French Way or Portuguese Way? Sarria vs Tui compared

If you are walking the last 100 km, the question is almost always the same: Sarria or Tui? They are the two most popular starting points, both earn the Compostela and both take less than a week. But they feel very different. Here they are side by side, using the data from our stage guides.

The numbers

	Camino Francés from Sarria	Camino Portugués from Tui
Distance	115 km	118 km
Stages	5	6
Average stage	23 km	19.6 km
Longest stage	Palas de Rei – Arzúa, 29 km	Padrón – Santiago, 25 km
Total climbing	about 1,960 m	about 1,440 m
Pilgrims starting here	almost 1 in 3	fewer than 1 in 10

The Portuguese Way takes one more day, yet it is the gentler of the two: shorter stages and around 500 m less climbing overall. The French Way packs most of the effort into its first three days.

Crowds and atmosphere

This is the difference you notice most. From Sarria you will have company all day: a café every few kilometres, conversations with people from all over the world and queues for stamps in high season. Many pilgrims love it; others lose the quiet they came for.

From Tui there are pilgrims too, but the path breathes. You will find long stretches where you walk alone, especially in spring and autumn.

Scenery

French Way: inland Galicia, in the province of Lugo. Stone hamlets, oak woods, sunken lanes between mossy walls and the 100 km marker shortly after you set off. Portomarín above its reservoir and the octopus of Melide are two classic stops.

Portuguese Way: more varied, with more towns and history. You leave Tui cathedral above the Miño, see the Vigo estuary from the hills before Redondela, cross the medieval bridge at Ponte Sampaio and reach Pontevedra, the prettiest old town on the route. Then come the hot springs of Caldas de Reis and Padrón. The weak spot is the industrial estate at O Porriño, which you can skip by taking the riverside detour.

Getting there

Sarria has trains from Madrid and A Coruña. Tui is 20 minutes by train from Vigo, which has an airport, and a bridge over the Miño joins it to Valença in Portugal. Both routes end in Santiago, with its own airport and train station.

Where to stay

Both routes have guesthouses, hotels and rural houses at every stage end, and the budget is similar: €60–90 per person per day with a private room and meals. The difference is pressure. On the French Way demand over the last 100 km is so high that rooms in Portomarín, Palas de Rei and Arzúa sell out first. On the Portuguese Way the bottlenecks are Pontevedra and Padrón.

In 2027, a Holy Year, both sections will fill up months ahead. Browse places to stay in Sarria or Tui and book every night before you leave.

Which one suits you

Choose the French Way from Sarria if:

• it is your first Camino and you want the most intense pilgrim atmosphere;
• you have five days, not six;
• you enjoy walking in company and stopping often.

Choose the Portuguese Way from Tui if:

• you want peace and stretches to think;
• you are walking with children or older relatives, or you have not trained much: stages are shorter and climb less;
• you like ending the day in a historic town;
• you are coming from Portugal or Vigo airport is convenient.

Already walked one? Do the other: they share the arrival in Santiago and little else.

Stage by stage

Each route has its own guide with stages, towns along the way and common mistakes: Sarria to Santiago in 5 days and Camino Portugués from Tui in 6 days. Still weighing other routes? Compare them all in the Camino de Santiago routes.

Made up your mind, or would you rather we sort it out for you? Get a quote for your Camino: a room booked every night, luggage moved for you and stages at your pace, from Sarria or from Tui.