The Portuguese Camino

The second most walked route and the one redrawing the map. Counting the Central and the Coastal together, the two Portuguese variants total 123,110 pilgrims in 2026 and are 10,340 short of overtaking the Francés.

Starts at

Lisbon · Porto · Tui

Distance

242 km

Classic stages

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Pilgrims in 2026

63.110

Figure checked Pilgrim Office, January–July 2026.

Where to start

You do not have to start at the beginning. These are the usual starting points and what each one involves.

Central or Coastal: decide before you leave

Two different walks leave Porto under the same name. It is not a minor variant: they are two different trips, and you choose on day one.

The Central runs inland, through historic towns, Roman causeways and medieval bridges. More heritage, more of a classic pilgrimage feel.

The Coastal hugs the Atlantic, with timber boardwalks over the dunes and fishing villages. Flatter and cooler in summer, and it links to the Spiritual Variant across the Arousa estuary.

They converge at Redondela and both give the Compostela. You choose on landscape, not on difficulty. The Coastal in detail.

Tui, the other 100 km starting point

Like Sarria on the Francés, Tui is where people with one week begin. In 2025 41,646 pilgrims started there, the third busiest starting point in the country.

Compared with Sarria it has fewer people and a gentler profile, but it passes through urban and industrial areas that spoil the atmosphere for some, particularly leaving O Porriño. That is the honest comparison to make before booking anything.

The surface, not the climbing

This route has a reputation for being easy, and on elevation it is. What tires people is the surface: a great deal of tarmac and cobblestone through built-up areas, and sustained hard ground punishes feet more than a climb does.

It is the route where well-cushioned footwear matters most, and where you see the most blisters per flat kilometre walked.