LOTUS EATERS TRAVEL

If you’re looking for a fantastic five day walk on the Camino de Santiago, Tui to Santiago is a great option. Read on to find out why you should do this hike and how to get from Tui to Santiago.

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Why walk the Camino from Tui to Santiago?

The walk from Tui to Santiago, follows the Camino de Santiago Portuguese Route. In an ideal world, we would recommend walking from Porto to Santiago. The full route from Porto takes in rolling countryside, sweeping coast and the best of Portugal and Spain. But, to walk the 260km (280km on the coast) you need between 10 and 14 full days. Tui to Santiago however is just over 100km and can be walked over 5km at a swift pace.

Five reasons to walk from Tui to Santiago

1// The last 100km of the Portuguese route (from Tui to Santiago) is quieter than the last 100km of the French route, or the North route. In fact, the French and North route merge over the last 100km, so the paths become quite busy. This is especially true in the summer months.

2// You can walk from Tui to Santiago in a short period of time – 5 days is the average. This means, you could take one week off work and still have some time left to enjoy Santiago when you get there.

3// The walk is fairly flat and easy terrain to walk on. This, coupled with the ease of navigation on the Camino, means that this hike will suit newbies or novices. This stretch of the Camino, as with all routes, is very well kitted out for hikers. In particular, we noticed that Pilgrim accommodation is plentiful on this stretch. Plus, there are lots of catering options with regular restaurants, bars and cafes along the way.

4// You can spend a day in Portugal, just across the river from Tui, before you start the Camino. If you’re keen to see some of Portugal, this is really easy to do. Simply walk over the bridge (aptly named the friendship bridge) from Tui and you’ll be in the charming town of Valenca.

5// As Tui is just over 100km from Santiago, you can get your compostela (certificate) when you arrive in Santiago if you wish to. Just make sure you get two stamps per day in our credential. Find out more about this here.

Where is Tui?

Tui is a town in the south of Pontevedra in Galicia in Spain. It sits on the river Mino directly across from the Portuguese town of Valenca.

Tui is quite easy to get to making the town an accessible start point to walk part of the Camino. The nearest airport is Vigo which is approximately 12 miles from the start of the Camino in Tui. Check flights to Vigo here on Skyscanner.

The unassuming but beautiful town is known for both it’s cathedral and castle. It boasts a number of great restaurants and bars, as well as accommodation options. Being perched on top of a hill, you can also see the river from the town.

How to walk from Tui to Santiago?

The actual distance to walk from Tui to Santiago is 119km. You can do this over five or six days, depending on your pace. Here are the three main options that most people take when walking from Tui to Santiago:

Tui to Santiago Daily Stages

Five Days (Option One):

1. Tui to Redondela (31km or 32.5km)
2. Redondela to Pontevedra (19.5km)
3. Pontevedra to Caldas de Reis (21km)
4. Caldas de Reis to Vilar (24.5km)
5. Vilar to Santiago de Compostela (19km)

Five Days (Option Two):

1. Tui to A Rua (Mos) (21km)
2. A Rua (Mos) to Pontevedra (29.5km)
3. Pontevedra to Caldas de Reis (21km)
4. Caldas de Reis to Vilar (or Padron) (24.5km or 19km if remaining if staying in Padron)
5. Vilar to Santiago de Compostela (19km or 25km from Padron)

Six Days:

1. Tui to O Porriño (16km)
2. O Porriño to Redondela (15km)
3. Redondela to Pontevedra (19.5km)
4. Pontevedra to Caldas de Reis (21km)
5. Caldas de Reis to Padron (19km)
6. Padron to Santiago de Compostela (25km)

Below, we’ve set out in detail the five stages of walking from Tui to Santiago that we took during our walk from Porto to Santiago in 2022. We walked the five day (option one) route. But, we would very much recommend the five day (option two) route for anyone walking only from Tui to Santiago.

The five stages from Tui to Santiago

Day One: Tui to Redondela

We decided to walk the 31km from Tui to Redondela in one day. If you’re taking the six day route, you will stop overnight in O Poriño after around 16km. However, we decided to stay in Redondela as it looked nicer and we were in our stride.

You could also split and stay in A Rua (Mos) which is about 20km from Tui – as set out in Option Two above. I would recommend staying in A Rua (Mos) if you’d prefer not to walk more than 30km. A Rua (Mos) is a very small town with just one bar and one Albergue, but it’s very pretty.

Distance: 31km (32.5km if you take the longer route)

Highlights: The trail through the forest at around 5km was a welcome break from the road walking.

