The Camino Portugués

The way from the Sé Cathedral is straightforward and well-marked, with the first arrow being located on the lower right of the facade. Between here and the Parque you will pass a few notable waymarks, including the Museu Nacional do Azulejo. A large portion of this city walking can be eliminated by taking the metro to the Oriente station located near the Parque; and from there it is also possible to take a commuter train to Sacavém, Santa Iria, Póvoa, Alverca, or Azambuja.

Well marked but not much to look at, the camino turns inland at Sacavém. The park ends in a parking lot and follows a wide joggers path along the canal.

You will follow this canal inland, around a heavily developed hillside along the Rio Trancao, and then back to the Rio Tajo near Póvoa.

To keep on the camino: Keep straight through the first roundabout and pass under the National highway and railroad trestle. At this point, the Sacavém train station and the Forte de Sacavém are on your left, though the latter might be confused for a scrubby hillside. The camino follows a cobbled pedestrian path alongside the river and through a few small green spaces. At the next intersection, turn right to cross the river. 

NOTE: Once over the bridge, take an immediate left to leave the road for a path that follows along the river bank, do not follow along the road.

In a short distance, you will pass underneath the very high bridge that carries the A1 highway. Between here and Granja, you will keep the highway and hillside on your right and the river on your left. Apart from a Quinta in shambles, there is little on the trail.

After passing under the A1 a paved road leads you past a pair of small roundabouts before arriving at a large landscaped roundabout.

Keep to your right and take the second exit, putting you temporarily in the direction of Lisbon.

Less than 200m later, cross the road to your left along the Rua Alfonso de Albuquerque and over the railway.

Turn left again to proceed through 800m of an industrial park, at which point the road will end, and you can pick up a path all the way to Alverca.

When approaching Alverca, keep an eye out for the Air Museum on your right-hand side. Opposite it is the pedestrian bridge over the railway that you will need to cross over into town. 

Follow the arrows and Fatima signs and to the N10. It is a busy road but with wide berms.

A new pedestrian path in Alhandra has replaced the camino proper, but some arrows and signs remain along the N10. These should be ignored in favor of the river path.

To get there turn right off the N10 and head into town. The path is easy enough to find at the end of town, and it follows the water to Vila Franca de Xira. Blue and Yellow arrows indicate the way.

The pedestrian path keeps along the Rio Tejo into Vila Franca de Xira. The bright yellow bull ring  tells you that you have arrived. Unless you need to enter the town, keep along the path. Otherwise, yellow arrows at the bull ring will guide you into and then back out of town to rejoin the path. 

The camino goes through the municipal gardens and then under the N10. From this point, the new camino might get confused with the old route. Shortly after the camino passes under the N10, it passes a small factory and then turns right. <<The old route continued straight here and took you over the tracks and back to the busy road.>> By turning right the camino continues along a much quieter and safer path to Vala do Carregado.

NOTE: The old arrows indicating the way over the busy road may still exist.

The arrival to Carregado is marked by the train station. At the far edge of town the camino turns left, where the road meets the river. Follow the river 1km and then cross it via the new bridge.

From the bridge, it is 3.5km along a straight road to Vila Nova de Rainha.

The camino through town is brief and before long you are back on the N3 national road.

It is more road walking all the way to Azambuja. Remember to keep to the left side of the road.

Leaving town means another railway crossing. The arrows lead you to the train station, and an elevated pedestrian bridge (painted blue) gets you over the track and onto the first stretch of country walking for some time. You will be in flat farmland nearly the entire way to Santarém. A few villages and countless large Quintas can be found along the way.

At the start of town, the road ascends slightly to the top of the embankment that separates these lowlands from the nearby river. Follow the road.

Keep on the same course along the embankment to Porto Muge.

Turn left to cross under the railway.

The climb ahead is a welcome change from so much flatness. Santarém is at the top. Turn right when you get to the main road in Santarém and continue straight until arriving at a large roundabout (actually a big oval). There are multiple routes through town.

The exit to town can be difficult to find via arrows and it is best to make your way to the Porta do Sol gardens that are part of the old Moorish castle.

