In this blog post, you’ll find all the key information you need about The Fisherman’s Trail. This includes, where to start and how long you can expect the route to take.
Be sure to check out our other Fisherman’s Trail content, including our daily stages guide found here.
The Fisherman’s Trail is a section of the Rota Vicentina
The Rota Vicentina is a network of walking routes spanning over 750 kilometers across the Alentejo and Algarve, combining inland paths through villages and farmland with coastal trails along dramatic cliffs. The Fisherman’s Trail, a section of the Rota Vicentina, runs 226 kilometers along the Atlantic coastline, following sandy, cliff-hugging paths once used by local fishermen.
While the Rota Vicentina offers a mix of landscapes, from rural countryside to coastal views, the Fisherman’s Trail focuses exclusively on the wild beauty of the coastline
It’s best to avoid walking in the summer
The official Rota Vicentina website recommends walking the Fisherman’s Trail between September and June. So, walking in autumn, winter or spring but avoiding the hot summer months of July and August.
We chose to walk the route in late December to early January and would very much recommend this as an option. Particularly for anyone who would rather avoid walking in heat. We loved the quiet trails, reduced rate accommodation and the chance to get winter sun. You can find our full guide to walking the Fisherman’s Trail in winter here.
That said, I do think walking in late autumn or early spring could also be really pleasant. Just keep in mind that the trail is quite exposed to the elements – come rain or strong sun, you’ll have to walk through it. Thankfully, The Algarve doesn’t get a huge amount of rain and does boast 300 days of sunshine a year.
The Fisherman’s Trail is approx 220km long
The Fisherman’s Trail is 137.4miles or 221.1km long from the start in Sao Torpes to the end in Lagos. The total elevation gain during this walk is 13,136ft.
The Fisherman’s Trail starts in Sao Torpes
The Rota Vicentina historic route and The Fisherman’s Trail often get confused. There are actually two separate routes and this can make it a little unclear as to the starting place for the Fisherman’s Trail.
Many blogs talk about the start of the route being in Porto Covo and perhaps this is the most common starting point. However, according to the official Fisherman’s Trail website, the route actually starts in Sao Torpes. The exact coordinates can be found here on Google Maps.
If you choose to walk from Porto Covo, you’ll have a shorter first day – 19,5km. Whilst if you do the entire route from Sao Torpes, you can expect a longer day of walking – 29,5km. We did the latter and it took us around 6 hours to walk.
Keep in mind that you can walk the route North to South (most common) or South to North. If doing the latter, you’ll start in Lagos (at the train station) and end in Sao Torpes.
How to get to the start of the Fisherman’s Trail
If you are starting in Sao Torpes, you can take a direct bus to Sines from Lisbon. This bus takes just under two hours and leaves from Lisbon Oriente bus station (found here.) You can book the bus in advance on the Flix Bus website.
Our tip – if you are getting the early bus from Lisbon Oriente, we recommend staying in and around São Sebastião or Saldanha metro stations, which offer direct metro lines to the bus stop early in the morning.
From Sines, it is possible to walk. But expect to walk an additional 10km to get to Sao Torpes. The route is safe, but involves some road walking which isn’t particularly pleasant. Its better to get a cab. Perhaps sharing with other walkers you meet on the bus.
Alternatively, you can also take the Rede Expressos bus to Porto Covo, the bus takes a little longer (2 hours 30 minutes) but gets you to a direct starting point.
The Fisherman’s Trail ends in Lagos
The Fisherman’s Trail used to end in Sagres, but now the official end point is further east in Lagos. The end point is at the train station in Lagos. Personally, we chose to end at the Fort in Lagos, because it seemed a little more iconic and photogenic.
Do note, if you choose to start the walk in Lagos, you will end in Sao Torpes on the west coast of Portugal.
You can walk the Fisherman’s Trail in two directions
You can walk the Fisherman’s Trail in either direction, either starting in Sao Torpes or Lagos. The route is fully sign posted and route marked in both directions.
We chose to walk from Sao Torpes to Lagos – so, north to south. It’s difficult to confirm, but we think that slightly more people choose to walk in this direction than from Lagos to Sao Torpes. This is probably because most guide books and blogs are written from this perspective.
