The Coastal Route of the Portuguese Camino: a detailed daily stages guide

THE COASTAL ROUTE OF THE PORTUGUESE CAMINO: A DAILY STAGES GUIDE

Updated November 2026.

If anyone asks me to recommend an underrated stretch of coastline in Europe that I absolutely love, I’ll invariably mention either the west coast of the Alentejo region (which I discovered when walking the Fisherman’s Trail) or the beaches of Portugal’s Norte region, stretching towards Galicia in Spain (which I discovered when walking the Portuguese Coastal Camino).

I first walked the Portuguese Camino in 2022, travelling from Porto to Santiago de Compostela via the inland route, passing through historic towns such as Barcelos and Tui. I really enjoyed this route, but when I got the opportunity to walk the Portuguese Camino again in 2024, I decided to try something different: the coastal route.

I walked in spring, from March into April, taking in half of the route with my Mum and the remainder as a solo female traveller.

Fast forward to 2026, and John and I were looking for a Camino route to walk in September. We wanted something we could take slowly (particularly as I’d be five months pregnant at the time), with fantastic scenery and plenty of interesting places to explore along the way.

I immediately thought about the Portuguese Coastal Camino. I didn’t mind that I’d walked it before. The region changes with the seasons, and I knew from experience that no two Caminos are ever the same. Besides, I couldn’t wait to show John some of the places I’d discovered on my previous walk.

The coastal route is simply stunning, offering the best of both worlds. There are beautiful beaches and sweeping Atlantic Ocean views as you walk along the Portuguese coastline, followed by delightful countryside as the route heads inland through Galicia. Along the way, you’ll also discover vibrant cities, including Porto and Vigo, alongside smaller coastal towns and villages.

In this blog post, I’ll cover everything you need to know about walking the Portuguese Coastal Camino, including what to expect along the way, the main route options and, most importantly, a detailed breakdown of the daily stages to help you choose an itinerary that works for you.

Contents show

The different Portuguese Camino routes explained

Before diving into the Coastal route, I thought it was worth explaining the different Portuguese Camino routes – as this can get a a little confusing.

The main Portuguese Camino route runs all the way from Lisbon to Santiago de Compostela, via Porto. It is at Porto that the different routes emerge and the following choices emerge:

1/ The Central or Inland Route – this route starts in Porto and travels to Santiago de Compostela via inland towns and villages, like Barcelos, Ponte de Lima and Tui. Up until a few years ago, it was considered the most well known of the Portuguese Camino routes. But these days, the Coastal has increased in popularity.

2/ The Coastal Route – this route leaves Porto and travels to Santiago de Compostela via coastal towns, like Viana do Castelo, Baiona and Vigo. Before joining the central route in Redondela for the last 80km or so into Santiago.

You can find a detailed guide explaining the difference between the Central and the Coastal Route here. As well as some pointers to help you choose between the two.

3/ The Litoral Route – this route also travels between Porto and Santiago. And, it is often confused with the Coastal route. But there are some differences. The Litoral, “literally” hugs the coast, whilst the Coastal route goes inland at various points. I like to think of it more as a variant than as a full route.

You can walk both the Coastal and the Litoral, choosing which to follow on each day. I’ve explained this a little more in the daily stages guide below – but you can also find a detailed guide to the Litoral Route here.

4/ Spiritual Variant – Finally, it’s worth being aware of the Spiritual Variant. This variant starts a few kms after Pontevedra (on the Central route), heads to the coast at Combarro, across a peninsula and back to the coast at the other side at Vilanova de Arousa. From there, pilgrims can take a special boat service and re-join the Central route just outside Padron.

It’s worth noting that you can walk the Coastal route, join the Central route in Redondela and then take the Spiritual Variant. In fact, that’s exactly what I did last time I walked this Camino.

You can find our detailed guide to walking the Spiritual Variant here.

Coastal route of the Portuguese Camino: Key Info

Total Distance: 270km from Porto to Santiago de Compostela – a little longer if you take the Litoral Variants.