As you approach the gardens, there is a small flight of steps on your left-hand side. Turn down those to a small square and the Puerta de Santiago is on your left. Pass through it and pick up a dirt trail that takes you around the old city walls and down to the village of Ribeira de Santarém.

After crossing the tracks in Ribeira de Santarém, the camino takes a few turns before arriving at the Ponte do Alcorce.

Cross the bridge, and a short distance on keep right to follow the road. Exactly 1km later, turn left off of the road, and then right again 200m later. The camino takes a few turns but is well marked all the way to Vale de Figueira.

Keep on the main road until turning right onto Rua do Sobaral (two streets past Church).

At the first three-way intersection (Y-shaped), keep left. At the next, keep right (with the forest on your right).

The markings from here to Azinhaga are confused and quite possibly misleading; mostly to do with uncertainty at a municipal level as to exactly where the camino should be, and also because frequent flooding in the area make the original way difficult. The arrows will always get you to Golegã, but there is a possibility that they take you through Pombalhino first.

The camino follows the main road all the way to the end of town where there is a roundabout with a bullfighter statue in the center. Keep straight here, passing through Broa.

Turn right at the next T-intersection and follow the road all the way to Golegã.

There are confusing arrows leading you the wrong way out of town by way of Rua Dom João IV. Ignore these and instead find your way to the front of the church. Walk around it via the square with the bullfighter (your left). Turn left on that road, and then right again. Follow the road all the way to, and through, an intersection with the N243.

Leave town by passing over the bridge and turning left. The path with take you all the way to Vila Nova da Barquinha, passing the small hamlet of Pedregoso along the way.

The camino crosses the main road and then crosses the railway before heading out of town. It does NOT enter the town. After the tracks, keep mostly straight at the roundabout. The way is well marked.

Keep on straight through town, following the road. It will veer to the right and begin a short climb to the church.

Keep on straight again beyond the church along the N110 but keep an eye open for where the camino departs from the road along a track through the forests on your right.

Keep on the country lane past the church. You will pass a dirt football pitch that has been re-purposed as an off-road track for dirt bikes, and the road will descend into Asseiceira.

Keep on the paved road out of town, it will rejoin the N110. From here to Tomar things can get a bit hairy, so be on the lookout for arrows.

Stay on the N110 until the first roundabout at a point where it joins the larger A13; at this point you cross under the A13. Once on the other side, at the roundabout, the basic strategy is to keep straight on uphill (towards the "Zona Industrial") rather than turning right to stay on the N110 (though if you did that you would eventually arrive to Tomar, so don't fret). On your way up the road will level out and cross over the railway which parallels the N110 into Tomar. 

Immediately after crossing the railway, look to your right for a dirt trail and when you spot it, turn right and follow it. At this point the railway is to your right, and beyond it is the N110. You will pass a few small hamlets strung along the road before rejoining the N110 into Tomar.

To leave town cross the river over the Marques do Pombal bridge (it is a single lane bridge with a pedestrian path, and you will be going against the car traffic). Turn left at the start of the Alameda, left again onto Joao dos Santos Simaos, and then right onto Avenida Doutor Egas Moniz.

Just past the bullring turn left and then right slightly. Not far ahead you will pass the very prison-like (literally and metaphorically) Infantry Barracks.

The road gives way to a country trail and in a short distance arrives at the locally renowned Ponte de Peniche.

Keep straight at the junction after the bridge, and continue to cross under the IC9, keeping to your left after doing so. It is pleasant country roads through planted forests.

At the first paved intersection (a four-way intersection 3km after passing under the IC9), turn right onto the road. Follow it to the first fork and veer right into Casais.

Keep on through town, turning left towards the church and curiously large cemetery and back onto the road into Soianda.

Passing through Soianda is a straight shot, with the only real choice of direction at the far end of town. Turn left when you get there.

There is a steep grade ahead, first down and then back up into Calvinos. The road signs indicate a 10% grade, so take your time and if you are out of breath by the end, it is to be expected.

Keep more or less straight into town, through an offset intersection.

