The Portugues Camino has recently been renovated with new waymarking installed along the old coastal route. Following the Atlantic coast from Porto to Santiago, it’s a journey through Celtic, Roman & Christian civilisations on the way to Santiago.
Camino Legend and the Story of St James
Camino legend describes the passage of the remains of St. James to Galicia following his martyrdom in Jerusalem in AD 44. His body was brought to Santiago de Compostela by way of the Ria de Arousa, up the Ulla River to the Roman city Iria Flavia and from there overland to the Compostela.
Padrón is the place where boat arrived bringing the remains of St. James from Jerusalem. The boat was tied to a rock, ” or Pedrón ” an actual Roman altar which can be seen under the altar of the town’s Church of Santiago. Padrón once named Iria Flavia was one of the great Roman metropolises of Galicia.
The Apostle James, The Greater, is thought to have landed in NW Spain and preached the message of modern Christianity in what is today Galicia and Northern Portugal. Shortly after in 40 A.D. he returned to Jerusalem and was soon martyred. His loyal followers returned his body to the Iberian Peninsula for burial in Libredon.
Nearly 800 years passed before the rediscovery of the tomb of Saint James. Pilgrims soon started beating a trail to Santiago de Compostela, and in time the Way from the south became known as the Camino Portugues.
Coastal Camino on the Atlantic Fringe of Europe
There is much renewed interest in this particular route due to the Portugues pilgrimage traditions of St James and the delights of coastal walking along a dramatically beautiful shoreline. The Coastal Camino Portugues has recently been way marked, guidebooks published and amentities developed to welcome and accommodate walkers and horse riders.
Our Coastal route begins at Porto but if you dont have 2 weeks to spare you can start from A Guarda on the Spanish border or the delightful resort town of Baiona, with it’s wonderful Parador and idyllic bay. This coastal variant of the Camino Portuguese from Porto offers flexible itinerary along a dramatic coastline. From A Guarda just over the spanish border, it shadows Galicia’s dramatic “Costa da Morte”. From Baiona the Way follows the banks of the Arousa and Ulla rivers, then winds inland to join the main Camino Portugues at Padron, as is nears Santiago de Compostela.
Delicious Gastronomy and Wines
World-famous Portuguese and Spanish wines on the Camino Portugues. With an abundance of hotels, restaurants and small inns along the way, pilgrims walking the Camino de Portugues can enjoy the local cuisine.
Every village and town in the Camino has a variety of bars and restaurants, so there will be plenty of opportunities for you to enjoy the delicious gastronomy and the variety of world-famous Portuguese and Spanish wines.
Price Includes
Price Excludes
Single Supplement
£180
You will be passing through many regions of Portugal – each distinctive with its own way. The Portuguese celebrate their unique culinary heritage with many local wines and wonderful fresh produce from land and sea and bakery…
Lisbon’s Monuments
Mosteiro dos Jeronimos is the 15th-century monastery that was built to commemorate Vasco da Gama’s “discovery” of India. Its masterpiece is the delicate Gothic chapel that opens up on to a grand monastic complex, where some of Portugal’s greatest historical figures are entombed.
Torre de Belem a symbol of maritime Lisbon, this Byzantine and Gothic tower stands out over the mouth of the Tejo, guarding the entrance to the city’s harbour. Reached via a walkway raised out of the water on timbers, the tower is filled with intricate stonework and has wide Atlantic views.
The Museu Gulbenkian houses the private collection of Armenian Calouste Gulbenkian, one of Europe’s most prized collections with paintings by the great masters and ancient artefacts.
Lisbon’s Tram 28
This old wooden tram takes you on a rumbling journey through Lisbon’s most historic streets and iconic places. Hop on at the foot of Bairro Alto and sit back to enjoy the sights; wonderful religious and state buildings and monuments. It will bring you to the cobbled streets of the Alfama and Graça neighbourhoods.
Lisbon’s Alfama Neighbourhood is the most ancient neighbourhood in Lisbon, with medieval streets that wind their way up to the Moorish Castle of Sao Jorge. The walls turn orange-red at dusk and can be seen all across the city.
Tomar – Unesco heritage town
Set along the banks of the Nabao River, this picturesque town has ancient churches, cobbled streets and traditional domestic architecture and is a fascinating place to stop and explore.
