Camino Portugues, The Story Extending from the Coast of Portugal to Santiago
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Notes from the Camino Portugues
Dear Travel Journal,
This week, we’re walking with Marcos on a route less popular but deeply meaningful the Portuguese Coastal Way (Camino Portugués por la Costa).
In this note, we focus on the coastal route of the Portuguese Way, also known as the Camino Portugues, Camino Portugués por la Costa or Caminho da Costa. This increasingly popular path follows the Atlantic shoreline from Porto to Santiago de Compostela.
As someone passionate about solo travel, I can say this: when you walk alongside someone you trust, someone who keeps teaching you new things and whose values you admire, or when you listen to their journey, the journey becomes much more enjoyable.
Just like time spent in nature, you hardly realize it’s passing.
At VAGMAG, we believe that travel is not only about arriving, but about observing, listening, and connecting. If you've ever felt the pull of long walks, if the idea of crossing borders on foot speaks to you, or if you're simply curious about this unique path this is for you.
This piece builds upon the original narrative, offering a framework for the Camino Portugues this time, through Marcos’s eyes.
Marcos’s journey is not just a story of stages and kilometers, but of sensations, doubts, cravings, and silent transformations.
Let’s walk it together.
This week, I’ll be talking about Marcos’s Camino Portugues journey, which he walked in May 2025.
In this note, you’ll find the following sections:
Final Destination: Santiago de Compostela
In this note, we’ll walk a different route of the Camino de Santiago, the Camino Portugues, alongside a different “pilgrim.” With Marcos, with whom we previously explored Santiago de Compostela.
From a different point of view, we’ll reflect on a long walking journey together. If you're someone like Marcos who enjoys solo travel, is adventurous and open-minded this will be an enjoyable read to start with. If this is your first time embarking on such a long journey as a foreigner, it’s a good idea to consult different perspectives.
Due to the abundance of guides and resources about this route, Marcos prefers to call this not a guide but rather “Notes on the Camino Portugues.” You can skip directly to any section using the table of contents above, and feel free to leave any questions in the comments.
Basic Information
Length: Approximately 280 kilometers
Duration: Usually completed in 13 stages
Typical stages: Coastal stages passing through beaches, cliffs, and fishing villages with views of the Atlantic Ocean
Camino Portugues, Step by Step
To accompany the story, we created a visual map that follows Marcos’s footsteps from Porto to Santiago de Compostela.
This map isn’t just a practical guide it’s a visual companion to the sensations, questions, and reflections shared along the way.
Click around each point to read destination-specific notes based on the article. You can save it.
Crafted with care by VAGMAG
Stages from Porto to Santiago de Compostela Walked
Oporto – Vila do Conde (35 km) or 23 km if starting from Matosinhos
Vila do Conde – Esposende (24 km)
Esposende – Viana do Castelo (25 km)
Viana do Castelo – Caminha (26.8 km)
Caminha – A Guarda (Oia) (17.1 km)
A Guarda (Oia) – Baiona (18 km)
Baiona – Vigo (25 km)
Vigo – Redondela (17 km)
Redondela – Pontevedra (19.6 km)
Pontevedra – Caldas de Reis (21.1 km)
Caldas de Reis – Padrón (18.6 km)
Padrón – Santiago de Compostela (23.7 km)
General Overview
Difficulty: The Portugues Way is generally easy to walk, with fewer elevation changes compared to other routes like the French Way.
Signage: Both routes are well marked.
Accommodation: Hostels, hotels, and rural guesthouses are available along the route.
Luggage Transport: Luggage transfer services are available to make your walk lighter.
Best time to go: Spring and autumn are the most pleasant seasons due to mild weather.
Notes on the Portugues Way
The Camino de Santiago is not a single physical route but a network of paths with historical and spiritual significance that has drawn pilgrims from around the world since the Middle Ages to pay tribute to the Apostle Santiago.
This transformed Santiago, along with Rome and Jerusalem, into one of the world’s three greatest Christian pilgrimage centers. Among the many existing routes, this note is not a guide, but a set of notes about the Portugues Coastal Way.
We’ll leave the task of finding food and accommodations to online tools dedicated to the Camino such as https://www.pilgrim.es/ travel agency solely focused on the Camino. They organize everything for you: hotels, backpack transport... or you can choose a less structured and more spontaneous approach.
The Portugues Way originated in the 12th century as an alternative to the more popular French Way.
Today, the Portugues Way has many variations. Here, we’ll focus on the coastal route starting in Porto, which has become one of the most interesting and fastest-growing options in recent years.
A Bit of History
Let’s begin with a historical note that helps us understand the complex interactions and shared roots between Portugal and Galicia. Because of shifting borders, often driven by interests that weren’t always legitimate, the lands we’ll walk through once belonged to the Kingdom of Galicia.
That’s why the emotional ties between Galicians and Portuguese run in both directions a kind of brotherhood that doesn’t extend to the rest of Spain.
Preparations
Beyond the cardiovascular or socio-cultural benefits of walking the Camino, having a spiritual or life-related motivation will make the experience of arriving at Obradoiro Square much more intense.
What Should I Pack?
Every gram matters, and even if you're someone who enjoys straightening your hair every morning, needless to say you won’t be able to do that here.
