Discover the trail that takes you to Santiago de Compostela along the Atlantic Coast. Starting in Portugal, pilgrims follow the Camino northwards, with the lush Portuguese and Spanish countryside to their right, fabulous views of the Atlantic to their left, and a refreshing sea-breeze as their daily companion.
Day 1
Accommodations: Viana do Castelo (D)
Meeting time: 4:00 pm
Day 2
Accommodations: Viana do Castelo (B, L, D)
Walking: 18.3 km / 11 mi
Day 3
Accommodations: A Guarda (B, L, D)
Walking: 13.5 km / 8 mi
Day 4
Accommodations: Vigo (B, L, D)
Walking: 12.8 km / 8 mi
Day 5
Accommodations: Vigo (B, L, D)
Walking: 19.5 km / 12 mi
Day 6
Accommodations: Pontevedra (B, L, D)
Walking: 16.5 km / 10 mi
Day 7
Accommodations: Pontevedra (B, L, D)
Walking: 16 km / 10 mi
Day 8
Accommodations: Padrón (B, L, D)
Walking: 18 km / 11 mi
Day 9
Accommodations: Padrón (B, L, D)
Walking: 18 km / 11 mi
Day 10
Accommodations: Santiago (B, L, D)
Walking: 13 km / 8 mi
Day 11
Accommodations: (B)
*Please note: This itinerary is subject to slight modifications due to hotel availability, weather, festivals, and other occurences.
Viana do Castelo, Portugal, is the official starting point of the Camino Portugués Coastal Tour and is well-connected by train and bus with Porto (Campanha station) and Lisbon, which both have international airports. For a sample idea of timetables and prices, please see:
CP Train – Porto to Viana do Castelo & Lisbon to Viana do Castelo
REDE EXPRESSOS Bus – Porto to Viana do Castelo & Lisbon to Viana do Castelo
You can take a bus from Santiago to Porto or Lisbon. For a sample timetable and prices, please see:
ALSA Bus – Santiago to Lisbon
ALSA Bus – Santiago to Porto
You can also fly from Santiago to Lisbon or Porto. Keep in mind that there are NO direct flights to either city.
Train tickets can be purchased online from Portugal’s leading rail provider, Comboios de Portugal.
Bus tickets can be purchased from Rede Expressos and ALSA.
The Fresco Tours Camino Portugués Coastal Tour covers about 145 km of the Camino in northern Portugal & the northwest Spanish region of Galicia. Here we enjoy a more temperate climate than other parts of the Camino de Santiago in Spain. As we will be walking alongside the coast, weather can also be somewhat unpredictable.
Visit these links for average monthly temperatures of Viana do Castelo and Santiago de Compostela.
After breakfast, we lace up and start moving. After walking for a couple of hours, we do a checkpoint to make sure that everything is OK. Then, we continue along the Camino for another 1-2 hours, before indulging in a complete gourmet picnic prepared with the freshest local ingredients. On some days, we walk 1-2 more hours after lunch to burn off dessert.
In the afternoon, we go to our hotels, where we take a shower, have a siesta, and just relax! We finish our day with a glass of tinto and a feast of the local gastronomy. We then retire for the night and get ready to do it again! On some afternoons, we have planned excursions, such as a visit to Celtic ruins or perhaps a massage
The great thing about the Camino is that it is very well-marked, and we encourage people to walk at a pace that is comfortable for them – this is not a race! We like to stop with our guests for a coffee or cerveza along the way, to enjoy the journey and take everything in!
Along the coast, it is mostly flat with occasional exceptions. Once we head inland, we cross rolling green hills, although there are neither steep climbs nor treacherous descents. The trail itself is a combination of well-maintained compact dirt, stone footpaths, paved trails, and small country roads.
We will be walking from Viana do Castelo to Santiago de Compostela, the last 145 km of the Camino de Santiago. For an overview of the elevation gain and loss on the Camino Portugués Coastal tour, please click here.
The number of kilometers scheduled for each day varies from 13 to 19.5 km (8-12 miles). We have designed this tour to include the last 100 km stretch to Santiago, which is required by the Church if you are going to ask for the Compostela Certificate. However, the walks are accompanied by a support vehicle and options for less (or more!) km’s a day are possible. We can tailor the Camino to suit your needs!
On the Camino Portugués Coastal Tour we offer a Fresco Tours laundry service roughly halfway through the trip, where you can send your clothes to the laundromat to have them washed and dried. In addition, some hotels offer laundry services or you can use local laundromats. We also recommend that you bring quick-drying clothes that you can handwash and dry overnight at the hotel if all else fails!
Footwear is a very personal question – depending on how active you are and how much support you need. Since we will be walking the Camino de Santiago every day, comfort is key – you do not want to get blisters. You probably won’t need a full high-cut boot that covers your ankle (unless you need this support), but rather light trail walkers or even running shoes if you are used to walking. Keep in mind that there may be mud and water along the trail. Most importantly: Make sure that your shoes are well broken in!
