27/08/2026
👣❤️ After a month that I finished my 280km Camino from Porto, I feel like sharing these notes about my experience. I hope they can help someone.
1) Yes, I had a wonderful time. WE had a wonderful time - I was walking with the best company in the world: my wife. My second Camino. Her first.
2) Preparation:
a) This time I was a bit lazy, I confess. Feeling confident for having walked 790 km on my first Camino three years before, I underestimated the “easy flat” Camino Portugués de la Costa. Guess who paid the price? This guy. On day two I was already putting some ice on my left knee. And then my feet, and then my calf…But it was not only the lack of prepare. It was the planning. My fault again (well I didn’t have many options). I will explain ahead;
b) My wife, on the other hand, took it seriously and kept walking (testing socks, shoes) and working her muscles and strength until our depart. She also experienced some discomfort here and there, which is 100% expected, but nothing serious compared to me;
c) I carried the same backpack - an Osprey Kestrel 48L - the SAME socks (Darn Tough knows what they are doing), three of the same shirts, the same two Decatlhon short pants.
THREE years after the first Camino! And these are clothes I use A LOT at home. The Camino really teaches you to be less worry about fashion and reuse what you can 😁.
d) She was carrying a small light backpack. We arranged beforehand the transportation for her luggage. When I shared some photos here, some people judged/criticized her outfit, that she was too well dressed at night for a pilgrim. Well… if she could bring more clothes, why not? And regardless the reason, anyone can choose to use a luggage transportation company. She had a medical reason - a thrombosis years ago on her shoulder, so she simply can’t risk carrying heavy weight. But that doesn’t matter. You don’t need a reason. Do what you want. And try to be nice.
By the way, we used a company called PILBEO. Flawless.
3) The planning and the route:
Here is the thing. We are not rich nor have all the time in the world, so we had to make some choices. We hadn’t travelled abroad together for 7 years, so my wife deserved a nice vacation (she is a nurse in a big hospital). Accepting to walk a Camino with me was a great loving gesture from her, but we had to accommodate some vacation time to make that expensive flight ticket more worthwhile. We couldn’t spend all that money and cross the Ocean “only” to walk.
So, out of our vacation time, we separated 11 days for the Camino. I looked the maps, realized that there would be some challenges, but… “yeah, we can do it”. And I was right. We did it. But it was hard 😅😅
We walked along the coast/beach 5 days from Porto to Baiona, spent an extra night there, and then 5 more to Santiago.
Here is our itinerary (and what I would change to have a “smoother” Camino):
Day 1) Porto - Mindelo (a few km before Vila do Conde).
Right of the bat a long day. But it was the first day, we were fresh, so we managed super well… But, although “easy”, it was the start of the “long days, poor rest/recovery” routine.
So, maybe splitting this day in 2 would be wise. Then you could maybe sleep in Vila do Conde the second night, that would bring you closer to the next stage (Fao/Esposende)
Day 2) Mindelo - Fao (it could have been Esposende, but it would bring the day to over 30km)
Day 3) Fao - Viana do Castelo (if starting in Esposende, it could have been 3km shorter)
Day 4) Viana - A Guarda.
If the days before were close to 30km, this one was over 33km. Most people stay in Caminha, but as we had to go to Baiona the next day - another long one - I preferred to cross the river and “wake up” already in Spain (Caminha - A Guarda is a 3.5 km walk, besides the river cross).
Day 5) A Guarda - Baiona
37km. With a mountain pass after 27km… 😅 Mamma Mia.
DEFINITELY recommend stopping in Oia and split this stage. If doing so, sleeping in Caminha the night before is a good call (it would be an easy day, and the day before you would walk until Caminha, not A Guarda).
Day 6) rest - this one I did it right. Walking in sandals for a day, going to the beach…
Day 7) Baiona - Vigo
Day 8 ) Vigo - Pontevedra.
Wait, isn’t the normal stage Vigo-Redondela, and only then Pontevedra? Yes. But as I explained, we separated only 11 days to walk.
Needless to say, another looooong day. Oh boy.
Day 9) Pontevedra - Caldas de Reis (as most people do). So nice to have a “normal” day and arrive just after lunch.
Day 10) Caldas de Reis - Padrón
Day 11) Padrón - Santiago
This is not an easy day. Specially when you are not in the best shape. Almost 27km. But I like the idea of a long day in your last one. I don’t know, it can make it more special (but that’s just an opinion - as this whole post is).
