In the summer of 2024, Follow the Camino customer Howard Cohen embarked on an exciting Camino journey along the Last 100km of the Portuguese Way. Howard has kindly shared his Camino Portugues itinerary as an example of what to expect. Read on for his reflections, in his own words, on the trip!
The original purpose of our trip to Portugal was for a cruise on the River Duoro, known as the River of Gold, which would incorporate a day in Lisbon and a day in Porto too. But we also knew, having travelled that far, we would want to do something else in Europe before or after the cruise. Some online research showed me we were positioned to try a walk to Santiago de Compostela. I had no idea there were so many ‘Caminos’, only being aware of the French Way popularised by Martin Sheen in the 2010 movie, The Way.
After a series of discussions with a specialist tour company, Follow the Camino, we decided on an 8-day segment of the Camino Portugues. Taking into account the age of my wife and I, we asked for a walk with shorter mileage per day, and Follow the Camino recommended the final section of the original Portuguese Camino (which, in full, runs from Lisbon to Santiago) over approximately 120km (74.5 miles) starting from Tui, Spain, and going to the city of Santiago de Compostela.
Before the Walk
We disembarked our Douro Valley River cruise on Friday, 7 June and were driven by private car to Tui, Spain – a 2-hour trip. Tui is just across the river from Valença, Portugal and is the starting point for our walk along the Portuguese Way.
We received our ‘Camino passport’ and luggage tags after arriving at our hotel. We then had a light lunch and checked out the old town and the cathedral from which our walk would start the next morning. We also walked a very short amount along the Camino itself within Tui to get familiar with the route markings. These were very easy to follow. The tour was inclusive, with hotels, most meals, and luggage transfer all part of the package we purchased. We had a nice grilled dinner and then rested up for tomorrow’s first day on the Camino.
Day 1: Tui to O Porriñho
After a light breakfast of fruit, cold cuts, bread, etc. we set out about 8:30am. Luggage needed to be placed at reception no later than 8am for collection by the transfer company, so before breakfast we brought our belongings down and stored them at reception.
On our first day it rained for 3/4 of the journey! Thankfully we had ponchos to wear, but our shoes and socks got wet. We stopped twice for a beverage, bathroom, and snack rest. We walked through dense forests as well as paved roads. We crossed a number of rivers, saw Roman ruins and working vineyards. There were some uphill trails but nothing significant.
We walked 18km (11.2 miles) to the center of O Porriñho town, where we called our accommodation and asked them to pick us up. We were brought to a charming residence 4km (2.5 miles) outside the town. We had our passports stamped (2 stamps per stop are required for certification at the end of the walk). We were a bit tired but recovered quickly and foot care was then our main focus! Dinner was served in the restaurant in our hostel – zucchini soup, a mixed salad, and a Spanish omelet. There were two other guests at Casa Corrzon, ladies from Ireland with whom we chatted, ate dinner, and breakfast the next morning. We did not see them again on Day 2 though after we had hiked a couple of miles.
Day 2: O Porriñho to Redondela
Today we walked about 15km (9.5 miles) to Redondela. We left about 9am, and we arrived around 12:45pm. There were some steeper climbs today, and a long (and often steep) descent into Redondela. Along the way we chatted with a couple of Aussies who had been walking since Porto. They, too, had visited the Douro Valley but via a one-day train trip. Their wives were not walking but rather driving and meeting them in each city destination.
Before reaching our accommodation, we stopped for a snack and then met a brother and sister from Texas and Florida. They had walked from Porto but along the Camino Portuguese Coastal route instead and said it was beautiful being by the seaside. They were walking, on average, 22.5km (14 miles) per day compared to our 17.5km (or 11 miles) per day. It was cloudy today, with no sun, and mostly walking on pavement except for a few ‘shortcuts’ along small country roads. Our accommodation in Redondela was in town at an apartment/hotel.
Day 3: Redondela to Pontevedra
Today’s walk took us from Redondela to Pontevedra. This was a bit more arduous than yesterday, over 20.9km (13 miles) with two 500-foot climbs. The scenery was wonderful – fern and eucalyptus forests, remnants of Roman roads, and beautiful small vineyards populating the hilly countryside. Along the way, we chatted with a couple from Kansas City and Mexican expats who had been walking from Porto. Many small vendors along the way selling souvenirs were able to stamp our Camino passports.
