Camino Portugués: Stage 4: Porto to Tui

8 Days & 7 Nights
  • Experience a route rich in cultural and archaeological heritage
  • Walking into Spain across the International bridge across the Minho
  • The charming market town of Ponte da Lima
  • Sipping ruby port in the UNESCO heritage city of Porto
  • Meeting fellow pilgrims and sharing your tales
On this trip you cross the border from Portugal into Spain when crossing the international bridge over the Minho river. During the course of the trip you will pass through a variety of landscapes, from the urban sprawl of Porto to rolling green hills and stretches of quiet coastline. As ever, the towns along the way are dotted with spectacular baroque churches and are rife with history. The Camino Portugués, in general, is quite flat and easy to navigate and is a great alternative to the Camino Frances for pilgrims looking for their next achievement!
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 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.

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.

This trip is suitable for:

Solo Travellers

Ideal if you have an interest in:

  • Long-Distance Trails

Activity Level & Terrain

This walk is graded moderate and includes daily walks of 17-33km. You will follow a mixture of farm/dirt tracks, woodland paths, minor roads and close to the bigger towns and cities, some busier roads. It should be noted that on the section out of Porto there is a busy road network but there are some alternatives to avoid some of this. The walk is well way-marked and you will also be supplied with turn by turn route notes and detailed maps so you will have no problem following the route each day.

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. Navigation can become trickier when leaving the busier cities and towns such as Porto and Tui and you will need to pay close attention to your route notes for these sections. There are usually other walkers around in case you are looking for help. We also provide a guidebook which can be very helpful to use at confusing intersections. A detailed information pack including route notes, local information and maps will be waiting for you at your first accommodation. This tour also has access to the Macs Adventure Navigation Smartphone App - we highly recommend using it, or at least having it on your phone ready to use should you ever be in any doubt about your direction.

Accommodations

The accommodation is a mixture of 3-4 star hotels and family-run guesthouses . 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 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.

Fewer Nights

It is possible to walk the Camino in less time but we would not recommend this.

Included
  • Accommodation in small rural hotels, twin/double rooms with en-suite W/C.
  • Baggage Transfers
  • A detailed information pack for the group leader including route notes, maps and local information.
  • GPX tracks and access to the Macs Adventure Smartphone Navigation App
  • to the Camino Frances for pilgrims looking for their next achievement! ItineraryAccommodationTrip InfoTravelIncludedFAQReviews Included Accommodation in small rural hotels, twin/double rooms with en-
  • Transfers from Arcos to Vilar do Pinheiro and back the next morning.
Excluded
  • Return travel to Spain/Portugal.
  • Lunches, snacks or drinks.
  • Travel Insurance.
  • Personal Equipment.
  • Taxi transfers or public transport should you need to skip a stage
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

For this section of the Camino Portugués, you are best to fly in and out of Porto. This city is accessible directly from London and Manchester with Ryanair, Easyjet and TAP.

To get back to Porto from Tui, you can take a taxi to Valenca, across the international bridge and then take a bus with Rede Expressos which takes around two and a half hours.

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. There is a supplement applicable for solo walkers on baggage transfers due to the fact that the transfer costs are usually shared.

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.

How fit do I need to be?
What type of trails does the Portugués Camino follow?
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What happens if I can’t walk a stage?
Can I change my itinerary once I start walking?

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive in Porto and Overnight Day 2: Walk to Vilar do Pinheiro (transfer to Arcos for overnight) 10.3 miles / 16.6 km Day 3: Transfer back to Vilar do Pinheiro and walk to Arcos 14 miles / 22.5 km Day 4: Walk to Barcelos 13 miles / 20.8 km Day 5: Walk to Ponte de Lima 22.4 miles / 36 km Day 6: Walk to Pecene 13.7 miles / 22 km Day 7: Walk to Tui  10 miles / 16 km Day 8: Onward Travel from Tui

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