Camino Portugués from Porto: 11 stages, 244 km

Porto is the classic start of the central Portuguese Way: 244 km from the cathedral to the Obradoiro square, half in Portugal and half in Galicia. Eleven stages with no big mountains, small villages, vinho verde vineyards and two towns worth an afternoon: Ponte de Lima and Pontevedra.

Before you set off

• Getting there. Metro line E links Porto airport with the city centre. Spend your first night in town and leave early.
• Credential. Pick it up at the Sé or the tourist office beside it. Albergues ask for it, and you need it for the Compostela.
• Arrows. In Portugal you will see yellow and blue arrows: yellow goes to Santiago, blue to Fátima.
• Time zone. Crossing the bridge from Valença to Tui, clocks go forward one hour. Keep it in mind for dinner bookings or check-in times.

The five Portuguese stages

1. Porto to Vilarinho, 27 km. Leaving the city is long and urban as far as Maia; many pilgrims take the metro to skip the tarmac. The day ends at the watermills on the river Ave. Where to stay in Vilarinho.
2. Vilarinho to Barcelos, 27 km. The first real countryside day. Stop in Rates for its Romanesque church, then cross the medieval bridge into Barcelos. Where to stay in Barcelos.
3. Barcelos to Ponte de Lima, 34 km. The longest stage. If your legs need it, break it at Balugães or Vitorino dos Piães, which both have beds. Ponte de Lima, granted its charter in 1125, greets you with its bridge over the Lima. Where to stay in Ponte de Lima.
4. Ponte de Lima to Rubiães, 17.5 km. Short but tough: around 300 m of climbing in a few kilometres up to Alto da Portela Grande in the Labruja hills, with loose stone on the way down. Carry water. Where to stay in Rubiães.
5. Rubiães to Tui, 20.5 km. A gentle descent to Valença and its fortress. You cross the Miño on the international bridge and walk into Galicia. Where to stay in Tui.

The Galician half

From Tui it is 118 km in six stages: Tui to O Porriño, O Porriño to Redondela, Redondela to Pontevedra, Pontevedra to Caldas de Reis, Caldas de Reis to Padrón and Padrón to Santiago. We cover them in detail in the Camino Portugués from Tui in 6 days.

The mood changes here: from Tui you are joined by walkers who only have a week, and between Redondela and Santiago the Coastal route merges in too. More people, more cafés open and more competition for beds.

How to split the days

Days	How
11	The stages as listed. You walk 27–34 km on each of the first three days.
12	Split Barcelos to Ponte de Lima in two.
13	Also take the metro out of Porto and add a rest day in Ponte de Lima or Pontevedra.

On a first Camino, 12 or 13 days is the sensible choice: the first three days are the longest, and that is when blisters show up. Before you go, read how to train for the Camino.

Accommodation

Portugal has municipal and private albergues on every stage, plus rural guesthouses (turismo de habitação) in the old manor farms of the Minho, a good choice if you want a private room at a fair price. Galicia has more beds, but also more demand.

Book every night before leaving home, especially in Ponte de Lima, Tui and Pontevedra. 2027 is a Holy Year: record numbers are expected and beds on the Galician half will sell out months ahead.

When to go

May, June and September are the best months: mild temperatures and northern Portugal at its greenest. In July and August the Portuguese section, lower and less shaded than the Galician one, gets hot in the afternoon. Winter brings heavy rain to the Minho. Month by month in the best time to walk the Camino.

The Compostela

Starting in Porto you clear the 100 km minimum with room to spare. You only need two stamps a day over the last 100 km; before that, one a day is enough. The full process is in how to get the Compostela.