Camino Portugués: Stage 1 & 2: Lisbon to Coimbra
- Experiencing a sense of timelessness and freedom amongst the ever changing landscape
- Discovering the historical towns that form the backbone of the route
- Enjoying a Pastel de Nata and coffee in Coimbra
- Losing yourself in the historical streets of Santarém
- Finding the real Portugal as you wander it's paths at your own pace
Gallery
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive Lisbon and overnightThe captivating capital city of Portugal is one of those cities you are sure to fall instantly in love with as you wander the old cobbled streets of the Alfama neighbourhood. Dine out on delicious street food at the famous Time Out food market, climb to the top of the city’s famous “seven hills” for panoramic views, or visit the Castelo de Sao Jorge (St George’s Castle), with its amazing views over the Tegus River.
Die Lage des Hotels ist vorteilhaft im Zentrum der Stadt und es bietet Komfort und einen guten Service.
Following the river out of Lisbon is a pleasant way to start your Camino Portugues before taking a quiet path through green valleys to Santa Iria de Azoia. Leaving cities on foot can be quite a challenge, however in this case leaving Lisbon is easy as you head down to the estuary of the river.
Follow the river until you reach a tranquil green valley to the highest point of todays walk, at a mere 50 metres.
Ascent: 61m / Descent: 96m
This 4-star hotel is located in the northern metropolitan area of Lisbon. There is a restaurant with gardens and water feature, which serves traditional Portuguese cuisine. The rooms have air conditioning, WIFI, telephone, safe and minibar.
Following the river for most of today and along the River Tejo takes you to Vila Franca de Xira, home to an annual bull-fighting festival in July. Today's walk is realtively flat, taking you along the river and parallele to the busy N10. Be extra vigilent when heading through the industrial areas.
With modern architecture and decor the Leziria Parque Hotel has 103 rooms and an outdoor courtyard. Air conditioned rooms are equipped with large beds, and flat-screen TV with cable channels.
Continue to Azambuja, mostly on paved roads today. However, if you walk during the summer the wild flowers in the hedgerows are a nice distraction. Azambuja has it's own 'running of the bulls' event during the last week in May. Walk to Azambuja, mostly on paved roads today which runs parallel to or alongside the busy N-10 and the Rio Tejo.
Ascent: 25m / Descent: 28m
In Residencial Flor da Primavera each room is provided with air conditioning, TV, Internet and private WC.
Embark on a long walk today, taking you through the 'Garden of Portugal' and a short ascent up to Santarem.
Today's walk takes you across the flood plains and agricultural areas and you will be surrounded by cropfields and vineyards - a nice change to the more industrial previous few days. This area is know as the 'Garden of Portugal'. A final climb up a short hill takes you to Santarem, a beautiful historic city sitting on top of a fortified hilltop.
Ascent: 111m / Descent: 9m
The accommodation is located in an old manor house dating from the 17th century, and offers 8 rooms decorated with works of art, antiques, old linen and lace.
Prepare for a long and flat walk today along the River Tejo. Follow quiet lanes and farm tracks alongside the River Tejo to Golega, with its pretty central square and 14th century parish church. Golega is also know as the 'horse capital of Portugal'.
Ascent: 73m / Descent: 80m
Hotel Lusitano has a total of 24 rooms, equipped with flat screen TV, air conditioning, safe deposit box, internet connection, telephone, mini-bar, robes, slippers and hair dryer. The hotel has two distinctive areas: the ´Old House´ with hard wood floors, ceilings and shutters, and the ´New Wing´, which has more spacious areas and a contemporary style.
Today's walk takes you into the gentle rolling hills or 'Serras' and passes several small villages. Tomar is a historic templar town and offers a warm welcome to pilgrims. Be sure to explore the Templar castle, Convent of Christ and Charold overlooking the town.
Ascent: 274m / Descent: 235m
This hotel has 117 rooms, all equipped with terrace, air conditioning, TV, minibar telephone and private bathroom with a separate bathtub. The hotel features a spa, lovely gardens, a fitness centre and tennis court.
A slighty more strenous day today takes you over the Serras to the high point of Alvaiazere. You will be following roman roads and woodland paths for the most part.
The terrain varies today as yuo make your way out of the flat plains of Ribatejo into the province of Beira Litoral over several hillsm your final ascent will take you to the highest point of the walk, at 310 metres, finish todays walk in Alvaiazere.