Considering the extra nights, this “recommended to a friend Coastal Camino Portuguese” would be a 13 days Camino (or 14 if including a rest day).
What we did was doable - we did it after all - but having more days would make it more pleasant and less prone to injuries.
As we were stopping for lots of coffees (we loved this part, we were not in a hurry despite the itinerary) and walking slower than I thought we would - I was the slow one, due to physical limitations that kept appearing - we were arriving super late and not fully enjoying the place of stay on those long days. So, this could have been different if we had more days.
4) Pain
Well, first was the knee, then my foot ligaments, then calves, then shoulder 😅😆.
As I said, I haven’t prepared properly, we did a lot of long days in sequence and I paid the price.
“Oh, I walked eleven million miles in 3 days without ANY preparation and I was super fine”.
Good for you! For me it was hard.
Buuuut, it could have been worse. It’s super important to act while you still can, so the discomfort or pain doesn’t turn into something unbearable.
For example, when my knee started to hurt, it was mainly the back tendons on the left knee. Putting ice and doing a lot of stretching - when arriving, before and during the walk - made all the difference. It didn’t get worse (it got a bit better over time).
But if you do nothing and keep forcing it, there is a chance it will get to a point you will need medical attention. So, try to act early on it if possible. We saw a lot of people in bad conditions/shape on the last days.
The foot ligaments problem was also giving me some headaches. Ice was an answer whenever I could, and another good call was loosing up my shoelaces on that foot. From a “runner’s knot” to a completely loose one. It brought so much relief…
Ok, that could bring another problem - blisters - but that pain was more urgent at the time.
Another thing we did every night and morning (and at some breaks) was using a tennis ball 🎾 (my best friend, after my wife) to massage our feet and relieve/avoid the “regular” pain to get worse.
As I said before, my wife was super fine most of time. Some pain in the soles of her feet, which is expected, and some pain in the calves, specially after walking some time in the sand (yes, the Litoral Camino may have this kind of surprises 🙂)
5) Blisters
We had some bandaid/plasters with us (plenty available there), and always covered any “potential hotspots”. During the journey, when we felt any hotspot coming, we stopped and started covering the new one.
Also rubbed some Vaseline every morning around the feet and between toes. Reducing friction on contact points is the key.
Some people would see our feet and think we had blisters, but the bandages were there for PREVENTION. Think about blisters before you have it, not after.
I won’t give any advice on how to heal them, because I didn’t have any experience to share (we had “diabetic” needles (sterile) to drain it and the proper plaster to cover if necessary, according on how bad it would be - with or without the skin cover, for example. And no sewing thread - it’s an infection hazard, my wife is a nurse specialist on this);
6) Walking poles
Great to have them. Is it mandatory? No…but I think it’s a smart decision.
My wife was skeptical about it and didn’t use them the first two days, but then she saw that they helped to put less pressure on her feet and knees.
I believe it’s almost mandatory at some descents with technical terrain, they give you a lot of stability and help as a braking system (my ankles would have “died” witouht them 😅, and provably my knees). I used them ALL the time. Why not having less energy spending, right?
And the Portuguese Camino DOES HAVE some uphills and downhills. Not like the Francés. But they are there.
7) Accomodation
a) Being a planner, I booked the whole thing.
For 2 reasons: We wanted to stay at private rooms with bathroom (less available), AND, didn’t want to rush or worry about it during the day. So, we just took our time to arrive, having lots and long stops if we wanted to.
There are downsides doing it - less flexibility, etc.
But as we already had our schedule, it was a natural thing to do. If you are alone or don’t mind sharing rooms, it would be ok to just go with the flow and take last minute decisions. I saw people doing it and always finding a place to stay.
Speaking of sharing rooms, sharing a private room with some fellow pilgrim might be a smart choice. The bed prices were super high when I was doing my research. Sometimes 30 to 40 euros in private albergues, when a private room was around 70-80. So… it might be worth it as a couple or friends.
Soon I will write separate posts about some nice places we stayed in.
8 ) Spendings
A private room with bathroom averaged 70-80 euros. Sometimes more, a few times less.
The menu del peregrino was averaging 15-18 euros. You can have snacks or a nice sandwich for less than 10 euros. A complete meal for 2 could easily reach 50.
