The Camino Portuguese

I have been asked by many people on various Forums for my list of albergues de Peregrinos from Porto in Portugal to Santiago.

O.K., here goes!

The Portuguese route to Santiago is pleasant, it is approximately 250km, an easy two week walk and for much of the way follows a Roman highway. It is punctuated by quaint villages, stone bridges, rivers and fortified cities complete with cathedrals, monasteries, fountains and cobbled streets.

Porto

Tip:  If you fly to Porto, take the train into the city from the airport.  It is cheap and cheerful
check out http://www.hostelworld.com/ for places to stay if you are not staying at the Pilgrim Hostel.  I don't have the name or location of the Pilgrim Hostel (PH) sorry.  I stayed at the Rivoli Cinima Hostel downtown and it was wonderful.

Take time to see the city.  You will love it.
I took the train to Matosinhos to start my walk.  I did not want to walk through the city.

Vila do Conde is the next town.  about 25km via beach boardwalk.
Stay with me now, I will get to hostels but I stayed in a hotel in Villa Do Conde too .   There are many low cost rooms for rent along the ocean front.
Looking around this town you will see the Convento de Santa Clara and even more impressive are the viaducts that still stand from the Roman times.

From here it’s easy to cut across to Rates and pick up the marked route. A further 17km brings you to Barcelos and its wonderful entrance across the Rio Cávado. Barcelos is home to the legend of a cock resurrecting himself from the roasting pot to protest the innocence of a pilgrim wrongly convicted for some misdemeanour.

Rates has a PH.  It is about 17 km from Vila Do Conde
This is the first established Pilgrim Hostel in Portugal, established in 2004 but the building is ancient.  It is pretty nice but there is not always a hospitaliero there.  If not, just sign in, take a bed and pay your usual 3 to 5 Euros into the box provided.  There is a great little shop just down the street with all kinds of food and drink.  The woman there will stamp your Pilgrim Passport.  I stayed at this Municipal PH on my way back from Santiago.  On my way to Santi, I stayed at Barcelos because we got lost and had to pick up a taxi!  How embarrising.

Barcelos
About 16 KM from Rates
This was brand new when we stayed there in September of 2010.  The PH is just to your left as you approach the bridge over the Rio Cavado.

Tamel
is 25Km from Rates so it is an easy walk from Barcelos.  This is like a 5 star hotel.  It also was new in 2010 so we got lucky twice.  There is a great restaurant on the road opposite the Hostel.  If you walk into Tamel and see the albergue sign you will miss the restaurant on the left as you take the sept on the right up to the hostel.
This albergue has a lovely kitchen, beer in the vending machine, free internet.  It is beautiful.

Ponte de Lima   25 Km from Tamel

Don't rush to get here, the albergue does not open until 4 p.m.  BUT do stay there, the city is wonderful.  You have to go back across the bridge to see the city and it is worth a visit.  Kitchen here is lovely but we only found shops in the city not on the side of the bridge where the hostel is.  Check out my photos for Ponte de Lima, it was a favorite stop.

Stay tuned for the next blog I will finish this tomorrow