After walking almost 120 km along El Camino de Santiago Portugués (The Portuguese Way of Saint James) from Valença do Minho in Portugal to Santiago de Compostela, I can say it is a wonderful experience. The memory I have of the days in Galicia walking through forests, fields and beautiful villages is really nice. We were lucky because the weather was lovely (it was rainy just one day) and because we could share feelings, thoughts and celebrations with really nice people.
One of the nice environments of The Portuguese Way of Saint James near Caldas do Reis
Of course, to fully enjoy this experience I strongly advise sleeping in young hostels to meet other pilgrims. It's also advisable to take it easy and to enjoy landscapes and breakfasts with other pilgrims.
Other important tips is to take good care of your feet and not carrying a backpack weighing more than 10% of your weight. And if it can be less than seven kilos better!
Next you have the length of our stages:
- STAGE 0: Valença do Minho -Tui (3,0 km)
- STAGE 1: Tui - O Porriño (16,5 km)
- STAGE 2: O Porriño - Cesantes (18,8 km)
- STAGE 3: Cesantes - Pontevedra (16,7 km)
- STAGE 4: Pontevedra - Caldas do Rei (21,9 km)
- STAGE 5: Caldas do Rei - Padrón (18,6 km)
- STAGE 6: Padrón - Santiago de Compostela (24,6 km)
STAGE 0: Valença do Minho -Tui (3,0 km)
Tui and the Minho river from Valença do Minho
Crossing the International Bridge between Portugal and Spain. Tui appears at the top right of the image
The shell of El Camino de Santiago in Tui beside the Minho River
STAGE 1: Tui - O Porriño (16,5 km)
Monument to the pilgrim near Tui. As you can see, we began to walk at night (7am) to avoid the heat
Ponte das Febres near Tui
Having lunch in O Porriño after having walked almost 17km in our first long stage of the Portuguese Way of Saint James
O Porriño city hall
STAGE 2: O Porriño - Cesantes (18,8 km)
Church of Mos
Walking from Mos to Redondela during our second stage of the Portuguese Way of Saint James
Young hostel in Redondela
Cesantes beach near Redondela where we enjoyed a lovely sunny afternoon
STAGE 3: Cesantes - Pontevedra (16,7 km)
Niche decorated with Jacobean symbols of El Camino de Santiago in "A Casa do Palleiro" in Arcade (Santiño, Shell, pilgrim's staff)
Nice view from the bridge of Pontesampaio in the morning
Nice view from the bridge of Pontesampaio in the morning
Sometimes El Camino de Santiago leads through ancient Roman roads like this one in Pontesampaio
Less than 70km to arrive at Santiago de Compostela
Queue backpacks at the entrance to the young hostel of Pontevedra
The sports center where we slept in Pontevedra
Sanctuary of the Pilgrim Virgin in Pontevedra
Plaza de la Leña in Pontevedra, I really lively place at night perfect for having dinner
STAGE 4: Pontevedra - Caldas do Rei (21,9 km)
After walking eight kilometers from Pontevedra we reached Mesón don Pulpo, where we had breakfast with pilgrims we met in the young hostel. Of course we put a stamp on our credential
Few kilometers before reaching Caldas do Reis we took a break next to this cornfield
Hot spring in Caldas do Reis
Bridge over the Umia river in Caldas do Reis
STAGE 5: Caldas do Rei - Padrón (18,6 km)
The only rainy day we faced during our Portuguese Way of Saint Jaimes
Young hostel in Padrón
Bar Don Pepe in Padrón
Church of Padrón where you can see the "Pedrón"
STAGE 6: Padrón - Santiago de Compostela (24,6 km)
A dangerous stretch of El Camino de Santiago by the side of a road near Teo
Only 4km to finish our pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela
The first point from which we saw the bell towers of the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela
In the end, we arrived at Obradoiro after having walked more than 115km
And after the pilgrimage, I enter the cathedral of Santiago to embrace the Apostle
A last memory with other pilgrims I met along The Portuguese Way of Saint James
As I said before, important advices are:
- Documents:
- To sleep:
- Clothing:
- Toilet bag:
- Health kit
- Other:
After this experience of The Portuguese Way of Saint James, some weeks later I visited the next villages of The French Way of Saint James in La Rioja and Navarra. But this time we went from one town to the next one by car:
- Not to carry a backpack weighing more than 10% of your weight. And if it can be less than seven kilos better! My backpack weighed 7,5 kilos.
- The heaviest items at the bottom and close to the body.
- Things in colored plastic bags.
The things I carried in my backpack were:
- Documents:
- Pilgrim Credential
- DNI or ID, social security card and / or health insurance
- Credit card
- Travel documents (flights and hotels / hostels bookings)
- To sleep:
- Sleeping bag of fiber and lightweight is enough in summer
- Sheet to insulate the mattress and pillow covers
- Clothing:
- 3 t-shirts
- A pajamas or Sleep T-shirt
- 3 pairs of socks without seams
- 3 or 4 pieces of underwear
- 2 shorts (one for walking and one for the afternoon)
- A trousers
- A light sweater
- Raincoat
- Capeline
- Swimsuit
- Small towel
- Rubber slippers
- Cap or hat
- Sunglasses
- Toilet bag:
- Shaving utensils
- Soap
- Toothbrush and toothpaste
- Deodorant and cologne
- Sun cream and cocoa
- Toilet roll
- Health kit
- Betadine
- Adhesive bandage
- Compeed
- Vaseline and Vicks Vapor up
- Anti-insect bracelet
- Other:
- Safety pins
- Earplugs
- Lighter
- Camino de Santiago Guide
After this experience of The Portuguese Way of Saint James, some weeks later I visited the next villages of The French Way of Saint James in La Rioja and Navarra. But this time we went from one town to the next one by car:
- Estella-Lizarra
- Los Arcos
- Logroño
- Nájera
- Santo Domingo de la Calzada
I really liked the Jacobean atmosphere of these towns and the fantastic churches, cathedrals and monasteries I could visit there.
- Zaragoza, La Rioja and Navarra
Finally, other beautiful places you can visit in Spain are:
- Catalonia
- Basque Country
- Cantabria
- Granada
- La Alhambra, Albaicín and Sacromonte in Granada
- Sevilla, Córdoba, Cádiz and Costa de la Luz
- Toledo, Madrid, El Escorial and Segovia
- Mallorca, Ibiza and Formentera
- Galicia
- Zaragoza, La Rioja and Navarra
- Alicante