Portuguese Way from Porto

Twelve stages through inland Portugal and Galicia, crossing the border on foot at the Valença international bridge. The most chosen start on the Portuguese Camino: 51,574 pilgrims in 2025 counting Central and Coastal together.

Distance

242 km

Duration

12 days

Route

Central Portuguese Way

Starts in 2025

51.574

Figure checked Pilgrim Office, January–July 2026.

How the stages are usually split

There is no official split. These are the ones actually used, depending on the days you have.

In 12 stages, the usual split

Stage distances are general references. We have not recalculated them against the official track yet, which is why they are underlined.

Central or Coastal: decided before you leave

Two different walks leave Porto under the same name, and you decide on day one because there is no easy way back afterwards.

The Central — this one — runs inland: historic towns, Roman causeways, medieval bridges and the border crossing at Valença. More heritage, more of a classic pilgrimage feel.

The Coastal hugs the Atlantic, with timber boardwalks and fishing villages. Flatter and cooler in summer.

They converge at Redondela and both give the Compostela. The Coastal in detail.

The first three stages are the hard ones

This is the opposite of what people expect. The Portuguese has a reputation for being easy, and it is in its second half, but the opening days are long: 27, then a pair of shorter ones, then 33.5 km.

On top of that, leaving Porto means crossing urban and industrial outskirts for a good many kilometres, on cobblestone and tarmac. It is neither dangerous nor entirely ugly, but it is not the pastoral trail of the photos, and hard ground punishes your feet from day one.

Two common solutions. One: take the metro to Vilar do Pinheiro and start walking there — plenty of people do, and it does not affect the Compostela because the minimum is met many times over. Two: split the long stages, especially Barcelos to Ponte de Lima.

Ponte de Lima and the Labruja climb

Ponte de Lima is the prettiest town on the route and the stop everyone recommends: medieval bridge, old quarter and a proper living town.

Right after it comes the only serious climb on the Central Portuguese: the Labruja ridge, on the way to Rubiães. It is not a mountain pass, but it is steep, stony and long in the heat.

Crossing the border on foot

One of the moments people enjoy most on this route: you leave Valença do Minho, walk across the international bridge over the Minho river and enter Tui, in Galicia.

There is no border control, but it is worth getting stamps on both sides: in Valença before crossing and at Tui cathedral on arrival.

From here you join everyone starting in Tui, the second busiest starting point in Galicia after Sarria. The increase in people is noticeable.

Getting to Porto

Porto has an international airport with cheap flights from across Europe and a metro line straight from the terminal to the centre. It is one of the easiest and cheapest starting points on the whole Camino.

Kilometre zero is at the cathedral, the Sé do Porto, where you can also get a credential. The city is worth a day before you start.