Perhaps the main factor to consider when deciding on the direction to walk, is which airport you want to arrive to and leave from. To start in Sao Torpes, your best connection will be from Lisbon Airport. Whilst if you want to start in Lagos, you are are best to arrive to Faro airport.
One thing we really noticed is that the west coast or the route, from Sao Torpes to perhaps Carrapeteira feels wilder and less built up. Conversely, the area between Sagres and Lagos seems a little more purpose built and touristy. I quite liked seeing the wilder and quieter coastal villages first, but others may prefer to tackle the livelier areas first.
The Fisherman’s Trail can be challenging
Yes, I would say that it is a difficult trail rather than a walk in the park. The challenges are walking in sand – extremely difficult on the lower body to walk in sand for long periods of time – sometimes 3km at once. And, some occasional steep ascents and descents on uneven ground.
That said, the distances required for each day are not particularly strenuous. And by comparison to other trails we’ve done, such as the Lycian Way, St Olav’s Way or the Camino del Norte – the Fisherman’s Trail is much easier.
If you’ve never hiked before, especially with a backpack, you may find this route difficult and we would suggest dong some training in preparation. For experienced hikers, you are unlikely to find the route overly challenging.
One thing to note, is that anyone with serious fear of heights will not enjoy the Fisherman’s Trail. Although we felt safe 100% of the time, there are numerous paths that get quite close to the edge of very steep cliffs.
Most walkers complete the trail in 11 or 12 days
We walked in ten days, this included one very long day of 35km+ but aside from this felt like a leisurely pace.
Most walkers will choose to walk in either eleven or twelve days. This is optimum, to allow you to experience the trail and find appropriate accommodation at the end of daily stages.
As such, our daily stages guide splits the route into eleven days, with an option to tackle the last section in two rather than one day.
The Fisherman’s Trail is well sign posted
The Fisherman’s Trail is really well sign posted and route marked. There are occasional distance markers and near constant way markings. Look for blue and green route markers, which are specifically to denote the Fisherman’s Trail.
On a few short sections of the trail, you can follow the general Rota Vicentina markings, which are red and yellow.
We also used the All Trails App to help ensure that we were always taking the right route. This also helped with planning each day and awareness for any hills coming up.
Find the Fishermans Trail route on All Trails here.
Luggage Transfer is available on the route
We opted to carry our backpacks, keeping them as light as possible. But there is luggage transfer available on the Fisherman’s Trail if you need it. Check out Vicentina Transfers who will coordinate this for you. They charge between €15 and €20 per day.
Do note, luggage transfer is not available between November and February, so if you want to walk in the winter like we did, you will have to carry your backpack.
What is the best section of the Fisherman’s Trail?
I would find it incredibly difficult to pinpoint one particular section of the Fisherman’s Trail. That said, I know that sometimes there isn’t time to walk the whole trail. So how can you pick the best bit?
Personally, I resonated more with the first section of the hike – from Sao Torpes to the area around Carrapeteira. This is perhaps the first six or seven days of the walk. For me, the coast looked more beautiful, the villages more untouched by tourism and the spirit of the area just seemed somehow wilder, more free.
From Sagres onwards, the trail enters areas with bigger hotels and more holiday homes. This is not to say that the nature in the area is not beautiful, but I felt less like I was in discovery mode, and more that I knew what to expect in each town.
Many people love the walk from Salema to Lagos, the last day or two. And I can see why – the cliffs and geology is very unique. And Lagos is a lot of fun once you do arrive. But, for me it was perhaps a little busier than other sections of the Fisherman’s Trial (lots of day hikers).
It’s worth noting that there are sections of the Fisherman’s Trail that travel inland, away from the coast. For example, what was day seven for us, from Arrifina. We quite liked the change of pace and scenery that walking inland afforded us, but if you were to pick only a few days of walking in the Fisherman’s Trail, I’d recommend sticking to the coastal days.
EVERYTHING ABOUT THE FISHERMAN’s TRAIL IN ONE PLACE
Want all the info you need about the Fisherman’s Trail in one place? You can find our Fisherman’s Trail ebook in our shop for only $5.99. Download and flick through on your phone.
Fisherman’s Trail YouTube Video
Find our video guide to walking the Fisherman’s Trail below.
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Written by Emma
Wine Lover. Yogi. Hiker. Writer.
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