Days Required: 11-14 is average. 10 is possible for very fast walkers. Stretching it longer is also lovely.

Navigation: Typical Camino markers, the route is well marked.

Is the Portuguese Camino Coastal route difficult?

I don’t think any Camino route is “easy” as such. Even the fittest of walkers can be humbled by walking day after day, especially if the weather is bad or distances are long. And especially when coupled with carrying a backpack.

In my experience, the Portuguese Camino routes, both the coastal and the inland are flatter than other routes. This is not to say that they are entirely flat! The Portuguese Camino Coastal route has some inclines, perhaps around 200m or so each day, more on some days.

The hardest sections when it comes to hill climbs, are between Esposende and Viana do Castelo – a 25km stretch with few ups and downs, but no more than 400m of climbing over the entire day. The section between As Mariñas and Baiona – 8km or so with two reasonably steep climbs. And, the section on the Central route between Redondela and Pontevedra – 20km with nearly 500m of climbs.

In terms of the terrain, you’ll find a mix of trails, pavements and roads and some boardwalks (near to the start of the route). For me, I found one of the biggest challenges to be walking on flat surfaces, like boardwalks and pavement, for long periods of time. This tends to hurt your feet much more than it would walking the same distance

One of the things that makes this route easier than other Camino routes is also the distance. It is achievable in less than 14 days of walking for most.

The ample accommodation and towns on route mean that the route is flexible and allows shorter walking days as required. On our most recent Camino on this route, we sometimes walked 10km or less each day. Oftentimes, people think that a Camino has to include 25km days, but that’s really not the case.

Transport on route is also good, so if you do get injured or have any issues that require public transport, it is available on the Portuguese Camino Coastal.

For all of these reasons, I often recommend this route to anyone who is worried about their fitness levels and walking their first Camino – find out more about that here.

If you are preparing for your first Camino, you can find our guide to 26 things to do to get ready here.

When is the best time of year to walk the Portuguese Camino Coastal?

The best time of the year to walk the Portuguese Camino Coastal route is completely down to what sort of walking weather you hope to get for your trip. The “season” is generally considered to be between March/ April and September/ October. After October, accommodation, like albergues, can start to shut down before re-opening in spring.

There are a few things to keep in mind when choosing the best time of year to walk the Portuguese Camino Coastal route.

Temperatures on the coast can be lower than inland, you may get more of a breeze coming off the water and perhaps more rain. In the summer, this breeze is probably quite welcome.

That said, personally, I would avoid July and August when temperatures for walking could be extreme and private accommodation can be booked up by holiday makers. A good alternative for July and August is the Camino del Norte – it runs along the north coast of Spain and temperatures can be cooler.

March/ April tend to be quieter on the route and cooler, but you may experience some rain. Evenings can also be colder. I walked in March/ April and experienced two days of baking hot weather and the rest nearly non-stop rain. Of course, you may get beautiful spring weather, but it is not guaranteed. The delightful thing about walking at this time of year, is that there are far fewer pilgrims on route.

May to June may be a very good time to walk this route – with higher temperatures and less chance of inclement weather. But they are two of the busiest months – so I recommend booking your accommodation ahead.

September and October can be beautiful, but rain is also possible and cooler evenings. Shorter days with less sun light must be factored in. Most recently, I walked in October and had temperatures in the 30s. But, I’ve also walked in October and experienced days of rain. Do keep in mind that September is one of the busiest months on this route too.

Portuguese Camino Coastal Route stages: choosing your way

If you’ve decided to walk the Coastal route of the Portuguese Camino, one of the biggest decisions is choosing the best daily stages for you.

First of all, what is a daily stage? It is simply how far you choose to walk each day and where you choose to stay overnight.

Don’t let anyone tell you that there’s only one way to walk this route. It’s true that there are typical daily stages, but that doesn’t mean that this is how you need to break up your walk. The Coastal route is very flexible, and as such, you can generally walk shorter or longer days as you wish.

