Camino Portuguese 2012 - Introduction

Camino Portuguese (Porto - Santiago de Compostela), 245 kms
(Text translated from slovenian by Marjana KOS).

Camino Portuguese is one of many pilgrimage routes leading to the holy city of Santiago de Compostela in Spain. By most sources, this pilgrimage route starts in the capital of Portugal, in Lisbon, and is approximately 635 kilometers long. Most pilgrims opt for a shorter version, the route from Porto to Santiago, which is about 245 kms long.

   

Some pilgrims even walk all the way from the town of Faro, which is in the very south of Portugal. The route from Lisbon to Porto is about 395 kms long and is divided into 14 stages. Apparently well-marked, but does not (yet) have ‘albergues’. Accommodation has to be found at local fire brigades (bombeiros) or at hostels and tourist farms. The route from Porto onwards is almost as well equipped as the Camino Frances. Albergues are located at appropriate distances, the path is well marked and next to it are bars and shops.

Daily stages (plan):

stage		start	end	distance	total	skupaj
1		Lizbona	Alhandra	33.0	33.0
2		Alhandra	Azambuja	24.0	57.0
3		Azambuja	Santarem	32.0	89.0
4		Santarem	Golega	30.5	119.5
5		Golega	Tomar	22.0	141.5
6		Tomar	Alvaiazere	32.0	173.5
7		Alvaiazere	Rabaçal	33.0	206.5
8		Rabaçal	Cernache	18.5	225.0
9		Cernache	Mealhada	39.5	264.5
10		Mealhada	Águeda	31.0	295.5
11		Águeda	Albergaria a Velha	19.5	315.0
12		Albergaria a Velha	Oliveira de Azeméis	23.0	338.0
13		Oliveira de Azeméis	Grijó	33.5	371.5
14		Grijó	Oporto	23.5	395.0
15		Porto	Vilarinho	27.0	422.0	27,0
16		Vilarinho	Barcelinos	27.0	449.0	54,0
17		Barcelinos	Ponte De Lima	33.0	482.0	87,0
18		Ponte De Lima	Rubiaes	22.0	504.0	109,0
19		Rubiaes	Tuy	21.0	525.0	130,0
20		Tuy	Redondela	31.0	556.0	161,0
21		Redondela	Pontevedra	18.0	574.0	179,0
22		Pontevedra	Caldas de Reis	23.0	597.0	202,0
23		Caldas de Reis	Padron	19.0	616.0	221,0
24		Padron	Santiago de Compostela	24.0	640.0	245,0

The Camino Portuguese route is increasingly popular among pilgrims. According to the Office for Pilgrims in Santiago, 75.1% of pilgrims chose the Camino Frances in 2012. The Camino Portuguese is second with 12.5%, followed by the Camino Norte - 4.74%, the Via de la Plata - 3.5% and the Camino Primitivo - 2.6%. All other routes are visited only by a small number of pilgrims. Here is a link to the page with details:

Office for Pilgrims - https://oficinadelperegrino.com/en/pilgrims-reception-office/

In 2013, as counted by the Office for Pilgrims, 387 Slovenians walked on all Camino routes that come to Santiago. Almost 50% of all pilgrims are Spaniards, but many of them walking only the last 100 kms of one of the routes. That is sufficient that they are issued a certificate on the route covered, i.e. a »compostela«. They are followed by Germans and Italians with approximately 7%, Portuguese, Americans and Irish with more than 3%, and then visitors from Great Britain, Canada, Australia and Korea. Other nationalities contribute to less than 1.5%.

The route from Porto to Santiago takes 10 days of comfortable walking. However, it's no major effort to get to your destination even a day or two before, if you're in a hurry. My friend Danica and I decided to walk the section from Porto to Santiago at the end of September, when the worst heat is already over. The month of September is, according to the Office for Pilgrims, the third most busy month for pilgrimage. The top month is August, followed by July and then September and June.