Arriving in Pontevedra, we walked the alternate (but preferred) route along a small river rather than walk the last couple of miles on the highway. We took a 2-hour rest then walked around the city, probably another few miles, and by dinner time the legs were definitely tired and sore. In town we also visited the pilgrim’s sanctuary and scouted where our walking route would take us for the next day. There are also many monuments and buildings recognising pilgrims of the Camino, including the ‘Church of the Pilgrim’.
People eat so late in Spain – the restaurant Follow the Camino recommended did not open until 9pm and we were just too tired to stay up that long, but all the small dining places in town seem to serve good food. We just had a couple of tapas dishes, including grilled scallops in their shells (which were amazing!). Tomorrow’s walk is less than 11km (7 miles) so we will not be in a rush to head out. Because our next destination is much smaller, the accommodation will also include dinner for us.
Day 4: Pontevedra to ‘Barro’
I put Barro in quote marks because our accommodation was a little bit outside the village itself. In fact, Barro is not directly on the Camino route and we had to walk a few kilometres away from the Camino to arrive at this charming guest house hosted by Amalia and Ramon. We could have called the hosts to pick us up but that seemed to defeat the purpose of this adventure! The accommodation was in a beautiful home, complete with a swimming pool (of which I availed myself). I then took a very nice siesta afterwards. Amalia and Ramon hosted breakfast in the morning but took us out to a local restaurant for our dinner that night. They also offered other services – most importantly, for a small fee, Amalia did a load of laundry for us which should sustain us until we get home!
The walk today was mostly flat, including through an oak forest and small vineyards. We made a stop at a church to get our passports stamped and receive a pilgrim’s blessing from a priest before continuing on. The itinerary said today’s distance was 10.5km (6.5 miles) but we clocked in at closer to 15km (or 9.5 miles). This caused some anxiety as we thought we were in Barro around the 10km mark and did not understand why Google Maps said it was still further to go to reach the accommodation. Follow the Camino provides contact phone numbers and, after calling them, we were reassured that we were not off track.
Dinner was included in tonight’s stay but not at the hostel; they drove us to a nearby restaurant and we had a very good dinner. The next morning, Ramon also drove us to connect with the Camino route directly.
Day 5: Barro to Caldas de Reis
This was our shortest day, only 10.5km in total (around 6.5 miles), so it was an easy walk. This was a mostly flat walk through small vineyards and cornfields. We passed one cross and stopped once for a coffee/toilet break. Our accommodation was in a small hotel in the town of Caldas de Reis. We arrived before the hotel check in time and before our luggage arrived, so we wandered the town a bit to wait. Typical of many hotels in Europe, the rooms were quite small, though they did meet our expectations for cleanliness, quietness, and convenience. But finding room for two suitcases in these small rooms was sometimes challenging. If this is an important factor to you, you should ask your travel advisor about it.
Because the distance from Barro to Caldas de Reis is so short, many walkers do not stay the night in Barro. This meant we saw far fewer people today than on other days and did not have the opportunity to speak to anyone at great length.
Day 6: Caldas de Reis to Padron
This trek was quite stunning, walking through forests and a few small Concellos (municipalities). We encountered a number of statues along the way as well as Roman ruins. We arrived in the town of Padron a bit later than expected because the 17.5km (11 mile) walk turned out to be slightly more than that. Our bodies were for the most part holding up well, but our feet certainly seemed to take a beating. We brought and applied various remedies for blisters, bunions, neuromas, etc.
In Caldas de Reis our accommodation for the night was a spartan, 1 star hotel. No frills, just the basics. Tonight, our accommodation is Padron is a 4 star hotel modelled after the original 16th Century private home the hotel was built from.
Day 6: Padron to Teo
Although not a long day of walking today, only about 13km (or 8 miles), our feet have been talking to us. Or more accurately, our toes – there are blisters in places I did not know were receptive to them! Maybe that’s what makes it a real pilgrimage. We traveled through a number of very small villages (maybe suburbs as we are close by highway to Santiago de Compostela) with very narrow, windy streets. Thankfully the Camino signage remained excellent. Tonight, we are staying in a small, privately owned guest house that will serve us dinner. Again, the accommodation, though not fancy, is adequate.
