Camino de Santiago Portuguese Porto to Santiago Coastal

Your adventure begins in Porto, a city marked by the Douro River and its great wine cellars.

Porto is a very comfortable city to walk around and enjoy its elegant neighborhoods, stately streets and magical alleys. Definitely, a place to explore and discover calmly, especially if we talk about its old town.

In this first stage you will leave the Cathedral of Porto following the line of the Douro River until its mouth, the route continues along paths without excessive slope that allow you to enjoy the Portuguese beaches bathed by the Atlantic, as well as churches, gardens and beautiful landscapes.

Along the way you will discover sites such as the Lighthouse of San Miguel, the Castle of San Juan Bautista or the Castelo do Queijo as well as discovering coastal villages such as Matosinho and Leça de Palmeira before you reach Vila do Conde.

This second stage of the Portuguese Way of St. James along the coast will start from Vila do Conde, following the beach road until you reach Póvoa do Varzim, where you can discover its historic center and the well famous fish market.

Continuing the coastline not far away from Póvoa do Varzim you will arrive to Esposende. In Esposende you can enjoy its gastronomy and visit its marvellous lighthouse.

It is an itinerary that does not have many complications, since only 14 miles separate both destinations.

Surprisingly, stage 3 of the Portuguese Coastal Route has almost no sea views. However, it will take you on a wonderful route along the Neiva and Liva rivers until you reach the city of Viana do Castelo.

The main points of cultural interest are in Viana do Castelo. Here you can discover the ancient Benedictine monastery of São Romão de Neiva and the famous Eiffel Bridge.

The last stage on Portuguese soil is one of the longest but also one of the easiest. In this section you will again enjoy the wonderful views of the coastline characterized by its military fortifications.

Caminha, stands out for its Torre do Relógio and the church of Misericordia.

At this stage, to reach Galician territory it is necessary to take the ferry that connects Caminha with A Guarda.

In the beautiful fishing village of A Guarda you will find one of the oldest prehistoric sites in Galicia, the Monte de Santa Tecla was witness for many centuries of the castreña culture of the area.

Once reaching Oia you will also find one of the most famous monasteries of the Portuguese Way along the coast, the Cistercian monastery of Santa María de Oia.

The stage between Oia and Baiona, about 10 mi long, is quite simple and flat. The maritime landscapes are repeated all the way to the end of the stage.

At the end of the stage you will have the opportunity to discover one of the most beautiful villages of the Rías Baixas, Baiona. Its old town of great historical value will not fail to surprise you.

In addition also highlights the Castle of Monterreal, nowadays National Parador or the replica of La Pinta and its museum.

The stage between Baiona and Vigo offers two alternatives, you can choose to follow the official route of the Portuguese Way marked with yellow arrows, which will take you to the forest park of Saiáns and then to Vigo through the park of Castrelos or take a detour to the left and continue along the Portuguese Way along the coast, indicated with green arrows.

The coastal variant passes by the beautiful beaches of the city of Vigo and always as a reference Cies Islands on the horizon. Once reached the end of the stage, in Vigo we can walk through its central streets, squares and symbols, such as Porta do Sol, the Sireno or the sculptural Dinoseto.

The route between Vigo and Redondela is the last stage of the Camino de Santiago Portuguese along the coast, before linking up again with the original Portuguese Camino of St. James.

In Redondela it is worth visiting the church of San Andrés de Cedeira, the viaduct of Pedro Floriani or the Casa de la Torre.

This stage has a more urban character, leaving Redondela following the old Roman road via XIX, you will pass by the Roman bridge of Pontesampaio. After passing the bridge you will soon enter the wooded areas of the interior until you reach Pontevedra.

In Pontevedra you can visit the Pilgrim Virgin and the Basilica of Santa María la Mayor without forgetting its impressive old town.

The stage between Pontevedra and Caldas de Reis runs almost entirely through wooded areas and vineyards of the famous Albariño.

Along the way you can visit the Natural Park of Ría Barosa and its splendid waterfall.

In Caldas de Reis you can visit the Roman bridge over the river Bermaña or the church of Santo Tomás Becket.

In this penultimate stage between Caldas and Padrón, you will continue walking between forests and villages, in a stage with a greater slope, until you reach the Romanesque church of San Xulián before the town of Pontecesures.

Here you enter the province of A Coruña after crossing the river Ulla, to continue the walk towards the town of Padrón, known for its peppers and Rosalía de Castro.

The last stage of the Portuguese Way along the coast offers an easy route to the village of Teo, from where you will continue until you reach O Milladoiro.

This section will take you along the path that the disciples took with the remains of the apostle St. James to finally bury him in Compostela. At the end of the long journey, the majestic cathedral in the Plaza del Obradoiro awaits you.

Objective achieved!