In the 12th-century, Tomar was established as the religious centre for the famed Knights Templar. Closely associated with the Portuguese monarchy, Tomar was consequently one of the most influential towns in all of the Iberian Peninsula. This powerful order ruled from the Convento de Cristo – part castle, part monastery – survives intact today as one of Portugal’s finest national monuments. The remarkable circular Charola church is at the heart of the Convento, circular in design like the great temples of Jerusalem and decorated with superb 16th-century religious art.
Porto
Whizz round the sights in a chauffeur-driven tuk-tuk and stop off to sample the famous port wines of this lovely city.
Fatima
Many of our clients are keen to make a day visit to this incredible place of pilgrimage, which you can do independently or we can arrange an escorted tour. You’ll find an amazing ambience of devotion, one of the world’s most important Christian centres. Learn about the miracle of the Virgin’s apparition to three shepherd children in 1917. Visit the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima, which has more than 5 million visitors each year.
For any traveller on the Camino, nourishment and refreshment is an important part of the daily routine. There are many places to enjoy good local dishes to suit a variety of tastes and budgets. We also aim to cater for those with particular dietary needs.
Some of the walks may have few places to stop for food and drink, so check your information pack before you set out and take plenty of water and a picnic.
The local bars and cafes offer light snacks, seasonal plates of freshly prepared food, tapas and refreshments. As you pass through the regions you will encounter local specialities – often of the variety that best sustains a weary, hungry traveller.
All our itineraries are booked for Bed and Breakfast. Half board with dinner is possible too, but these set dinners can become repetitive, featuring similar dishes each night. We encourage you to eat out and try a wider range of local specialities.
Breakfast
Where available we always order a full breakfast spread for our clients. But breakfast does vary between establishments – from just a light pastry and hot drink to a full buffet spread. Whether you have a light or substantial offering, you can top up mid-morning at a cafe on the route. The Spanish habit is to have breakfast between 10 and 11 when cafes and bars fill with locals having their desayuno.
Lunch
Lunches on the Camino are often taken as picnics, and most places have local shops selling items of fresh local produce to purchased each morning before you set out on the trail. Certain lodgings will offer pre-ordered packed lunches. Or check your guide and plan to stop off in a cafe-bar or restaurant on the Way.
Dinner
Locals tend to have dinner from 9 pm. But on the Camino, dinner is usually served from 8 pm — so do take advantage of the habitual afternoon merienda to keep you going, once you have arrived at your daily destination. That could be cold beer cerveza and tapas or coffee and cake.
Pilgrim Menus
Many of our lodgings offer 3 course set menus with water, bread and often a glass of wine for just a few euros. These are advertised locally as “Pilgrim Menus” and available pretty much everywhere along the route. You’ll notice that there are staple common dishes as well as regional recipes according to the season.
Hydration
Hydration is essential — carry between 1.5 and 3l of drinking water, depending on the season, temperatures and distance you plan to cover. Keep a sugary and salty snack handy in your pocket or daypack – this will give you that little extra burst of energy to keep you going.
Merienda
Mid-morning or afternoon snacks known as merienda are the perfect way to sustain yourself on the Way. Especially if you are not used to the later meal times which are the norm across Spain. It is customary for Spanish people to have a mid-morning stop for breakfast and late afternoon for a bite to keep them going until the traditional late dinner.
Gastronomy
The larger towns and cities of the Camino have a variety of lively plazas with bars and restaurants, so there will be plenty of opportunities for you to enjoy a wider range of local gastronomy and a variety of local and world-famous wines.
You can choose to upgrade your accommodation standard, (available in a few selected places along the route), where you can enjoy a la carte menu and fine dining in the hotel restaurant.
Picnic Shopping
Many people enjoy shopping for lunch items and snacks in the local food shops each day. You’ll find many little stores offering local produce, fruits and vegetables, cheeses and cured meats, fresh local baked goods – ideal for making your daily picnic for the daily walk. On certain days, Markets also make an appearance in most villages and towns. Some of our lodgings will provide a picnic lunch by request.
