy a leisurely morning before embarking on one of the shortest walking stages of the Portuguese Camino as you walk through peaceful forests of pine and eucalyptus trees.

Continue along the Portuguese Way covering a stretch of combined rural tracks and paved roads until you arrive in Barcelos. Just beyond the Cávado River, Barcelos offers much to be explored.

Following the Camino Portugues across pastoral landscapes in the interior of northern Portugal, you’ll finally reach Ponte de Lima, one of the country’s most important cities.

You’ll cover some challenging terrain today with a series of inclines, though you’ll have rewarding views of quaint chapels and historic monuments emblematic to the Camino de Santiago.

Following the Portuguese Way, you’ll finally cross into Spain and the country’s beautiful Galicia territory. The border is marked by the bridge you’ll traverse from Valença do Minho in Portugal to Tui.

Tui, the first town in Spain, marks the beginning of the last 100 km of the Portuguese Way and sees many pilgrims opt to walk this route starting from here. Make a point to explore some of the city’s more notable attractions, including the Tui Cathedral in San Fernando square, before setting off for O Porriño.

Challenge the legs with another day of climbs and descents as you work your way from O Porriño to Arcade. Posing more difficulty than previous days, this section of the Portuguese Way offers rewarding views of the Ria de Vigo as you near the small town of Redondela. Many pilgrims choose to stay here, however, with few pilgrim lodgings it’s best to continue a little further north to Arcade.

The Portuguese Way merges with the Portuguese Coastal Way (an alternative route along the coast) at Redondela, so it may come as no surprise that you’ll share the road with an increased number of peregrinos. Break up the 11-km day with a couple of highlights. It’s worth checking out the Roman bridge in Ponte Sampaio as well as making the ascent to A Canicouva.

Once in Pontevedra, be sure to visit La Peregrina Church, and dedicate a little time to wandering the historical quarter.

Today’s segment of the Camino is quite flat and leads you through pleasant bucolic scenery, a perfect counterbalance to the days’ prior.

On the way from Pontevedra to Caldas de Reis, stop at the Natural Park of Rio Barosa to discover the reserve’s historic mills and cascading waterfalls, and then soothe tired muscles in a warming soak in Caldas de Reis’ thermal springs.

Today you’ll venture to legendary Padrón, thought to be the first piece of land spotted by the sailors
transporting the remains of St. James the Apostle. After checking into your hotel, discover more of Padrón’s history, including its fame as the birthplace of some of the country’s most popular Galician writers, like Rosalía de Castro.

Get an early start this morning to complete the last—and longest—stage of the Portuguese Way. Take in the Galician countryside before it transitions into the built-up sprawl of Santiago de Compostela and you end your pilgrimage in lively Praza do Obradoiro, the endpoint of all caminos. Celebrate with your fellow peregrinos and if you arrive on time, find your way to the Cathedral to join in the Pilgrim Mass before getting yourself to the Pilgrims’ Office to collect your Compostela (Pilgrim certificate of completion).

Note, there is the option of breaking up the 24.5 km into two parts with an additional stay in Teo, a halfway point.

Your Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage comes to a satisfying end. Complete any last-minute sightseeing, picking up any souvenirs and gifts, before making your way to your next destination.