Route: On route to O Poriño there is a choice of direction at Orbnelle. You can take the left hand trail, longer and more scenic, or the right hand one which takes you through and industrial area but is more direct. The industrial route is not pretty and we would highly recommend turning left and taking the slightly longer route.

Food and accommodation:

Redondela has nine Albergues! It’s a veritable feast. But, be aware this town is the merging point for the Portuguese Coastal and Central routes, plus into the last 100km before Santiago, so it does get busy. We chose Avoa Regina which has great facilities and is bookable on Booking.com at 15 Euros per night. There are quite a few pizza places and tapas bars in the centre of town. If you stay at Avoa Regina do not miss out on breakfast the next morning across the road.

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Day Two: Redondela to Pontevedra

Distance: 19.5km

Highlights: A few nice trails take you off the road and a bar (Casa Fermin) 5km short of Potenvedra is great for a coffee or cerveza.

Route: On route, you’ll find cafe and food options at Arcade around 8km in, plus a few bars towards the end of the walk. There are a few hills today, both climb to 150m and are over quite swiftly. There are around 6km on trail and the rest or road/pavement. At O Pobo you have an option to carry on the main route or take a trail through forest. The trail is not much longer and far prettier than the road.

Food and Accommodation: Pontevedra has 6 Albergues, some Pensions and also hotels. It’s a bit of a tourist town for Spanish travellers so prices can get high for private rooms. Lots of restaurants with Menu del Dia plus some higher end places and of course some supermarkets.

Day Three: Pontevedra to Caldas de Reis

Distance: 21km

Highlights: Arrival in Caldas de Reis with it’s plentiful bars and restaurants

Route:  A swift 21km today with only one small hill. Mostly road and navigating quiet areas with limited big towns.

Food and Accommodation: We stayed at Martinez Rooms Pilgrims in a private room. There are many other albergue options. Pilgrim menus are offered at a few restaurants in town.

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Day Four: Caldas de Reis to Vilar

We chose to walk past Padron today and stay in Vilar because we had a booking at O Lagar de Jesus Albergue (which is one of our favourites on the whole route!) Many people stay in Padron, which has a municipal albergue.

Distance: 24.5km

Highlights: The trails were lovely, pine trees and smattering of sun light coming through.

Route: The route is quite straightforward, but with one small climb (around 200m). There are approx 3km on trails and the rest on roads, but the trails feel longer than that and the roads are quiet and picturesque. Some industrial areas too.

Food and Accommodation: In Vilar, the only game in town is O Lagar de Jesus. We’ve written about it in more detail here. But we loved this Albergue and all its trappings.

Day Five: Vilar to Santiago

Vilar is the perfect distance from Santiago. Approx 4 hours of walking today means if you’re up early, you can be in Santiago for lunch time or to attend the Pilgrims mass at the Cathedral.

Distance: 19km

Highlights: Cafes on route filled with Pilgrims and good vibes as everyone excitedly marches into town!

Route: The route is not unpleasant but you’ll notice the approach to Santiago as the scenery becomes more industrial. There’s excellent camaraderie on route today (despite rain threatening on the day we walked). Pilgrims are everywhere walking in unison and enjoying coffee and last minute socialising. It’s truly special! A couple of hills take you into Santiago. A couple of kms of trails but mostly road.

Food and Accommodation: Santiago has many places to stay and you’re spoilt for choice for food. We like The Last Stamp Hostel as its modern and spacious. Look carefully for Menu del Dia options (they do exist in Santiago) or if you are after something fancy, then head to one of the wonderful restaurants on Rua de Ameas like Abastos 2.0.

You can find our full guide to visiting Santiago here.

What should I pack for the Camino de Santiago?

If you would like more suggestions for packing for the Camino, you can find our supreme Camino packing list for 2023 here. This is our “lightweight” backpack packing list, based on our experience from walking multiple Caminos.

Find our packing list here.

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John and Emma’s hiking gear. These are items we love to use when we go hiking, find them here on Amazon.

Osprey 40L, Multi, O/S

HOKA ONE ONE Mens Speedgoat 4 Textile Synthetic Trainers

HOKA ONE ONE Women’s Clifton 8

CWVLC Unisex Cushioned Compression Athletic Ankle Socks Multipack

Dr. Scholl’s Blister Cushions, Seal & Heal Bandage, 8 Cushions

Montem Ultra Strong Trekking, Walking, and Hiking Poles – One Pair (2 Poles)

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Most of our planning is done using other blogs, but you can’t beat a guide book at the bottom of your case.

Find them here on Amazon.

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