Local Wines
Both Spain & Portugal have a great wine-making culture. All of the regions you cross produce their own wines (red and white), cervezas (light beer), and licores (strong spirits). For those looking for non-alcoholic drinks have plenty of choices as well.
You are making your way out of Lisbon starting from the Se Cathedral and shadowing the Tagus river estuary. It takes you a couple of days walking to really leave the city behind you, but there is plenty of interest and some nice riverside paths.
Continuing to follow the estuary along a mixture of built-up areas and riverside path to a small but colourful town of Vilafranca with harbour front eateries and bars for a sundowner.
The day starts off on a decent riverside path, but you have the last few long stretches of tarmac before you leave the urban outreaches of Lisbon behind. Azambuja is a lively place known for its local red wines.
This area is a floodplain of the narrowing River Tagus and well known for the cultivation of wonderful fruit and vegetables. A gentle climb to the pretty hilltop town of Santarem with medieval pilgrim gate, historic buildings and great views over the river valley.
The Camino continues through the countryside, along farm tracks and riverside paths to Golega, an ancient pilgrim stop and famed for it’s annual horse fair.
Rolling countryside today – nothing too taxing – on country lanes and tracks. Woodland begins to appear as the Camino turns away from the river, giving you a sense of medieval pilgrims passing through villages on the way to the important pilgrim centre of Tomar with it’s Knights Templar Castle and Charola Church.Another delightful day that continues along the coastal path before climbing over a gentle headland and down into Baiona on country lanes.
The way continues along the coast, passing Mougas – a popular destination for surfers& lovers of history and archaeology. You can see A Cabeciña, a 4000-year-old archaeological site with cave paintings and a Castro.
Shortly before reaching As Marinas & Cabo Silleiro (lighthouse), where the Rueda de Vigo begins, the path turns inland and over the hills of Baredo. You will enjoy great views past the lighthouse of Mougas and then across Baiona Bay to the idyllic Cies Islands. Walking on tracks and minor roads, you pass many rural homes and descend gently to the old town of Baiona.
Steady climb today on country tracks and wooded paths, through small villages to the town with its central square with cafes and shops.
The Camino continues through wooded paths, olive groves and fields with terrain undulating down to the market town of Ansiao.
The rolling terrain of woodland, scrub and olive groves today is mainly gently downhill. Look out for the Roman ruins and museum at Conimbriga, before a short detour 1km off route to your resting place for the night.
The high point of today’s walk is the Santa Clara peak (250m) with views over the countryside and the Mondego river valley to the lovely university town of Coimbra.
The path levels out now, along river valleys with some vestiges of old Roman roads.
The way today is pretty flat but often along minor roads and some industrial zones, with some vineyards and woodlands offering respite until you arrive in the lovely riverside town.
Similar flat and even terrain as yesterday with a fair bit of tarmac today, punctuated by eucalyptus woods and a marvellous stone pilgrim bridge.
Rolling terrain today, beginning on a forest road, you then find yourself coming into an increasingly urbanised area with lots of places to stop for sustenance, en route to Sao Joao.
A stretch of Roman road and woodland, before meeting urban neighbourhoods and a steep descent into Grijo with its beautiful monastery and parkland.
Despite the built-up residential suburbs around Porto and increased traffic, you still have some original pilgrim roads to tread on your way. Head for the Se Cathedral to seal your credencial. Your lodgings will not be far away from here and prepare to enjoy a day of rest in this vibrant city.
From Here Choose to Continue on the Traditional or Coastal Route to Santiago
Hand-picked comfortable, small establishments with high levels of personal service.
We believe that our high level of personal service and customer care offers the best in the local food, culture and history.
Hand-picked and well known to us, we usually choose comfortable, small, family-run establishments on the Camino. Your accommodation will include a variety of family run traditional farmhouses, historic homes, and two and three-star hotels. All rooms have en-suite facilities.
If your budget allows, we can suggest some superb accommodation upgrades, as we often work with the top-end establishments on the Camino. Some of these require a short transfer off the Camino to a rural setting. We think you’ll find them very charming and comfortable.
We provide fully insured and secure luggage transfers. We move your baggage from one accommodation to the next as you walk. This daily service is organised so that all you have to worry about is carrying a day sack with your essential items.
And you can always call us and request to add on the service if you change your mind.
