Camino Portugués Coastal Way: Stage 1

Tour 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.

Activity Level & Terrain

This walk is graded as moderate overall and includes daily walks of between 19 and 25km on mostly flat terrain. You will follow a mixture of coastal paths, wooden walkways, dirt tracks and some roads closer to the bigger cities and towns.

Navigation

The Camino Portuguese coastal route is not as well way-marked as the main Camino Portuguese but we provide detailed route notes and maps as well as a guidebook. You will also have access to the Macs Adventure Smartphone App so you can follow the route using your phones GPS so you will have no problems finding the way.

• 6 nights in small rural hotels and hostels in twin/double rooms with en-suite W/C
• 6 Breakfasts
• Daily Baggage Transfers
• A detailed information pack including route notes, maps and local information
• Access to our smartphone app & GPS tracks
• 24-7 emergency support from our local and UK offices in the event of a problem

• Return travel to Portugal/Spain
• Lunches, snacks or drinks
• Travel Insurance
• Personal Equipment
• Taxi transfers or public transport should you need to skip a stage
• Metro on Day 2 to Matosinhos (approx €3)
• Ferry from Caminha over River Mino (approx €6 and must be booked in advance)

• Additional nights accommodation along the way.

When To Go

You can start your walk anytime between the beginning of March and the end of October subject to availability.  July and August can get very hot so please bear this in mind if walking at this time of year.

Ferry between Portugal and Spain

The short ferry between Caminha and A Guarda only takes 5-10 minutes and should be booked in advance. There are two companies which run it - Taxi-Mar who can be reached on +351 915 955 827 - and Xacobeo Transfer who can be reached on +34 613 011 226 or xacobeotransfer.com.

Getting to the Start

By Air: Porto is easily accessible from London and many airports throughout Europe on a direct flight or you can also fly via Lisbon and take a train to Porto (2.5h). Airlines flying to Porto include low-cost carriers such as Ryanair and Easyjet and other options include British Airways, TAP, KLM and Lufthansa.

By Rail: Porto is one of the main railway hubs in northern Portugal and is therefore easily reached by train. It takes approx 3 hours by train from Lisbon to Porto.

By Road: Porto enjoys good connections by road to the rest of Portugal. It takes approx 7 hours to drive from Lisbon to Porto.

Ferry between Spain and Portugal: The short ferry between Caminha and A Guarda only takes 5-10 minutes and should be booked in advance. There are two companies which run it - Taxi-Mar who can be reached on +351 915 955 827 - and Xacobeo Transfer who can be reached on +34 613 011 226 or xacobeotransfer.com.

Getting from the End

By Air: The closest airport to A Guarda is Vigo which you can reach by flights with Iberia via Madrid. The other option is to fly into Porto, but it is a 4-hour bus journey from there to A Guarda.

Luggage Transfer

Baggage transfers are included (max 20kg per person). Your main bag will be transferred each day between your overnight accommodation so that you only need to walk with a day pack.

General Information

The distances and ascent/descents are approximations of the recommended routes.

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.