Turn right at the next intersection to follow the primary road.

The next ‘square’ has a bar and a mini-market. Turn left there to leave the main road and head back into the countryside.

You will emerge into the minuscule Freguesia with its modern church.

Turn right before the church, and then left again and just like that you have left Freguesia behind. Quiet lanes will bring you to Ceras where you join the main road.

The camino takes you mostly around Ceras, and as you approach the town, it will be on your right-hand side.

At the first T-intersection turn right (towards the main road) but left again on the first street. The idea here is to keep off the main road as much as possible and in 100m on you will have to turn right towards the road again.

Turn left onto the IC3 and follow it for 250m, at which point the camino leaves the road via a path on the right.

Once on that path, you will turn left to cross a stream and then turn right again, and at the next intersection turn right again to take you past a ranch; at this point, you will be walking away from the IC3 and back into the forest along a dirt path.

NOTE: The next intersection is poorly marked. 1.2km from the ranch the trail you want turns left at a fork and up to the ridge but is poorly indicated. If you get to a 4-way junction, you have gone too far. Fact: this is the eastern most point of the Camino.

Turn left up that trail and you will eventually pass through Portela de Vila Verde.

Pass straight through Daporta and at the first 4-way intersection (after passing through town) turn left onto a dirt road. The junction can be identified by the utility building with a blue door on your left. The path turns back on itself and climbs uphill before entering a cork plantation which transitions into a eucalyptus forest.

The forest is well marked and pleasant walking. It is about 2.6km before you arrive at the first large intersection with the main road. At this point, you are technically in Tojal, but there are no houses. Up the road on your right is a gas station.

Cross through this intersection and carry on straight in the direction of Alvaiázere (centro). You will be on a paved road all the way to Cortiça (3.2km), passing olive groves along the way.

Turn right at the church that looks like more of a mini-castle, leaving the main road for a smaller country lane.

You will pass the small hamlet of Oueteiro da Cotovia (it won’t feel like you left Cortiça) and at an intersection marked Outeirinho to the left, turn left.

Pass through Outeirinho, turning right then immediately left again once you get there.

Then you will pass through Feteiras and Portela da Feteiras, all before arriving in Alvaiazere.

There are several roads out of town, but the camino is well marked. Still, pay close attention to the arrows and if you are a pre-dawn walker, you are advised to check it out in advance.

Leave town by way of the road in front of the church, turning right at a B large palm tree.

Pass straight through Vendas. There are several signs leading you into it, but once you get there, they vanish or are poorly placed. Keep on straight through the hamlet, passing many houses in ruin. By the time you reach the top of the hill, you are at the end of town. From here the camino keeps to the right and down a path.

There are several turns before arriving in Venda do Negro, all well marked.

Pass straight through Venda do Negro, turning left at the fork in the road at the far end of town.

In the village, turn right onto the road that shows Casal Maduros and Casal do Soeiro.

It is pleasant walking along these trails. When you emerge onto the main road, there is a sign on your left indicating Ansião and another on your right indicating Loagoa da Ameixieria.

The center of Ansião is still 1.3km away, turn left to get there, but read carefully the notes about what to do next.

Leave town across the Ponte da Cal, over the Rio Nabão (whose river-like qualities vary with the season).

The camino takes you through the outskirts of Ansião; passing some suburbs and a large soccer field. The signs are visible all the way to Bate Agua.

The camino in Bate Agua is marked in two directions: the old way along the road and the new way through country paths, much like the options when leaving Venda do Negro.

The preferred path is always the one that takes you away from motorized traffic. In Bate Agua, that means keeping on straight when you get there (the other option being to turn left and follow the old arrows along the road into Netos; a viable option and perhaps the preferred one if there have been heavy rains). Arriving at the first fork, turn left and immediately left again onto a footpath. You will rejoin another small road in a short distance, turn right and follow the curve of the road but you don’t stay on it long so keep an eye open for where the trail diverges again on your left. At the next intersection with a dirt track, turn left and then keep right at a fork a few meters on. This will bring you to a paved road where you turn left and walk into Netos.

