Camino Portuguese: Porto to Santiago
Camino Portuguese: Porto to Santiago
View of Tui, Spain from the fortress in Valenca, Portugal; the Ponte Internacional Tui-Valenca over the Minho River connects these two towns.
- Porto, Portugal is the popular beginning point for Camino Portuguese; this route is second only to Camino Frances in the number of walkers. Another beginning point for Camino Portuguese is from Lisbon. Map & route info on GRONZE.COM (includes info for both starting points).
- There are 3 trail options from Porto to Santiago: the Central Route travels north inland & is the most popular of the 3 options; the Coastal Route (Caminho do Costa) follows along the coast but sometimes weaves inland; the Senda Litoral directly follows along the beach.
- The distance from Porto to Santiago is around 160 miles & typically takes 12+ days to walk, depending on daily distances, rest days, etc. Around half the route is in Portugal, half in Spain. In 2023 20% of total pilgrims who received Compostelas walked the Central Route; about 12% walked the Coastal Route.
- From Porto walkers can choose to walk along the coast for a while & then cross over inland to the Central Route.
- In Portugal walkers greet each other with “Bom Caminho” to wish a ‘good walk’; in Spain walkers say “Buen Camino.”
- Check out posts on Pilgrim Pouch Peregrinations for more info & photos: Camino Portuguese, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, & Part 5