It’s recommended that your backpack’s total weight not exceed 10% of your body weight. Know the time of year you’ll be walking, check historical weather data, and pack clothes accordingly. Perhaps the most critical item is your footwear: you’ll be walking on asphalt and easy dirt paths, so your shoes shouldn’t be new, and it’s a good idea to carry vaseline for a daily foot massage before you begin walking.
If you’re unable to pack light, there are services tailored for pilgrims, such as https://caminofacil.net/, that transport your backpack to your next accommodation for around €12.
Marcos is completely right! When I first started hiking longer distances, I packed like I was going to a picnic and a photoshoot at the same time. Don ’t be me. Be smarter. Your back will thank you.
Starting Point: Porto
Porto, the second most important city in Portugal, has a complex topography with cobbled streets. One of its biggest attractions is visiting one of its many wine cellars. The best ones are in Vila Nova de Gaia, just south of Porto.
Cálem is one of the oldest wine houses in Portugal and offers visits, tastings, and fado performances fado being a traditional Portuguese musical style.
Fado comes from the Latin word Fatum, meaning "fate," and originated in the taverns of the city’s humble port neighborhoods. It’s melancholic and nostalgic in character. Starting your journey with a fado and wine tasting might be a great idea.
Before you get tipsy from nostalgia and alcohol, you can wander through the city and admire the Baroque architecture of the iconic Clérigos Church. Just a few meters away, if you’re a Harry Potter fan or simply love Gothic architecture, you can visit the Livraria Lello & Irmão bookstore, although entry costs €10. Also, don’t forget to eat something first: opt for a local dish such as Francesinha, Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá, Sardinhas Assadas, and of course, the most universally loved dessert pastéis de nata.
Now, you can get a little drunk. Your walk starts tomorrow.
I couldn’t understand how Marcos described Porto so professionally. I establish such deep connections with every place I go that I think I create a different Idalia in many parallel universes that continue their lives wherever I go. Porto is a city I didn’t want to leave.
Fado in the background, wine in hand, cobbled streets underfoot. What can I ask for more? If you’ve ever felt both homesick and completely at home in a place, you’ll understand what I mean.
Let’s Hit the Road
From Porto to Vigo, the path winds through small coastal towns closely connected to the sea. The fresh Atlantic breeze, wooden boardwalks snaking through dunes with the sea always on your left and always easy to walk.
At Redondela, our route merges with the inland Portuguese Way, and from there to Santiago, we’ll be joined by more pilgrims.
The next stop is Pontevedra, a city with a rich Roman history that, by the 15th century, was the largest city in Galicia. It stands out for its well-preserved historic center. In Pontevedra, you might consider taking an alternative route called the spiritual path, which includes a boat ride, emulating the Apostle Santiago’s journey by sea.
Returning to our route, the next stop is Caldas de Reis, meaning “waters of kings,” known for its thermal baths frequented by Galician royalty such as Alfonso VII.
Padrón will be the final stop before Santiago, known for its ties to the Apostle Santiago and for a culinary treat Padrón peppers.
They are famous worldwide, though few people know that they were brought from Mexico by Franciscan monks in the 16th century. On your way to Santiago, you might also consider visiting the Pazo de Faramello.
I haven't walked the Camino Portugues yet like Marcos, but from his description there's something about that first step when the city is still behind you, and the sea becomes your rhythm. I'm sure I wouldn't want to talk to anyone on my first day. Just listen. Just walk.
Santiago de Compostela
When you arrive in Santiago, you’ll enter the historic center through Porta Faxeira, one of the seven main gates in the city’s ancient wall. You’ll pass along Rua do Franco, which has nothing to do with the dark recent history of Spain it’s named after a French pilgrim who once settled there..
This is one of the highest-density bar and restaurant streets in Spain 80 bars in 150 meters! It might remind you of the old Paris-Dakar route, a boozy adventure that started at a bar called Paris and ended at a bar called Dakar.
When you step into Obradoiro Square don’t be ashamed if you feel like crying...
If you complete your walk in time, consider attending the daily Pilgrim’s Mass at the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral held every day at 12 p.m. It’s a moment of deep emotion and a shared celebration with fellow walkers from all over the world. On some special occasions, the Botafumeiro show, the most iconic moment of the ceremony, is also held.
If you have taken a few souvenir photos in front of the Cathedral after arriving in Santiago de Compostela, picked up your Compostela from the Pilgrims' Office a little further away, and want to explore the city a little, we can recommend our essay where you can explore Santiago de Compostela on foot.
You can reach the essay from the link here.
If you have walked this path, don't forget to share your thoughts with us in the comments.
If you haven't walked it yet but are planning to, then feel free to share your questions.
Buen Camino.
Whether you walk it or just read about it, may you carry something from this road with you.
I just want this note to make you feel safe and supported as you listen to a friend’s experience of walking the Camino and to remind you that you’re free to create your own path because that's exactly what we're trying to do at VAGMAG.
Grateful to Marcos for letting us walk this journey through both his stories and his stunning photos. That’s what VAGMAG is about sharing the road.
With care, always. Care is a kind of love and I believe in taking good care of ideas, of people, of the journey itself. Idalia
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