So, the total daily spending depends completely on what you want, your budget, etc. You can spend less than 20 euros a day with food, and the sky is the limit.
A nice breakfast would usually cost 4-6 euros in the street, so compare to your accommodation to have an idea if its worth it.
9) Weather and Rain gear
We were reaaaaly lucky because it was hot, but not insanely hot. It was July. A week before our journey there was a heat wave and the temperatures were 10 or more degrees Celsius higher. It would have been awful, or even impossible to walk.
Maybe that’s the reason not so many pilgrims were walking, we didn’t feel the Camino being “crowded”. Quite the opposite, specially in Portugal.
If it rained - it didn’t - we didn’t have ponchos. Just light rain jackets (and I carried my famous green skirt - a plastic bag with a Velcro).
The day after we arrived it rained, we were in Santiago.
10) Water
Had always 3 x 500ml bottles with us. Not as many refilling options as on the Francés. Aquarius is not a thing in Portugal, but in Spain I would drink it as much as I could 😅.
11) Some places
a) Porto - what a GREAT city. Can’t think of a better place to start a Camino. So beautiful. Lots of places to visit, nice restaurants, both sides of the river to walk, the wines… We spent 3 night there before starting the Camino, and went back again for a few more nights in the end.
b) The Passadiços
The wood boardwalks along the beaches/dunes in Portugal were so cool.
We were really happy with our choice to walk by the beach and have this completely different scenery as company for the first 3-4 days, having a nice contrast compared to what we would experience later in rural Galícia.
c) Baiona
A great place to spend a rest day. It has a medieval part with some nice alleys filled with restaurants/bars. It has great beaches nearby. It has the Parador to walk around (or stay there if you can 😁).
d) Pontevedra.
A wonderful and alive medieval/pedestrian city center. We really enjoyed strolling around.
e) Caldas de Reis and Padrón
Nice surprises. Wasn’t expecting much, but they were pleasant stops.
f) Santiago
If possible, plan to stay 2 or 3 nights in Santiago so you don’t have to rush when you arrive (and worry about the mass, the Pilgrim’s Office, etc). This way you will have plenty of time to discover this amazing town (don’t miss the Cathedral rooftop tour. Book in advance)
12) The walk
As I said, this time was not easy for me - and I explained a bit about the reasons.
My wife nailed it, and I witnessed a lot of people over 70 years old doing it. Several times I met an American gentleman that had an ankle surgery a few weeks before. He was going slow but steady. It was a delight to talk to Greg and his wife Diane.
The walk through the Litoral was BEAUTIFUL.
Sometimes we switched from the Litoral Camino to the Coastal Camino and vice versa. As the Litoral is not an “official” Camino, sometimes it doesn’t have clear directions so you have to check on your gps app more frequently. It feels much better when the route is always signaled with the yellow arrows (not an issue when you enter Spain).
The route has some uphill and downhills, it’s not flat as some people say. Leaving Vigo… wow. There was a part so inclined that I could almost touch the asphalt with my nose while leaning my body forward to conquer that wall 😅😅
Soooooo many beautiful forest passages.
Sooooo many peaceful moments passing by rural properties and tiny villages, specially in Galicia.
Soooo many nice people in Portugal and Spain, locals and pilgrims.
Soooo many great memories.
13) My arrows 😅
As I had recently released my Camino novel, I printed some yellow arrow-shaped bookmarks to give to other pilgrims. As I’m super shy, I rarely talked about it with people I had just met. They were just a few I felt comfortable to do it.
I left most of them in the places we stayed or the Pilgrim Office in Porto or the Pilgrim House in Santiago.
Only ONCE I left one in the route. We missed a left turn and walked the wrong way because the sign was kind of erased/blended in the landscape, so I put a yellow arrow there. It was on a beach in Portugal. I hope it’s still there, helping to point the way.
Anyway, If you have picked up one and have it with you, I’m very happy you are reading this (I’ll leave a photo in the comments so everyone knows what I’m talking about 😀)
If you want to know more about this journey, I wrote 10 posts (one after each day walking), from July 13 to 23. They are here in the page (should I keep calling the page My First Camino? 😅😁👣❤️)
Sorry for the long post, I hope it helps someone 👣.
Daniel R Castro