Ascent: 539m / Descent: 295m
Rooms at this property have heating, TV and private bathrooms.
Continue through olive groves, crop fields and forested valleys, perhaps stopping for lunch in the town of Ansiao.
Set on, Alvorge insight along the undulating terrain, passing olive groves and small crop fields. Ansiao is a town which you pass through at the half way point of your walk, which makes it an ideal location for a break.
Ascent: 323m / Descent: 363m
This guest house has 8 rooms. There is a garden with barbecue and a swimming pool.
Today's highlight will be admiring the famous Roman ruins of Conimbriga
Follow part of the original Roman road today to the famous Roman ruins of Conimbriga. Conimbriga is the largest Roman settlement in Portugal and the extensive site is well worth exploring. Tonight you will overnight in Condexia - a short 25 min walk from Conimbriga
Ascent: 98m / Descent: 286m
Located at the Palace of the Almadas that for many years hosted personalities from the most distinguished European nobility, now offers 43 comfortable rooms with balconies (including suites with terraces); Restaurant and Bar; Large garden; Outdoors swimming pool; Sauna, massage room, fitness machines and free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel.
If you want to visit the ruins at Conimbriga again before embarking on your walk, take a moment to enjoy the peace and quiet as the rest of your day will start to experience the hustle and bustle of city life as you make your way to Coimbra.
Ascent: 260m / Descent: 342m
Hotel Dona Inês is a modern and comfortable hotel, with 122 rooms, which was completely renovated in 2011. All rooms have private bathrooms, air conditioning, telephone, minibar, safe deposit box, radio and satellite TV.
Enjoy breakfast before checking out and making your way home.
The 53 rooms of Quinta dos Três Pinheiros have an elegant and attractive decor, with flat-screen TV, satellite channels, mini bar, air conditioning, telephone and free Wi-Fi.
This trip has a carbon score of 15kg per person per night, meaning it’s one of our greenest trips! For comparison, a carbon count of 15kg is equivalent to 88.5 candy bars. Here at Macs, we pride ourselves on being a responsible travel company and continue to adopt, develop and innovate ways to positively impact the environment. Find out more information about how we've carbon counted our trips.
Other Information
Is it for me?The Camino Portugués is a fantastic alternative to the more popular Camino Frances. The walking is much easier, the route is a lot quieter and you can collect a whole new Pilgrims Passport full of stamps.
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.
Inn to Inn Walking | Walk from place-to-place changing accommodations each night. Generally staying in B&B’s, inns, and guesthouses.
Solo Travellers, Families with Teens
As a guide, we would suggest that the minimum age of traveler this tour would be suitable for is: 12 Years
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.
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. Please note that in Santa Iria de Azoia your accommodation is approximately 3km from the route and in Alvorge the accommodation is approximately 2km from the path. In Azambuja the guesthouse does not offer breakfast.
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 Azambuja), which usually consists of 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.
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.
- Taxis to your accommdoation in Condeixa.
- Accommodation in small rural hotels, twin/double rooms with en-suite W/C.
- Daily 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
- Emergency support from our local and UK offices in the event of a problem.
- 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.
- No Breakfast day 4 in Azambuja
- Additional nights accommodation along the way.
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.
You can fly into Lisbon from several airports in the UK, with several different carriers. From London, you can fly direct with TAP, British Airways, Easyjet and Thomson.
On the return, you are best flying out of Porto. Again, this city is accessible directly from London and Manchester with Ryanair, Easyjet and TAP.
To get to Porto from Coimbra, you can take a train with CP Rail which takes around an hour.
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.
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.
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.
The average daily distance of the Portugués Camino is between 12 and 33 kilometers and you can expect to walk for between four and eight hours each day. You should do as much walking as possible prior to your walk as this will simply add to your enjoyment. That said if you are not at peak fitness you will find you will soon walk yourself fit.
Baggage transfers are included. Your bags will be transferred from your accommodation as per your itinerary and moved onto your next overnight accommodation. The maximum weight for a piece of luggage is 20kg.
Yes, some people prefer to walk carrying their own bags as a true pilgrim would have. You can select the option for removing the baggage transfers in Step 2 of the Booking Engine.
Public transport and taxis are available, if you are need of support our local partner in Portugal/Spain will be more that happy to help.
Unfortunately we are unable to change your accommodation bookings and itinerary once you start walking as alternative accommodation is generally not available at such short notice.
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