Camino Portugués: Stage 4: Porto to Tui
- Experience a route rich in cultural and archaeological heritage
- Walking into Spain across the International bridge across the Minho
- The charming market town of Ponte da Lima
- Sipping ruby port in the UNESCO heritage city of Porto
- Meeting fellow pilgrims and sharing your tales
Gallery
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Porto and OvernightPorto, set on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Douro River. Explore its old quarter, the Ribeira and its maze of narrow cobbled streets and beautiful plazas. Depending on your time of arrival, you may wish to begin exploring today and have dinner in one of the many quayside restaurants.
Hotel Dom Henrique with 112 rooms in a contemporary design offers different areas and tipes of rooms. It has free high speed Wi-fi access and laundry/dry cleaning. There is plenty of space for guests to relax, with comfortable sofas, 24 hours fitness room,and a cafeteria and restaurant which serves Mediterrenean and Portuguese specialities. Parking is also available in front of the hotel.
Follow the maze out of Porrto and head to the quieter section onward to Vilar do Pin Heiro. The route gets quieter from Maia onwards. On arriving in Vilar do Pinheiro, you will be transferred to your accommodation in Arcos.
It is possible to take an alternative coastal route out of Porto before returning to the main “Caminho Central” at the end of the first day on this stage if you prefer to avoid some of the urban sprawl. However, for Camino “purists” it should be highlighted that this is not the historical Camino route which most people follow.
Ascent: 132m / Descent: 127m
Diese Unterkunft heißt Sie in einem rustikalen und außergewöhnlichen Haus aus dem 18. Jahrhundert willkommen. Im Sommer gibt es einen Outdoor-Pool zum Abkühlen. Im Hotel gibt es für Pilger einen Wäscheservice.
An early transfer takes you back to Vilar do Pinheiro to continue your walk on to Arcos. You finally encounter some lovely woodland paths as you enter Arcos.
Ascent: 201m / Descent: 255m
Diese Unterkunft heißt Sie in einem rustikalen und außergewöhnlichen Haus aus dem 18. Jahrhundert willkommen. Im Sommer gibt es einen Outdoor-Pool zum Abkühlen. Im Hotel gibt es für Pilger einen Wäscheservice.
The Camino takes you through eucalyptus and pine woods to the lively village of Barcelos with its attractive market square.
Ascent: 195m / Descent: 185m
Das Bagoeira Hotel befindet sich im historischen Zentrum in einem Gebäude, welches als kulturelles Erbe ausgezeichnet wurde. Die Zimmer sind mit Klimaanlage, Safe, Minibar, Internet und Telefon ausgestattet. Im Restaurant wird traditionelle portugiesische Küche serviert.
A long but beautiful stage takes you over two hill passes and through the tranquil Neiva and Lima valleys. Ponte da Lima is a beautiful market town in a stunning location.
Ascent: 405m / Descent: 473m
Dieses Bed & Breakfast bietet gut ausgestattete Zimmer mit Klimaanlage, TV, kostenlosem WLAN-Zugang und einem eigenen Bad mit Dusche und Pflegeprodukten. Es befindet sich an der römischen Brücke in der Nähe vieler Restaurants, in denen Sie die regionale Küche probieren können.
A long climb today takes you up the Labruja valley to a high pass with spectacular views of the green countryside around you. Descent via the Coura valley to San Pedro de Rubiaes.
Ascent: 399m / Descent: 218m
You cross the border from Portugal into Spain today, following quiet country roads and woodland paths. Tui is a well-preserved medieval town with an impressive Romanesque cathedral as its centrepiece.
Ascent: 237m / Descent: 442m
Das Hotel Villa Blanca befindet sich im Herzen der kunsthistorischen Stätte in Tui, wo die Steine Geschichte erzählen und zu einem langsamen Spaziergang am Ufer des Miño an der Grenze zwischen Galizien und Portugal einladen. Das charmante Hotel im Herzen der Stadt ist ein Muss auf dem Weg nach Santiago.
Nach Renovierungs- und Einrichtungsarbeiten, die die ursprüngliche Architektur des Gebäudes und die Natürlichkeit seiner Materialien - Stein, Eisen und Holz - gewahrt haben, ist im Inneren eine frische, einfache und gemütliche Atmosphäre geschaffen worden.
Enjoy breakfast before checking out and making your way home.
This trip has a carbon score of 10kg per person per night, meaning it’s one of our best trips! For comparison, a carbon count of 10kg is equivalent to 18 lattes. 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 well known Camino Frances, and is perfect if you want a route rich in culture as it passes through many villages, towns and historical cities. Much of the route follows the original Roman military road so you can expect some road walking but there are alternative routes which can be taken to avoid some of this.
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&Bs, inns, and guesthouses.
Solo Travellers, Families with Teens
The minimum age for this tour is: 12 Years
This walk is graded moderate and includes daily walks of 17-33km. You will follow a mixture of farm/dirt tracks, woodland paths, minor roads and close to the bigger towns and cities, some busier roads. It should be noted that on the section out of Porto there is a busy road network but there are some alternatives to avoid some of this. The walk is well way-marked and you will also be supplied with turn by turn route notes and detailed maps so you will have no problem following the route each day.
The accommodation is a mixture of 3-4 star hotels and family-run guesthouses . 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.
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 which usually consists of a 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. Navigation can become trickier when leaving the busier cities and towns such as Porto and Tui and you will need to pay close attention to your route notes for these sections. There are usually other walkers around in case you are looking for help. We also provide a guidebook which can be very helpful to use at confusing intersections. A detailed information pack including route notes, local information and maps will be waiting for you at your first accommodation. This tour also has access to the Macs Adventure Navigation Smartphone App - we highly recommend using it, or at least having it on your phone ready to use should you ever be in any doubt about your direction.
- Accommodation in small rural hotels, twin/double rooms with en-suite W/C.
- 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
- to the Camino Frances for pilgrims looking for their next achievement! ItineraryAccommodationTrip InfoTravelIncludedFAQReviews Included Accommodation in small rural hotels, twin/double rooms with en-
- Transfers from Arcos to Vilar do Pinheiro and back the next morning.
- 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
- 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.
For this section of the Camino Portugués, you are best to fly in and out of Porto. This city is accessible directly from London and Manchester with Ryanair, Easyjet and TAP.
To get back to Porto from Tui, you can take a taxi to Valenca, across the international bridge and then take a bus with Rede Expressos which takes around two and a half hours.
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 this stage of the Portugués Camino is between 21 kilometers and you can expect to walk for between four and five 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.
The path follows quiet country roads and woodland paths, you go through wooded valleys, follow gentle rivers and walk by the coast. Wooden posts with a yellow shell symbol show the way and yellow arrows painted on many walls, wooden posts and tracks are there to follow. There will always be other walkers around incase you are looking for help.
We suggest you book as far in advance as possible as the Portugués Camino is extremely popular. Numbers can rise by up to 100, 000 people. We will always try and accommodate late bookings but realistically you need to book at least 6 weeks prior to departure.
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 20kgs.
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.
I would recommend April/May when the spring flowers are at there best and September/October when the colours are just lovely. June, July and August can be very hot if you are not used to walking in the heat while the temperatures can fall sharply in the winter with some accommodation closing down for the end of season.
Public transport and taxis are available, if you are need of support our local partner in Portugal 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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