Portuguese Coastal Way from Oporto

You will arrive in Oporto on your own or, if you wish, we can manage your transfer from any airport or station you arrive at.

From here, depending on your arrival time, you can visit various places of interest in the city. In addition, the wide Portuguese culinary offer will let you enjoy a good meal to start the Camino with energy.

This stage doesn’t present any particular difficulty, even though quite a few kilometers lie ahead. In fact, some pilgrims prefer to divide it into two days and spend the night in an intermediate town.

In any case, during this stage we’ll stay close to the coast at all times, following mostly flat paths, including wooden walkways and bike lanes that will allow us to enjoy the best views of the Atlantic Ocean’s beaches.

We continue with another easy stage along the coast on wooden walkways, allowing us to visit the town of Vila do Conde, with its charming historic center and rich cultural heritage, highlighted by its aqueduct with 999 arches, the Convent of Santa Clara, and the Fortress of San Juan.

Later on, upon reaching Póvoa de Varzim, we’ll also be able to admire its beautiful heritage and monuments.

We leave Póvoa de Varzim to continue with a stage that, while not the most beautiful, will certainly be very varied.

We’ll pass through some road sections and cobblestones, but also seafront promenades, wooden walkways over beaches, and dirt trails, making this route much more enjoyable.

A stage in which we won’t have beaches or sea views along its 25 km route, but that will still offer beautiful landscapes—such as the descending path to the Neiva River over a stone slab walkway, or the old town of Viana do Castelo at the end of this stage of the Portuguese Coastal Way.

The final stage on Portuguese soil offers the possibility to choose between the official inland route, following the yellow arrows, or the alternative that detours along the coast, walking on boardwalks near the sea.

Whichever option you choose, don’t forget to enjoy the best of Portuguese cuisine while visiting the beautiful historic center of Caminha, before leaving the country.

We begin the first stage on Galician soil by taking the ferry to cross the Miño River, which serves as the border between Spain and Portugal.

Once in Galicia, we’ll be able to enjoy sea viewpoints and some very photogenic and unique stretches, such as the old town of the beautiful village of A Guarda or the Monastery of Santa María de Oia.

In this stage, we’ll walk through the hills while enjoying beautiful views, and we’ll also pass through the town of Baiona, a must-stop along the way.

We’ll enter A Ramallosa by crossing the Miñor River over a beautiful 13th-century Romanesque bridge, made up of ten arches and featuring a statue of Saint Telmo at its center.

In this stage from A Ramallosa, right after crossing its medieval bridge, we’ll have to choose between reaching Vigo by following the yellow arrows of the official route, or by taking the coastal path marked with green arrows.

If we choose this alternative, along the way we’ll be able to enjoy beautiful views of the last beaches on the route and the Atlantic Ocean.

The beginning of this stage, as we leave Vigo, offers beautiful panoramic views of the estuary along a wooded path on the Senda da Traída das Augas.

This is also the final stage of the Portuguese Coastal Way, as in Redondela we’ll meet the pilgrims from the inland Portuguese Way who will accompany us on the journey to Santiago de Compostela.

A short stage awaits us, just 19 km long and without major difficulties, well signposted and mostly urban in character.

We’ll pass through Arcade, a town famous for its oysters, cross the historic medieval bridge of Pontesampaio, and enter the beautiful city of Pontevedra, passing first through the Senda Fluvial do Río dos Gafos, surrounded by lush vegetation.

We’ll leave the beautiful historic center of Pontevedra from the Church of the Virgen Peregrina, crossing the Puente do Burgo, and continue through typical Galician villages in another easy and short stage, similar to the previous day.

About 3 km further on, we’ll have the option to take the Spiritual Variant. Caldas de Reis, a town known for its thermal spa baths, awaits us at the end of the day.

Once again, a short section, although with more elevation gain than the previous one. We’ll have to follow the asphalt of the N-550 once more, but we’ll also pass through one of the most beautiful forested stretches of this variant, in a stage that takes us into the province of A Coruña, bringing us a bit closer to the Galician capital.

Upon our arrival in Padrón, we’ll be able to try its famous peppers or visit the Rosalía de Castro House Museum.

Our destination is very close, but before reaching it, we’ll need to walk through stretches of asphalt and urban areas, as well as spend quite some time along the national road. The greatest challenge awaits us in the climb to Agro dos Monteiros, near O Milladoiro.

After this ascent in the second part of the stage, we continue on to finally enter Santiago de Compostela and arrive at the Plaza del Obradoiro via the famous Rúa do Franco.

We’ll have the day free to visit all the main points of interest in the Galician capital—from the Cathedral, to the Mercado de Abastos or the Platerías Square, and the many bars and restaurants in its historic center.