We encourage you to start walking before you arrive, so that you can enjoy your experience more fully. However, this is your vacation and not boot camp! During your walk, one of the two guides will be on the trail with the group to ensure that everyone is okay. Additionally, we have planned checkpoints along the way with our support van to offer you water, a change of shoes, or a much-needed break. In most cases, you will see the van at least every couple of hours.
Thank you for choosing to travel with Fresco Tours! We are very excited for you to join the ranks of our Happy Customers. If at any moment you should have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you again and we look forward to sharing memories of a lifetime with you.
To join us on a Fresco Tour, please visit our Secure Online Reservation Form or download and print a PDF version of the Reservation Form, one for each participant. To reserve your space on a tour, a 15% deposit per person is required and payment should be made via credit card (Visa or MasterCard only), bank transfer or via Wise transfer. The balance of your tour payment is due 60 days prior to the departure date. If the tour that you selected begins within 60 days of booking, final payment is due at that time. Failure to receive the remainder of your trip balance by the due date will be considered a cancellation.
Once Fresco Tours has received your registration form and tour deposit, we will send you an email with an invoice of payments received and your remaining balance, a copy of our Assumption of Risk / Liability Waiver Form and a link to your Guest Questionnaire. These last 2 items must be returned 60 days prior to the start of tour. In addition, we will send you a Confirmation Packet with information regarding suggestions on preparation, a packing and reading list and other tips to get you excited and prepared for your Fresco Tour.
Once we have received final payment, the signed Assumption of Risk / Liability Waiver Form and Guest Questionnaire, you will be sent a receipt and final details regarding your tour, including a detailed itinerary and the hotel contact list.
Due to the nature of the accommodations we use, there are a limited number of single rooms available. Requests for these rooms are based on availability. Please see the tour itinerary for the cost of this fee. In some cases, it may imply a room smaller in size than a standard double room. If you are traveling alone, and would like to share a room, we will do our best to match you with a same-gender roommate.
All cancellations must be made in writing. No refunds will be issued due to late arrival, early departure, or any unused portion of a tour. The Assumption of Risk / Liability Waiver form must be signed and received 60 days prior to tour departure or the reservation will also be treated as a cancellation. We strongly recommend trip cancellation insurance to offset the chance you may need to cancel.
| Time | Price |
|---|---|
|
Cancellations received 121 or more days prior to trip start |
10% of trip price |
|
Cancellations received 120 – 61 days prior to trip start |
15% of trip price |
|
Cancellations received 60 – 31 days prior to trip start |
50% of trip price |
|
Cancellations received 30 days or less prior to trip start |
100% of trip price |
Fresco Tours reserves the right to change, modify, or cancel a tour prior to departure for any reason, including lack of participants (tour minimum: 3-6 passengers with 1 guide, 7 passengers or more with 2 guides) or acts of nature and/or circumstances beyond our control. In this case, any payments received will be refunded in full, and this will constitute full settlement. Fresco Tours is not responsible for any additional expenses due to a canceled tour, such as the purchase of non-refundable airline tickets.
Fresco Tours reserves the right to accept, refuse, or decline any tour member’s participation at any time for any reason. In such a case, Fresco Tour’s liability is limited to the actual cost of the unused services.
If we are notified of a change to your scheduled tour date 6 months prior, you can apply your tour deposit to another departure date without penalty. This change can be up to 1 calendar year in advance and is subject to availability. Otherwise, the above Cancellation Fees will be applied.
As Spain-taneous Private Tours are custom built and created with specific dates in mind, any modifications will incur a 15% surcharge.
In accordance with Spanish law and for the duration of your tour with Fresco Tours, you are covered by a basic insurance provided by Intermundial. We strongly advise the purchase of a more comprehensive travel insurance that includes trip cancellation / interruption. We suggest using Travelinsurance.com, which allows you to compare and assess top insurance provider policies and their different coverage plans.
Traveling during these complex times requires a bit more planning and a lot more reassurance. We believe that the Fresco Tours style of travel is particularly well-suited to safe activities: walking in the outdoors, small group sizes, strong reliable relationships with our local partners and, most importantly, we have the local knowledge of our home – the Camino de Santiago and the Spanish culture.
Guided
11 days / 10 nights
145 km / 90 mi
Camino Portugués
Price per person
4,063.56 $
* USD$ price based on current exchange rate
Fresco Tours
Camino Tours in Spain
Tours in Spain
Newsletter
© 2006–2024 Fresco Tours (CIE 2368). All Rights Reserved. Images on this website are property of Fresco Tours. Website Updated: December, 2024.
Secure a spot on your 2025 Fresco Tour now and lock into 2024 tour prices.