Here’s how I’d recommend choosing your daily stages on the Portuguese Coastal Camino:

1/ Fitness levels – think about how far you can comfortably walk in a day. But also keep in mind that you don’t want to walk your maximum each day. After two or three days back to back, things can feel harder.

2/ Start small – it’s best to start with shorter days nearer to the beginning of the walk, building up to longer ones as you go. This helps to avoid injury, especially if this is your first walk.

3/ Build in active recovery or rest days – it can be nice to build in total rest days (a zero day), or a few shorter days. For example, if you’ve walked 25km for four days straight, an 18km day on the fifth day could feel blissful.

4/ Where to do you want to stay overnight – I’m often surprised by how many people overlook this. Sometimes people just plan around distance and forget to consider where they actually want to spend a night. The Portuguese Coastal Camino has some outstanding towns and cities on route, as well as beaches. You can find our guide to our 21 favourite places to stay on route here.

5/ Accommodation – Finally, factor in your accommodation. If you are planning only to stay in albergues – check where these are and whether they are likely to have space. Or, if you are aiming to stay in only private hotels, consider what type of place you’d like to stay and your budget. You can find our favourite albergues on route here.

Typical Daily Stages: walking in 11 days

Not everyone walks the same daily stages on the Coastal route of the Portuguese Camino. But I wanted to include some of the more “typical stages” – these are often the stages you might find in a guide book, or pre-set in a Camino app. The average for the daily stages in this plan is around 25km, or just over 15 miles.

Day One: Porto to Vila do Conde 28km
Day Two: Vila do Conde to Esposende 23km
Day Three: Esposende to Viana do Castelo 25km
Day Four: Viana do Castelo to A Guarda 33km
Day Five: A Guarda to Baiona 32km
Day Six: Baiona to Vigo 26km
Day Seven: Vigo to Redondela 16.5km
Day Eight: Redondela to Pontevedra 20km
Day Nine: Pontevedra to Caldas de Reis 21km
Day Ten: Caldas de Reis to Padron 19km
Day Eleven: Padron to Santiago de Compostela 25km

Daily Stages: walking in 12 days

Whilst I think the “typical stages” are good, personally when I first walked this route, I wanted to take a slightly more leisurely pace. Averaging closer to 22km (13.5 miles) than 25km. I also wanted to keep all of my daily stages under 30km, maximise my time in Portugal and visit a few key places on route.

Day One: Porto to Mindelo 28km (Litoral Variant)
Day Two: Mindelo to Esponsende 28.5km (Litoral Variant)
Day Three: Esponsende to Viana do Castelo 25km
Day Four: Viana do Castelo to Vila Praia de Ancora 19km
Day Five: Vila Praia de Ancora to Portecelo 20km
Day Six: Portecelo to Baiona 25km
Day Seven: Baiona to Vigo 26km
Day Eight: Vigo to Redondela 18km
Day Nine: Redondela to Pontevedra 20km
Day Ten: Ponetvedra to Caldas de Reis 21km
Day Eleven: Caldas de Reis to Padron 19km
Day Twelve: Padron to Santiago de Compostela 25km

Daily Stages: walking in 16 days

When I most recently walked this route, I decided to walk slowly, sticking to an average of around 15-16km (9 to 10 miles) per day, with a few longer and a few shorter days. I’m sharing this because I want to show that you can walk much less than the “typical stages” would suggest.

I thoroughly enjoyed taking things a bit slower and spent the afternoons resting, exploring or relaxing on the beach.

My exact itinerary is below:

Day One: Porto to Matosinhos 10km (Litoral Variant)
Day Two: Matosinhos to Mindelo 17.5km (Litoral Variant)
Day Three: Mindelo to Povoa de Varzim 8.5km
Day Four: Povoa de Varzim to Fao 17.5km
Day Five: Fao to Viana do Castelo 27km
Day Six: Viana do Castelo to Vila Praia de Ancora 18.5km
Day Seven: Vila Praia de Ancora to A Guarda 14.5km
Day Eight: A Guarda to Oia 13km
Day Nine: Oia to Baiona 18.5km
Day Ten: Baiona to Patos Beach 10km (Litoral Variant)
Day Eleven: Patos Beach to Vigo 16.5km
Day Twelve: Vigo to Redondela 16.5km
Day Thirteen: Redondela to Pontevedra 20km

From here, I chose to take the Spiritual Variant, returning to Padron four days later. You can find a detailed guide to the daily stages of the Spiritual Variant here. Had I continued on the Central route, I would have arrived to Santiago on day 16.

