Portuguese Way Map

The Portuguese Way links Lisbon and Santiago over 620 km and 27 stages, crossing Portugal and Galicia. Well signposted and with plenty of services, it's an accessible route, with variants and starting points from Porto, Tui or Vigo, ideal for first-timers.

The 620 km that separate Lisbon from Santiago along the Portuguese Way fit onto the map we bring you in this article. A route to discover the neighboring country and enjoy everything it shares with Galicia… and what sets it apart.

How to read this map of the Portuguese Way?

The map shows the complete route of the Portuguese Way, from the Portuguese capital to Santiago de Compostela, split into 27 stages. Below you'll see the elevation profile, so you can tell at a glance where the climbs are. If you want the details of each day, you'll find them in our guide to the Camino routes and stages.

Along the way you'll travel through 2 countries, 8 Portuguese districts and 2 Galician provinces. In Portugal you'll pass through the districts of Lisbon, Santarém, Leiria, Coimbra, Aveiro, Porto, Braga and Viana do Castelo; once in Galicia, through the provinces of Pontevedra and A Coruña.

From south to north you'll pass through many towns with services, which makes this Camino one of the best equipped: shops, bars and places to stay appear along the way very frequently.

Something to keep in mind!

That good infrastructure has an explanation. The Portuguese Way is the second most popular Camino de Santiago route, just behind the French Way, as you can see in our Camino statistics. What's more, part of the route through Portugal is shared with another major pilgrimage, the one to Fátima.

As for the climbs, it's one of the most accessible Caminos. From Porto, the toughest climb is the one up to Portela de Labruja, around 400 m in altitude, on the stage between Ponte de Lima and Rubiães. If you set off from Lisbon, you'll see on the profile that the highest point of the whole route is on the stretch between Tomar and Coimbra.

Another peculiarity of the Portuguese Way is the number of variants it has. The best known is the Portuguese Way along the Coast, which follows the Atlantic coastline from Porto. There's also the Spiritual Variant, which from Pontevedra heads towards the Ría de Arousa and sails up the Ulla river by boat to Pontecesures, at the gates of Padrón, following the Traslatio of the Apostle.

But… where do I start the Camino?

The classic starting point of the Portuguese Way is Lisbon, and that's the one you'll see marked on the map. But if you don't have that many days, Porto is a more manageable starting point time-wise, whether on foot or on two wheels. From there you can do the Portuguese Way from Porto on foot or, if you prefer, the Portuguese Way by bike.

If you only have a week, the Galician section offers some very interesting options. Starting the Portuguese Way from Tui, on the border with Portugal, you'll reach Santiago in 6 stages. If you're short on time, you can also do it in 5 stages, which are a bit longer.

Another option is to set off from Vigo. In all of these cases you'll receive the Compostela, which is awarded for walking at least the last 100 km to Santiago.

And if you want to enjoy the south of Galicia while staying in high-end hotels, you can combine the pilgrimage with some luxury rest.

For all these reasons, the Portuguese Way is one of the favorites among international pilgrims, also thanks to the airports of Lisbon, Porto and Vigo, close to its main starting points. You won't have any trouble meeting other pilgrims along the way. Together with the French Way, it's one of the best routes to take your first steps towards Santiago.

Can you already picture yourself crossing the Miño on your way to Santiago? Work out the price of your Portuguese Way here and start planning it to suit you.