Pass straight through town, turning left at the last house.

Avoid the temptation to follow other pilgrims that might be turning right at the large intersection in Venda do Brasil, faded arrows and older guidebooks describe that as the way. The safer and more pilgrim friendly option is to keep on straight past the gas station on your right-hand side.

150m beyond the gas station a gravel road marked Casais Granja takes you up uphill.
At the first fork keep right.
At the next T-intersection turn right.
At the next fork turn right.
And then shortly after turn left to go behind a house.
The camino rejoins the main road briefly, only to turn left off the road again.

This is the new camino, and it avoids both the road and the next town of Junqueira even more than the old camino. Shortly before arriving at Junqueira it turns off to the left once more and back onto a gravel track.

Facing the crucifix side of the church, turn right towards the main road (newly cobbled) and turn right onto that road. You should now have a large modern building on your left (the community center and albergue), and you will be going downhill. Continue to the first road and turn left there, downhill.

The camino will bring you to the N347, which you follow to the left for a very short distance.

It then turns right onto a gravel path.

Keep on the N347 out of town. This road leads directly to Rabaçal, but the camino enjoys a parallel path.

Just out of town turn right onto a track that is directly opposite the road towards Vale Florido. Shortly after turn left just before a cluster of buildings, and 150m later turn left once more.

You are now paralleling the N347 that you left just a short while ago and the trail will take you to Rabaçal.

Keep on out of town along the road and turn right where indicated in the direction of the Castelo de Germanelo. A turn to the left appears 900m down this road. Turn there and follow a well-marked set of trails all the way to Zambujal.

Keep on the camino through Zambujal, with the church on your right. Shortly after at a fork, keep to your left. Keep on this trail, crossing the N347, and into Fonte Coberta.

At the end of town the signage has been improved, and a picnic area has been built but the fountain has not been connected. Turn left here and onto a track to Poço.

Pass left through Poço and descend through the forested hillside all the way to the museum and ruins of Conímbriga.

Leave by way of the road that exits the site. Turn right at the first intersection, heading straight towards and underneath the highway.

Once past the highway, you will pass a series of hamlets (Valada, Atadoa, Orelhudo, Ribeira de Casconha, and Casconha) before crossing back over the highway and arriving in Cernache. Along the way, only Casconha has a bar.

To leave town, continue along the road you came in on, past the church, to the roundabout with the clinica.

Turn right there and pass under the N1 highway. Turn left at the next main road and follow it to the town of Pousada. In Pousada turn right past the church and then left onto the dirt track. The dirt track continues quietly for 2km before arriving at a series of industrial buildings. Turn left at the bus stop, and head into Palheira.

The way through town is well marked, as is the way out.

After crossing the N1 turn right, then left both times in the direction that takes you uphill. When you get to a T-intersection, take the steep path straight ahead, up to the Alto de Santa Clara.

Arrows lead you easily out of town, and steeply downhill to an intersection where you turn left to follow a road parallel and immediately adjacent to the highway. The camino crosses over the highway and passes underneath an arch of the Roman aqueduct. You will shortly come to the suburbs of Santa Clara.

At the large SANTA CLARA roundabout turn right. Stay on this road until the next roundabout, crossing it to exit the opposite side.

Stay on this road; it will curve slightly to the left. At the next intersection, turn left to leave the primary road for a secondary one. It will take you downhill past the church of Nuestra Senhora da Esperança and to the Albergue and Convent of Santa Clara (3.3 from the Alto de Santa Clara).

Follow the winding cobbled lane downhill all the way to the bridge into Coimbra.

If you are keen to pass through Coimbra, turn left after crossing the bridge and begin following the river walk. It will pass underneath the highway and then veer right to parallel a canal (on your left).

Stay on this paved road through a roundabout and soon you will have a different canal on your right. It remains a straight road until just before Adémia da Baixo, where it turns left. Cross the overgrown Rio Velho to the right into Adémia.

Cross the bridge over the canal which you have been walking along and you are in Adémia de Baixo.

