The Coastal Portuguese Camino

The fastest-growing route of them all. Around 60,000 pilgrims chose it in 2026, putting it level with the Central Portuguese.

Starts at

Porto

Distance

265 km

Classic stages

—

Pilgrims in 2026

60.000

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.

What it has that the others do not

It is the only Camino you walk facing the Atlantic for days. It alternates timber boardwalk over dunes, compacted sand, fishing-village cobble and stretches of minor road.

That variety of surface is both its charm and its problem: feet feel the change more than people expect, and the Senda Litoral has no shade at all. In August, at midday, it is brutal.

It also links to the Spiritual Variant, which crosses the Arousa estuary by boat following the route the Apostle's body is said to have taken. It is the only navigable section in the entire Jacobean network.

Senda Litoral and Coastal Way are not the same thing

A common confusion worth clearing up before you set off.

The Coastal Way is the official Jacobean route, running slightly inland along minor roads and through towns.

The Senda Litoral is a parallel itinerary right on the shoreline, on boardwalks and promenades. It does not carry Jacobean waymarking along its whole length, but it is far more beautiful.

Most people combine the two. Both count towards the Compostela, provided you walk them.

The Vigo phenomenon

Vigo has gone from 1,400 pilgrims in 2019 to more than 14,000 in 2026, a direct result of this route growing and of having an airport, a station and a port right on the path.

One warning if you are short on days: the distance from Vigo hovers around the 100 km minimum and is worth verifying before counting on the Compostela.