Treviso, Italy - aeroport Antonio Canova

 Travel logistics

We decided to travel to Spain and Portugal and back with a low-cost airline Ryanair. Two round-trip tickets on the route Treviso - Barcelona, including one piece of check-in luggage, cost 152 euros. We put all those items that they usually like to seize during security checks (pocket knife, nail scissors, toothpaste, liquid soap) in that backpack. We travelled to Treviso by GoOpti bus, as there were many passengers for Marco Polo Airport in Venice and Antonio Canova Airport in Treviso on the day of our departure. Otherwise they normally take passengers to airports using vans.

Only four of all passengers on the bus travelled all the way to Treviso, the vast majority got off in Venice. We stayed one night in Barcelona, at Rambla & Catalunya Hostel. This hostel has an excellent location; it’s on Rambla & Catalunya street, only a 10-minute walk from the final stop of the airport bus at Plaza Catalunya.

Barcelona - street Rambla Catalunya

It is true that it's very cheap, but because of poor maintenance it is becoming increasingly miserable, so I finally deleted it from my list after this visit. In Barcelona we had a long walk through half of the city to see Park Guell.

Barcelona - Park Guell

Then we went on foot to the other end of the city, to the harbor with the Columbus monument. And again back to the Sagrada Familia. Along the way we visited Guell palace and some other Gaudi's houses, which are a real feast for the eyes and undoubtedly the biggest attraction of Barcelona. In the evening a walk up and down La Rambla, then dinner.

Barcelona - Sagrada Familia

Porto - metro station on aeroport Sa Carneiro

We stayed two nights in Porto and thoroughly checked the city. We were on top of the Clerigos tower, we looked at the famous Sao Bento railway station with its blue ceramic.

Porto - train station Sao Bento

 We went on a boat trip on the Douro river, all the way to the mouth, where the river empties into the Atlantic Ocean.

Porto - iron bridge over river Douro

 We visited a famous porto wine cellar (this time Offley cellar) and attended tasting of porto wine - ruby, tawny and reserve. At the cathedral we bought pilgrimage travel documents – »credentials«.

Porto - cathedral Se do Porto

Then a pilgrimage to Santiago, and on to Fisterra and Cape Finisterre, on which we spent 11 days.

The beginning of the Camino near cathedral in Porto

After finished pilgrimage to Cape Finisterre we returned by bus back to Santiago and the same evening took a flight to Barcelona.

This time we spent two nights in Barcelona, at the AWA Apollo hostel. This hostel is also reasonably priced and unlike the previous fairly clean. It is also very close to La Rambla, and a good 20 minute walk from Plaza Catalunya. The bedrooms are usually spacious enough, but if needed they put in additional beds, and what follows is baggage crisis. The living room is nice, with wi-fi. The kitchen is well equipped.
This time we were sightseeing in Barcelona for two full days. On Sunday morning we watched a folk group performance, accompanied by an interesting orchestra, showing Catalan dances in front of the cathedral.

folk group performance in front of the cathedral - Barcelona

We visited the Salvador Dali museum.

at Salvador Dali's museum

 We noticed that Catalonian aspirations for independence are getting stronger. We saw yellow-red Catalan flag on many houses. There were also intense protest marches against government actions on Sunday morning. Their current Prime Minister Rayol is very unpopular among the people.

On the third day in the morning we travelled back with Ryanair to Treviso and with GoOpti to Ljubljana. All transport costs amounted to 225 euros each, and 5 nights at hostels in Barcelona and Porto were 65 euros. We spent other nights mainly at “albergues”. On the whole route, from September 19 to October 8 (20 days), we spent about 1,000 euros each, including all drinks and food, souvenirs and gifts, entrance fees, transport and accommodation.

Here are some links that may be of help to plan your route:

Association of Portuguese Friends of Camino 
Peter Robbins – The Camino coastal route
Description of the stages from Lisbon onwards - useful maps!
Description of the Spanish part of the way
List of hostels and albergues