In Fornos, keep to the left at the first fork (a big garage door with blue tiles above). Cross a roundabout and turn uphill all the way to Trouxemil, passing underneath the A1. 

Pass straight through Trouxemil on the main road. The town is spread out along the road to Sargento Mor which is also spread out along the road. Continuous asphalt the whole way.

The camino leaves the road at the start of town near the restaurant Manuel Julio. 

Turn left off the N1 at the start of town. DO NOT stay on the road to Lendiosa.

The camino leaves the N1 and paved roads and into a eucalyptus forest. It will take you to Lendiosa by way of Mala.

When the camino emerges onto a paved road, follow the arrows to the right and into Mala.

Turn right at the start of Lendiosa, at the bus stop. The arrows lead you to a road which ends into a trail. This trail will take you to the outskirts of Mealhada, via a roundabout with a statue of Bacchus seated atop a wine barrel.

The camino leaves town along the highway towards the suburb of Sernadelo where the private albergue is located. The arrow for the turn-off from the main road is not easy to see but can be recognized for the Restaurante Tipico with its massive awning. 

The way from Aguim to Anadia is well marked and clearly understood, with one exception: when nearing Anadia along the road, an electric pole on your left has some wiggly looking arrows which suggest that you jog left then right to go into the woods. This was once the way and will still get you there, but the official arrows point you straight along the road.

In either case, turn left when you get to another road some 400m from this confusing point. This will take you around the newly built sports complex. On the other end keep on the road; turning left at the first roundabout, left at the second roundabout, and right at the third; all are well marked.

The arrow through Arcos is at the base of the church. Turn right at the church, around a bend, then left. Alfeolas is near. 

The new half is divided by the busy-ish N235 that you must cross. Once across, turn left and walk through a walled residential area. Following the arrows will then lead you through a small industrial area.

The way is asphalt all the way to Avelãs. You will join a busy road for only a small stretch at the start of town.

Leave town on the opposite side of the N1, turning left at the chapel with the bust of Henrique Maroues Moura. A maker here proclaims rather incorrectly that it is 303km to Santiago.

Between here and Aguada de Baixo is a string of hamlets (no service) and a chapel in São João da Azenha.

Keep on straight through. Along the way, you will cross several surface roads and under the highway. The going is along asphalt the whole way. You will also pass through the Barró Industrial Zone, which is 4.1km from Sardão. 

Sardão is a short strip of road stuck between the river and the road; it has seen better days. Once through cross the road towards a new pedestrian bridge. A second bridge brings you into Águeda.

Like Coimbra, you do not need to go into town and can instead turn left at the end of the bridge. The neighboring town is Paredes, which is residential. The going is uphill, and the residential areas continue beyond the railway crossing.

There is a brief industrial stretch before crossing a busy road into Mourisca.

At the far end of town, you will cross the N1 into Pedaçães. 

At the end of town, it is downhill and back across the N1 to the Roman Ponte do Marnel.

After crossing the bridge turn to your left and go back under the N1 into Lamas. 

Turn left into this hamlet after crossing the river along the N1. No services, just homes. 

At the end of town you enter the eucalyptus forests again on a wide track. It is a nice walk amongst the trees, and in 2.5km you will return to traffic in Asseilho. Cross over the A3 here and Albergaria-a-Velha is straight ahead but still over 4km away.

Beyond Albergaria, the camino enters a forest. It emerges to the road a few times and leaves it a few more. The longest stretch of the road is the bit immediately following the Nossa Sra do Socorro (see statue below).

The camino crosses railway upon entering Albergaria A Nova.

At the far end of town, just past two bus stops that face each other, leave the N1 to your left. From here you will remain on this side of the N1 until reaching Pinheiro da Bemposta. The way is nearly continuous development but no services. You will pass Laginhas, Escusa, and Coche. At Coche, you begin following along the railway on a small dirt path.

The camino crosses the N1 by way of an elevated pedestrian walkway and heads straight to Bemposta. There is a pharmacy in Pinheiro, but it is along the N1. To get there cross the walkway and then turn south. Otherwise, continue straight off the walkway. 

