Camino Portugués Coastal Route: Stages, Map and Where to Start

The longest stage of the route: 37 km to trade the city for the ocean. You leave Porto’s historic center, next to the Sé, and follow the bank of the Douro to its mouth at Foz. Then come Matosinhos, Leça da Palmeira and the beaches of Angeiras and Labruge: the urban surfaces of the start give way to kilometers of wooden boardwalks over the dunes, past forts, chapels and the Mindelo bird reserve. You cross the Ave River and the historic center of Vila do Conde before reaching Póvoa de Varzim, with its handmade azulejos (glazed tiles), its neoclassical casino from 1934 and the Praia da Lagoa.

A stage of contrasts, with the ocean and the beaches for company. You leave Póvoa de Varzim along its seafront promenade and string together the beaches of Fragosinho, Aguçadoura and Apúlia, alternating sand, cobbles, paths and the odd stretch of asphalt; on rainy days, watch out for slippery ground. Much of the day crosses the Litoral Norte Natural Park, with dunes, wetlands, estuaries and traditional fields by the coast, fertilized with sargassum seaweed. An iron bridge over the Cávado leads to Esposende, right at the river mouth; if you’re interested in heritage, visit the Castro de São Lourenço hillfort.

Today the Camino leaves the Esposende coastline for a few kilometers and heads inland, although the ocean reappears on arrival. The best moment of the day is the lovely descent to the Neiva River; then, past chapels and churches, you gradually make progress until you cross the famous Eiffel bridge and enter Viana do Castelo, a city with deep seafaring roots. The sea drifting away for a few kilometers doesn’t make the scenery any less spectacular. Wander through the center to the Praça da República and treat yourself to a good bacalhau (salt cod), the soul of Portuguese cooking.

A short stage with spectacular natural scenery, back beside the sea. Leaving Viana do Castelo there are two options: the official route, inland, or the seaside variant, unmarked but easy to follow, which hugs the coast, with views of Portugal’s endless straight shoreline. It’s 19 km to Vila Praia de Âncora, a fishing town almost on the border, with a huge wild beach, the Forte da Lagarteira and the Dolmen da Barrosa. If you’re tempted by a swim, watch out for the waves. It’s your last night in Portugal: tomorrow, Caminha and Galicia.

One of the most unusual days on the Camino Portugués Coastal Route. You leave Vila Praia de Âncora along the coast to Caminha and, from there, cross the mouth of the Minho by ferry to land in Galicia; check the ferry timetable beforehand. Once on Galician soil you can climb Monte Santa Trega (Santa Tecla), with one of the best-preserved Iron Age hillforts in Spain and a magnificent view of the river mouth, with Portugal right across the water. A Guarda, a small seafaring town with a lively harbor and excellent seafood, is famous for its lobster: a good place to celebrate reaching Galicia.

The first stage entirely in Galicia and the second longest of the route: 30.7 km along the spectacular rocky coast of the southern Baixo Miño. Along the way you reach Oia, a seafaring village of traditional ways with its monastery of Santa María; on our tours from A Guarda and from Porto to Santiago, the day is split there. Baiona, one of the prettiest towns in Galicia, closes off its bay with the Monterreal fortress, now a parador, surrounded by a wall you can walk all the way around. At the harbor waits the replica of the caravel Pinta, which brought the news of the New World here.

You leave Baiona along the seafront promenade and, at A Ramallosa, about four and a half kilometers on, it’s time to choose: the official route, which heads inland, or the coastal variant, with beaches and the ría always in sight. Whichever you pick, the approach to Vigo is long and urban. Vigo, nicknamed the “Olive City”, has a huge fishing port, an old town (Casco Vello) with Oyster Street, where they open them in front of you, and Monte do Castro looking out over the ría. Boats leave its port for the Cíes Islands, with Rodas beach. A glass of albariño on a terrace rounds off the day.

The last stage that belongs to the Coastal Route alone. You say goodbye to Vigo along Rúa Urzaiz, leaving behind the Casco Vello and Monte O Castro, and pick up the yellow arrows again on the way to Arcade. The day offers one of the best views of the Ría de Vigo, the Rego de Fondón waterfall and the climb to the church of San Andrés de Cedeira. At Redondela the Central Route of the Camino Portugués joins: from here, one path all the way to Santiago. In Arcade, a parish of Soutomaior and the oyster capital, the 12th-century Soutomaior Castle awaits, with its famous camellia trail, along with Muxeira beach.

Just 12 km, with plenty of time to reach the day’s goal. You leave Arcade over the historic Pontesampaio bridge, scene in 1809 of a decisive battle against Napoleon’s troops, and continue along the evocative Roman road of Brea Vella da Canicouva, with its large stone slabs, through woods and hamlets. Pontevedra, city of the Virgen Peregrina (Pilgrim Virgin), whose church has a curious scallop-shaped floor plan, has the second most important old town in Galicia and the Museo de Pontevedra, with more than 16,000 pieces.

A gentle, pleasant stage, walked with the joy of the nearing finish. You leave Pontevedra via the Praza da Peregrina and the Ponte do Burgo into a rural setting of riverside woods, vineyards and hamlets, in the shade of centuries-old oaks. The short detour to the Barosa River waterfall is worth it. Caldas de Reis, a spa town since ancient times, invites you to bathe in its waters; to round off your visit, there’s the church of Santa María, with its 12th-century doorway, the botanical garden of camellias and oaks, and the Fervenza de Segade waterfall by the Umia.

The second-to-last day before Santiago, 18.6 km along rural paths and through villages of inland Pontevedra. You pass through Valga and Pontecesures, the old “Port of Compostela”, and cross the Ulla River into the province of A Coruña and Padrón, a landmark of the Jacobean Translatio: the church of Santiago Apóstol keeps the pedrón, the stone to which, according to tradition, the boat carrying the Apostle’s remains was moored. The Casa-Museo de Rosalía de Castro, the poet who spent her last years here, and the famous peppers complete the arrival.

The last stage: leave Padrón early to make the most of your day in Santiago. You soon pass through Iria Flavia, whose collegiate church was the first cathedral in Galicia and in whose cemetery, under an olive tree, lies the humble grave of Camilo José Cela. Then come the last hamlets and more and more built-up areas, through the municipalities of Teo and Ames, a sign that the finish is near, until you reach the Praza do Obradoiro and the Cathedral. You collect the Compostela at the Pilgrim’s Office; don’t miss the pilgrims’ Mass.