Camino Portugués: Full Walk: Lisbon to Santiago Self Guided Walking

Camino Portugués: Full Walk: Lisbon to Santiago

33 Days & 32 Nights 4.7 Read 7 reviews

Walk the full Camino Portugués from Lisbon to Santiago de Compostela
Discovering the historical towns that form the backbone of the route
Enjoying a Pastel de Nata and coffee in Coimbra
Sipping ruby port in the UNESCO heritage city of Porto
Completing a unique and rewarding journey and gaining your Compostela in Santiago

Walk the full Camino Portugués from Lisbon to Santiago de Compostela, and enjoy a less travelled side of Portugal, but one which is no less inspiring and rich in cultural and architectural heritage. From the smells of cooking from the Churrascaria, the swell of emotion from your first sight of Santiago de Compostela, and the warmth and friendliness of the local people, you can be sure that this Camino will make a lasting impression.

What To Expect

Travel Restrictions

The Camino Portugués is a fantastic alternative to the well known Camino Frances, and is perfect if you want a route rich in culture as it passes through many historic villages, towns and historical cities. Much of the route follows the original Roman military road so you can expect some road walking but there are alternative routes which can be taken to avoid some of this and this is made up for by the vibrant interesting places you will pass by en-route.

Trip Type:

Pilgrimages | For those looking to follow a path of self-discovery. Our Pilgrimage and Camino routes take you on a journey through diverse landscapes and local flavours, while meeting like-minded adventurers along the way.

Activity:

Inn to Inn Walking | Walk from place-to-place changing accommodations each night. Generally staying in B&B’s, inns, and guesthouses.

This trip is suitable for:

Solo Travellers

Ideal if you have an interest in:

Long-Distance Trails

Grade & Terrain

The Camino Portugues is graded moderate overall and involves daily walks of between 12-33km. It is suited to regular walkers who enjoy long-distance walking. You will follow a mixture of farm/dirt tracks, woodland paths, minor roads (one-third of the route) and closer to the bigger towns and cities, some busier roads. It should also be noted that on the section out of Porto there is a busy road network but there are some alternatives to avoid this. Much of this route is flat, but there are a few days that are long and some sections on cobbled pavements which can be tough so a good level of fitness is recommended.

Navigation

The route is marked with yellow painted arrows but please take care at intersections where there may be a choice of several different alternative routes, particularly in the latter half of the route from Porto to Santiago. Navigation can become trickier when leaving the busier cities and towns such as Lisbon, Porto and Tui and you will need to pay close attention to your route notes for these sections. We also provide a guidebook and access to the Macs Adventure Smartphone App, which you can use to navigate. We strongly recommend using this App, or at least having it on your phone ready to use should you ever be in any doubt about your direction. There are usually other walkers around in case you are looking for help. A detailed information pack including route notes, local information and maps will be waiting for you at your first accommodation.

Accommodation Information

The accommodation is a mixture of small family-run hotels, guesthouses and larger hotels in the big cities. All with private rooms and en-suite bathrooms and all offer a warm welcome to walkers, traditional hospitality and delicious local food. We do recommend that you book this trip early as the area is always popular and the hotels and inns do fill up early.

Solo Walkers & Single Rooms

The Camino is available to solo walkers at a supplement. Single rooms are available although a single supplement is payable.

Meals

A local breakfast is included each morning (except in Albergaria a Velha and Azambuja), which usually consists of a coffee and bread with jams. Lunch and dinner are not included as standard so you are free to choose from the available options.

Additional Nights

There is so much to see and do along the route that many of our clients choose to add extra nights along the walk either as a rest day or simply to do some extra sightseeing. If you are walking the whole route solo try not to add too many extra nights along the way as you will lose touch with those you have met.

Included

Accommodation in small rural hotels, twin/double rooms with en-suite W/C.
Daily Baggage Transfers
Transfers required as per itinerary.
A detailed information pack, route notes, maps, GPX tracks and access to the Macs Adventure Navigation Smartphone App.
Emergency support from our local and UK offices in the event of a problem.

Excluded

Return travel to Spain/Portugal.
Lunches, dinners, snacks or drinks.
Travel Insurance.
Personal Equipment.
Taxi transfers or public transport should you need to skip a stage.
Breakfast in Albergaria a Velha and Azambuja.

Extras

Additional nights accommodation along the way.

When To Go

This trip is available to start on any day from the beginning of March to the end of October. Option & extension prices will be displayed as part of the booking process.

Time of Year

The weather on the Camino Portugues can be quite varied as it passes through several different regions. We recommend walking between March and October to get the best weather for walking. July and August can be extremely busy on the Camino and very hot (temperatures have reached up to 40 degrees) so we tend to recommend avoiding these months. As some of the route passes close to the coast, this can cool down the temperatures but it can also cause storms and high winds.

Getting to the Start

Lisbon Airport is easily accessed by direct flights from across the UK, Europe and several cities in the US. Major airlines who fly there include American Airlines, TAP, British Airways, Easyjet and Ryanair amongst others.

By Rail: If you are travelling to Lisbon from elsewhere in Portugal or Spain, it is also easily accessed by rail. View rail timetables at the Comboios de Portugal website.

Getting from the End

By Air: If flying to the UK, low-cost airlines such as EasyJet and Ryanair offer direct flights to London Stansted and London Gatwick. For travelling to the rest of Europe or the US, you can fly from Santiago via Madrid with Iberia, via Frankfurt with Lufthansa or via Paris or Barcelona with Vueling. Other options are available and you can check the Santiago Airport website for more information.

By Rail: It is also possible to take the train from Santiago to Madrid (approx 7hrs). Train timetables and fares can be viewed at RENFE.

By Bus: There are good bus connections from Santiago to other cities within Spain – see ALSA for bus schedules.

Baggage Transfer

Your bags will be collected from your accomodation each day and moved onto your overnight accomodation. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 18 kg per person.

At Macs Adventure, we work in partnership with many luggage transfer providers who set a limit on how many bags/suitcases they will transfer per person, and also the weight of the bag/suitcase. Your booking includes transfer of 1 bag per person. It is very important that you read the luggage information specific to your tour before departure. If you do not adhere to these limits, there is a great possibility that you will be charged locally both for extra bags or if they are too heavy. This limitation can be a challenge, especially as airlines generally have limits that are higher. However, our luggage providers have reasons for these limits (usually due to the Health and Safety of their employees), which we must respect.

General Information

Please be prepared by packing all necessary items, for example, proper rain gear (jacket and pants), sun hat and sun screen. Your information pack has a detailed equipment list which includes standard walking/cycling gear such as good walking boots or shoes, warm and waterproof clothes for the cooler months and lightweight clothing for summer, and a day pack.

Pilgrim's Passport & Compostela

The pilgrim’s passport is issued by the church of St James, you can obtain one at the start of your walk in the pilgrim’s office or the local church in town. You need to get the passport stamped in churches, restaurants and hotels along the way. At the end of the walk, in Santiago, you can obtain your Compostela Certificate (only if you have walked the last 100km). For the other sections of the trail, the passport is used as a souvenir with all the colourful stamps you will receive.

Equipment

Your information pack has a detailed equipment list which includes standard walking gear such as good walking boots or shoes, lightweight clothes, waterproofs and a day pack.

Travel Insurance

It is a requirement of booking this tour with Macs Adventure that you have suitable Travel Insurance which covers you for the activity, emergency evacuation and hospital care.

How fit do I need to be?

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What type of trails does the Portugués Camino follow?

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