Bemposta represents a curious turn in the camino from what would be a natural course north. After crossing the N1, you climb to the historical center of town and then back down to the N1 by passing underneath a house (well marked). At the N1, you cross back over. The road turns right (now heading north) and through a mixture of residential and industrial buildings in the area known as Besteiros/Travanca.

This area is heavily developed and although traffic is not excessive it is seldom aware of pilgrim traffic. Keep your wits about you.

After the railway crossing, turn right at the first intersection. This road will take you upwards and over the highway at a large half-cloverleaf intersection. It then descends. At the first intersection turn right. 

Carry on straight from here. The road ahead turns left at a railway, but cross those and continue up a cobbled stone path. Turn right at the top of that path.

From here it is straight, and uphill, all the way into Oliveira.

The road between here and the Roman Ponte do Salgueiro is nothing short of boring. It is continuous development of both industry and housing. 

Leave town from the Praça Luís Ribeiro along the Rua Antonio Jose de Oliveira Junior.

It is more suburban walking from here to Arrifana.

From the church, the camino goes up the cobbled pedestrian path to the left. That path gives way to a road which can be followed through residential zones. In winding through these neighborhoods, you will cross over the N227 via a road bridge about 2.6km from Arrifana. From this crossing, there are another 3.2 to Malaposta. Along the way you follow the N1 for most of those kilometers, leaving it to your right at the start of Malaposta. 

Vergada is strung along the N1. On its way out of town, the camino crosses the N1 at a 4-way intersection.

The stretch ahead has a few more quiet parts and passes underneath the A1 superhighway before arriving in Grijó.

Upon arriving in Vila Nova de Gaia you are presented with a large roundabout and tram terminal. Continue along the tram line; it is a straight walk all the way to Porto.

When you get to the end of town, the bridge over the Rio Douro has two crossings. The upper crossing will take you to the Sé Cathedral in Porto, and the lower one will take you to the riverfront in Porto. It is advisable to check the location of your accommodation before choosing which way to go, as taking the lower route (which is the marked trail) will require you to make up the elevation difference later.

Between Porto and the border with Spain, the camino splits into three distinct routes. They are known as the Central Way, the Coastal & Litoral Ways, and the Braga Way. Additionally, there are several paths that connect each of these options, creating a network of trails that can sometimes seem confusing. The best plan is to pick one of the options and simply follow it to its natural end.

Leaving a large city is often a challenging combination of searching for arrows, heavy traffic, and durable city pavements. As an alternative, it is possible to take the Porto Metro to the city limits or beyond.

THE CENTRAL WAY

The Central Way is currently the most popular and well-developed option. As the name implies, the route continues due north from Porto up the center of Portugal. It crosses into Spain at Valença/Tui and continues from there through Redondela to Santiago. 

THE COASTAL and LITORAL WAYS

The Coastal Way is gaining in popularity as the infrastructure and signage improve. It is sometimes referred to as the Senda Litoral, although this name is technically reserved for the sections of the route that strictly follow the coast. As the primary motivation for choosing the route is the proximity to seaside views, the route set out in this book is a combination of these two routes and the blue line indicated on the map should be interpreted as such. It leaves Porto along the Litoral Route, rather than sharing the first day of walking with the Central Way before turning westward. Where options exist they are indicated on the inset maps. The route passes through Vigo and rejoins the Central Way in Redondela.

THE BRAGA WAY

Some would consider this the original way, as it passes through the city of Braga where many of the Church's earliest decisions regarding Santiago were made, and where the first Bishop ordained by Santiago (Saint Peter of Braga/Rates) officiated. It was once the capital of Galicia and remains an influential city and massive tourist attraction.  These days the infrastructure along the route has not kept pace with the needs of pilgrims and it is seldom traveled.  Tours to Braga can be arranged in Barcelos (on the Central Way) if you wish to visit the city. This route is not included in this guide.

THE VARIANTE ESPIRITUAL

The Variante Espiritual is a popular alternative route north of Pontevedra. It is a two day walk which ends in a 29km boat ride to the town of Pontecesures.