Every Camino is different. And every pilgrim walking the Camino is unique.
These maxims still held true on my most recent trek – the Camino Portugues. This was my first springtime walk in Spain (I previously walked the Camino Frances and Camino del Norte in autumn). It was also the first time I approached Santiago from the south. And even though it was my shortest Camino, I still experienced more than I imagined!
OVERVIEW
- Starting point: Porto, Portugal
- End point: Santiago de Compestela, Spain
- Route followed: Coastal Route
- Total distance walked: 271.3 kilometers (170 miles)
- Countries I walked in: 2
- Time zones: 2 (Spain is 1 hour ahead of Portugal)
- Duration of time on the Camino Portugues: 8 days
- Walking pace: 33.9 km/day (21 miles/day)
- Longest distance walked in a single day: 44.6 kilometers (27.7 miles)
- Shortest distance walked in a day: 22.9 kilometers (14.2 miles)
- Highest elevation: 1,314 feet
- Average elevation: Sea level
FOOD & DRINK
- Wine region the Camino Portugues begins in: Duoro Valley
- Type of wine it’s famous for: Port
- Number of Portuguese wines I tried during this Camino: 3
- Ciders I tried: 1 (Bandida do Pomar)
- New beers I tried: 2 (Super Bock, Mahou Radler)
- Best Portuguese food item I enjoyed during this Camino: Pastel de Nata (custard tarts)
- Portuguese dish I tried but didn’t care for: Balcalhau (salt cod)
- How to order a latte (cafe con leche) in Portugal: Meia de leite
- Favorite meal on the Camino: Eggplant parmesean pizza
- Favorite new Spanish dish I tried: Pimientos de Padrón
- Slices of Tarta de Santiago I ate: 1
WHERE I SLEPT
- Private albergues/hostels: 6
- Nights spent in hotels: 2
- Overall lodging cost: €232 ($250)
- Average lodging cost over 8 days: €29
- Most expensive stay: €65
- Least expensive stay: €16
- Favorite albergue: Casa da Carolina
- How I booked all my stays: Booking.com
WEATHER
- Start and and dates of my Camino: April 30 – May 7
- Hiking season: Spring
- Consecutive days of rain: 6
- Heaviest rainfall received in a single day: 2 inches!
- Number of windy days on the Camino: 2
- Average daily temperature: 60-65°F
TRANSPORTATION
- Metro rides: 1 (between the airport and the Porto cathedral)
- Metro ticket price: €2.85
- Stairs climbed to visit Santa Luzia basilica in Viana do Castelo: 655
- How I returned back down: A funicular railcar
- Cost for a one-way ride: €3
- Ferry boats taken: 1
- Cost for a ferry from Portugal to Spain: €6
- Number of fellow pilgrims on the ferry: 5
- Train rides taken after the Camino: 3 (to visit Ourense, Salamanca, and then Madrid)
- Bike tours taken: 1 (in Madrid)
Odds & Ends
- Most unexpected flora: cactus near the beach
- Peacocks roaming the streets of Vila do Conde: 6
- Number of goats on the Camino near Vila Praia de Âncora: 30+
- Monasteries visited: 1 (Oia)
- Number of mountain bikers who scared the daylights out of me: 3
- Times I used a laundromat: 2 (Caminha, Vigo)
- Grocery stores visited: 4
- Small markets visited: 1
- Farmers markets: 1
What I saw Post-Camino
- Number of Spanish towns I visited after Santiago: 3
- Days spent in Ourense: 1
- Thermal pools I walked past while there: 4
- Thermal spa I actually visited: Termas de Outariz
- Cost for a two-hour visit: €6.50
- Camino routes that runs through Ourense: 2 (Camino Sanabres & Via de la Plata)
- Days spent in Salamanca: 3
- Guided walking tours taken around Salamanca: 1
- Universities visited: 2
- When the University of Salamanca was founded: 1134 AD
- Days spent in Madrid: 1
- Bike tours taken around Madrid: 1
