Portuguese Way from Tui in 6 stages

Bathed by the Miño river, this medieval town stands out for housing one of the most impressive cathedrals in the whole of Galicia: the cathedral of Santa María, located on the top of a promontory. Tui can also boast of having been surrounded by the most extensive wall in the whole of Galicia. Accessible by train, we can also help you with transfers from any other station or airport.

You set off on your journey by leaving Tui’s old town behind and down towards the river Miño to keep moving forward among vineyards and thick forests.

Framed in an idyllic natural setting, you will cross many little hamlets, alternating with some tarmac roads close to an industrial park. After a few kilometres walking next to the river Louro and crossing Orbenlle bridge, you will soon reach the end of this first stage: the town of O Porriño.

In the second stage, you will face a short walk, leaving O Porriño behind towards the town of Redondela. Once again, you will progress alternating between tarmac roads and some other natural areas. You will pass by a few hamlets until you reach Mos, where you can take a break and regain strength before facing the climb that will take you to the Santiaguiño chapel.

The last stretch of this stage runs mostly downhill, accompanied by beautiful views that will make up for the previous effort, as you get close to Redondela, one of the places in our journey that offer a richer historic, cultural and natural heritage.

This is a short stage, with very little gradient and, therefore, little physical demand, and with exceptional signposting. At all times we will walk very close to the Vigo estuary, although we will rarely be able to see it, and we will reach Pontevedra by means of a beautiful river path.

Pontevedra has a great historical heritage with an atmosphere that is hard to find anywhere else. You can visit places of interest such as the Church of the Pilgrim Virgin and the Ruins of Santo Domingo, as well as stroll through the old town.

We leave the city of Pontevedra behind to begin a short and easy stage that constantly advances along comfortable dirt tracks and, occasionally, on asphalt, which will guide us through numerous towns and villages characteristic of the Galician countryside, until we reach the town of Caldas de Reis, known for the richness of its thermal waters and their health-giving properties.

Today we will change the province of Pontevedra for that of A Coruña in a stage that is perhaps one of the most scenically beautiful of the Portuguese Way in Galicia. We will advance parallel to the N-550 with more frequent slopes than in the previous stage, although they are easy to tackle.

Once you arrive at your destination, don’t forget to try the famous Padrón peppers, small in size and with their own slogan: ‘Pementos de Padrón, uns pican e outros non’ (‘Padrón peppers, some sting and some don’t’).

We can already sense Compostela. This is the last stage of the Portuguese Way in which we will reach the Cathedral after overcoming the distance that separates the two towns. It is an easy stage, with many small villages and urban areas with a moderate and progressive slope.

End of services. If you have time, stroll through the streets full of history in the old town of Compostela, visit its museums or delight in the architecture of the place.