Day 7: Teo to Santiago de Compostela
This was to be our last walking day! We got our usual start about 9am following a simple continental breakfast which is customary (even though selection and quality can differ a bit). Although many pilgrims may have accommodation that provides breakfast, many do not. For those who don’t, you’ll notice between 1-2 hours after starting the morning portion of a walk, strategically located small taverns serving breakfast foods, beverages, and even in some cases, an ‘American breakfast’ of eggs and bacon!
Today’s walk includes passing many small hamlets. Even though our Camino is short (just 8 days), there is noticeable anticipation of approaching Santiago de Compostela. So much so, in fact, that upon cresting a hill I was sure the city in the distance was Santiago and I got very excited. I was wrong, there was still a few miles to go!
Walking into Santiago de Compostela was a revelation, an experience that I will never forget. The large square had hundreds and hundreds of people gathered to celebrate the Apostle St James and reflect on their journey. After a bit of rest in our first, we visited the old town, entered the very organised queue outside the Cathedral and a short while later received our pilgrim certification! We made it! That night we treated ourselves to a delicious Galician meal (a seafood paella) and a few glasses of local wine to celebrate our achievement.
Although it cannot be said that we experienced any miracles in the usual meaning, it is worth mentioning the following. Although a number of pilgrims carry their belongings on their backs, nowadays a majority have their luggage transported each day between their accommodation. There are a number of companies that provide this service which you can
arrange for yourself or, as in our case, have someone like Follow the Camino take care of it all – accommodation, meals and everything. Yet, with all of the thousands of pilgrims walking daily between many different places, our luggage always miraculously showed up at our next destination on time and in good condition!
The Next Day: Visiting Fisterra / Finisterra
Many pilgrims finish their Camino in Santiago de Compostela, but in many ways the real ‘kilometre zero’ of the Camino is located in Fisterra on the western edge of Galicia. We did not walk to Fisterra, but rather enjoyed a full day bus tour to the Spanish coast including the town of Fisterra / Finisterra, the Cape itself, and a beautiful waterfall. It was foggy all day on the coast and also rained at times, plus it was extremely windy, but it was definitely a worthwhile excursion. The tour also stopped at a village with an old bridge that still used the original Roman footings.
Lessons Learned (or Confirmed)
- We could have made all the travel arrangements ourselves; booking accommodations, deciding on where to stop, organising for baggage transfers etc. And, yes, that could have saved quite a bit. However, it is so much easier to have experts plan your trip and advise you on how you can make more of your trip. The information Follow the Camino provided, including an app that covers every aspect of each day’s activities, was invaluable. And, having emergency phone numbers to call (which were used a couple of times) was reassuring and kept us to our itinerary.
- Although we ‘only’ walked 4-6 hours per day, do not underestimate the toll this takes on your feet and knees. Follow the Camino provided a training schedule which we followed diligently leading to our holiday. This included hiking on flat routes and in hills too. We even started walking to our church (a 10km or 6 mile round-trip) each Sunday. After doing this awhile, the rhythm of walking became second nature.
- Pick up on any physical issues during training and do NOT ignore them. For example, I noticed a discomfort in the joint of my big toe and visited a podiatrist before we travelled. This turned out to be beneficial, both in terms of treating the condition but also getting additional advice on foot care and the right shoes to buy.
- Read all the materials provided, especially if you use an expert trip planner like Follow the Camino. On some days, I got lazy and did not read everything in preparation for the day ahead. That was a mistake because a lot of valuable information was provided, especially sights to see along the route.
- We had instructed Follow the Camino that we did not require fancy accommodation since we would only be there one night each. A private bathroom, clean rooms, and quietness were our highest priorities. All of the accommodation met our requirements, but it’s important to remember that rooms can often be quite small. In some cases, there was just no place to put our two suitcases. If you need extra room, be sure to make that request to your trip planner.
- The whole experience was daunting at first, especially after the first day, with our sore feet and muscles, wondering if we could really do the entire walk. We knew we could get a taxi, usually quite close to the trail, to go on to the next town if needed. But we were delighted at the end of the walk we could do what we set our minds to.
Want to learn more about your own Camino Portugues itinerary for 2025? Contact a member of our expert sales team for a free 10-minute chat about your holiday plans.
Headline image credit, Miguel Da Santa-Amatar.