Starting your Camino in Porto – where to stay and what to do

Porto is not a city you want to rush through. If you have time, I’d really recommend taking at least two nights in Porto before you start your Camino.

You can find our full guide to the best things to do in Porto and where to stay here.

Portuguese Camino Coastal Route: Detailed Daily Stages

Taking the 12 day itinerary mentioned above, you can find below a description of each daily stage, including details on amenities and accommodation.

Day One: Porto to Praia de Mindelo 28km

KEY DETAILS: 28km, Ascent 250m, Descent 200m.

ROUTE

Leaving Porto: As you leave Porto, there are two options. The Coastal Route actually goes inland past industrial areas and the airport, or you can take the Litoral Variant. The latter travels along the river (keeping the river to your left) and then turns right along the coast (the ocean to your left.) I tend to recommend the Litoral Variant at this stage, because it is much more pleasant and takes you to the coast quicker. If you choose to walk to Vila do Conde on day one, the Coastal Route (inland) is 28km, whilst the Litoral Variant is 33km.

For me, the first day of any Camino is always filled with excitement. Walking out of Porto is especially wonderful because, after taking in the fabulous city, you suddenly appear on the coast so quickly and it is a total thrill. Especially if the weather is clear. I also love how there are always so many people walking or running the river and coastal paths to and from Porto – it has a fantastic vibe.

If you are taking the Litoral Variant as I did, then you simply follow the river all the way to the ocean (if taking the Litoral Variant as I did). Do note, the Central route and Coastal routes follow a different way out of Porto so the arrows can be a little confusing. If you ignore the arrows and instead head to the river and out to the water, you can’t go wrong.

Tip: If you are at all confused about which way to leave Porto, call into the Porto Pilgrim’s Office for advice. This is open from April to October – you can pick up a credential, a stamp, or just pop in for advice.

Once you arrive to the sea, follow the coast line along the promenade. After a stretch, you’ll leave the busy suburbs of Porto and the high-rise set up of Matosinhos and start to encounter more remote board walks.

AMENITIES

You’ll find many amenities along the way, as you walk along a stretch of the route which is popular with tourists. There are cafes and restaurants all along the water as you leave Porto.

Matosinhos is the first large town you will get to, here you will find supermarkets and cafes/ restaurants. There is also a tourist information where you can stop to get a stamp for your credential, or to buy a Camino credential if you’ve missed picking one up in Porto.

Labruge is also a large town, as is Vila do Conde where I stayed. There are many lovely restaurants and bars, as well as supermarkets. Vila do Conde is a thriving town, with many former residents of Porto having made the move out to live here instead.

ACCOMMODATION

Mindelo is a quiet beachside town. For me, I chose it as it’s an ideal distance from Porto for a first day. But, also because it retains a lovely relaxed vibe. And with good weather – the beach is undeniable.

There are a handful of restaurants in Mindelo, although not all of them are open every day. We dined at O Bistro Delicioso, an incredibly unassuming restaurant run by a German couple. They offer a simple menu of home-comfort food, which was ideal after a day of walking.

Where to stay:

BUDGET: Casa Alba

MID-RANGE: On the Way, Mindelo Beach

Alterantive: Vila do Conde is another 5km further, if you have the energy to keep going. It is a charming town, with a coastal part and a more buzzing inland centre. Lately, many people have left Porto to live in this area and so it has a city vibe. For albergue accommodation, Santa Clara Pilgrims Hostel is one of the best in the area. HI Vila do Conde is a more upmarket pilgrim hostel offering female only dorms, single beds or private rooms. For private accommodation, Venceslau Wine Boutique Hotel is recommended.