Chris ‘Tarzan’ Clemens is adventure traveler and digital nomad and has been living full-time on the road since 2015 chasing warm weather around the world. You can follow his adventures at ChrisTarzanClemens.com and @ChrisTarzanClemens on YouTube and Instagram.
After hiking the Camino Frances (French Way) to the Camino de Santiago in 2018, I didn’t anticipate returning to the pilgrim’s path, but when the opportunity arose to do a Father-Sons trek with my dad and brother, I couldn’t pass it up.
The first step was to choose our route to Santiago de Compostela. There are multiple options to pick from based on the season, terrain, your hiking speed, and time available. We decided that, with one month of relaxed hiking, our best bet was the Camino Portugues Central Route from Porto to Santiago covering 260 km (162 miles).
My Dad (Jim) and brother (Tyler) met me in Porto at the end of August 2023, and we all prepared to spend September hiking north through Portugal and Spain. Geared up and ready to go, we dropped our extra luggage off with a transport service, donned our packs, and started our pilgrimage.
Day 1 – Porto to Vilar do Pinheiro
Early in the morning on September 4th, we set out wandering though the quiet streets of Porto following our first scallop shell trail markers. Sticking to the Central Route, we spent the day escaping the heat by chasing sidewalk shadows and trekked a half marathon over concrete and cobblestones. We arrived at our hotel in Vilar do Pinheiro just as it started to rain, tired from a longer than expected first day but happy to be on the trail.
Day 2 РVilar do Pinheiro to Albergue de Peregrinos do Mosteiro de Vaiṛo
After sleeping a solid nine hours, we woke up early the next morning, fueled up with breakfast, and set out towards our next destination along the Portuguese Central Route. Still being near the city, the roads were narrow and busy with automobile traffic. We stopped in small shops for café americanos and sandwiches and decided, after our first night in a hotel, that we needed to try an albergue.
The day rolled on as we rambled across the countryside, passing ornately tiled churches and stopping in hilltop cafes for snacks and refreshments. We arrived in Vairão just after noon, ate lunch in the café downtown, and checked into a pilgrim’s albergue.
The Mosteiro de São Salvador de Vairão is a gorgeous old building with a very welcoming staff. We were the first arrivals of the day, picked our beds, cleaned up, did laundry, and spent the afternoon relaxing in the serene garden.
That evening, we shared dinner in town with other pilgrims, watched the sunset over the landscape, and drifted off to sleep happy with the 6.5 miles (10.4km) we had covered.
Day 3 РAlbergue de Peregrinos do Mosteiro de Vaiṛo to Rates
The morning began with an incredible sunrise view from the dormitory windows. We set out along cobblestone paths through eucalyptus groves and crossed the picturesque Ponte D. Zameiro bridge.
The city life of Porto had fully retreated and we spent the day winding along farm roads, past corn fields, and through tiny villages. We considered stopping for the day in Arcos, but it was a very small town and we still had several hours of daylight left. We settled for snacks and drinks and then carried on.
A few hours later, we booked accommodation in Rates online, wandered into town, checked in, cleaned up, replenished our calories, and toasted with glasses of red wine to celebrate the 8.9 miles (14.3 km) we covered on our third day.
Day 4 – Rates to Barcelos
After several days of sweltering heat, the morning clouds and cooler temperatures made shaking out our sore muscles more enjoyable. The first half of the day was very rural with towns few and far between. And, at one point, we all ran out of water. Luckily it wasn’t too hot and, within an hour, we came across a shop and rehydrated.
As we neared Barcelos, the quiet countryside gave way to increased traffic, fancy neighborhoods, and city amenities. On the way into town, we passed the sign for 199 km to Santiago and stopped for a celebratory break with snacks and drinks.
In Barcelos, we talked with several pilgrims we had met who were crisscrossing the city looking for open albergue bunks. Luckily, the previous night, we’d prebooked a hotel in the city center. After a 10.5 mile (16.9 km) day, we checked in, cleaned up, did our laundry, hung it in front of the aircon unit, and spent a nice evening at streetside cafes talking with pilgrims and eating delicious food.
Day 5 РBarcelos to Balug̣es
Our hotel offered no breakfast so we were up and back on the trail early in the morning. We walked through city streets just starting to stir and stopped at a café in the countryside for a quick snack before taking on our biggest hill of the journey so far.
The ascent took most of the morning and, after crossing the summit, we started down a wooded path through villages and vineyards. In the next valley, the midday sun beat down on us as we sweated through heat-soaked fields. Eventually, we came across a pond with several pilgrims lounging in the grass and taking advantage of the swimming hole to cool off. It looked enticing but we needed to get lunch before the restaurants closed for the afternoon, so we pressed on.
We arrived in Balugães just in time to order BBQ chicken platters and ice-cold drinks. We had already reserved a hotel so took our time at lunch, then shouldered our packs, and checked into a stunningly gorgeous old stone farmhouse. We felt luxurious while relaxing in the vineyard and in the 2-bedroom apartment filled with ornate antiques. The day had been a 9.5 mile (15.9 km) hot hike and we were happy for the comfortable accommodation.
Day 6 РBalug̣es to Ponte de Lima
We’d been hearing about a folk festival kicking off in Ponte de Lima and that it would be hard to find accommodation, at least economical options. We scoured the map for other stopping points but decided Ponte de Lima fit into our schedule the best. We spent way more than our typical budget prebooking a tiny room in town and hoped for the best.
Throughout the morning, the sky threatened rain showers but mostly just spit sprinkles. As we approached Ponte de Lima, the sun won out and it turned hot and humid. The path stayed quiet and we savored the solitude; it was definitely the calm before the festival storm.
Walking into town, the Feiras Novas festival was in high gear. Tourists, street vendors, and musicians were everywhere. We checked into our tiny room, cleaned up, and set out to see what the folk festival was all about. We’d covered 11.75 miles (18.8km) but added a bit more distance walking around the city.
We stumbled into the afternoon’s parade and enjoyed watching the groups in traditional dress, regional themed floats, and circles of men tossing clay pots back and forth, until one of them missed and the clay shattered across the street to raucous cheers from the crowd.
Later that night, I wandered the streets with my brother as festivalgoers congregated in impromptu singalongs with accordions, drums, and castanets. We hopped from circle to circle, taking in the music and atmosphere before retreating to the not-so-quiet hotel room long after midnight.
Day 7 – Ponte de Lima to Labruja
In the morning, we woke to fireworks at dawn and ambled out of the city past groups of revelers continuing the all night fiesta. Within an hour, we were back on dirt tracks in the quiet solitude of the countryside.
This stretch included the longest and biggest climb of our Portuguese Central Route, so we decided to break it up into two days. First, we’d do a short hike halfway up the hill and then a day over the top and down the other side. With only 6.5 miles (10.4 km) to cover, we took our time, stopped in cafes, and arrived at a quaint albergue with fantastic views in the afternoon.
That evening, we dined with other pilgrims, watched the sunset over the valley, and fell off to sleep early, ready to finish the hill in the morning.
Day 8 – Labruja to Cedral
After breakfast and coffee, we set off for the ascent. Just over an hour later, we were at the peak preparing to descend the other side, happy that it hadn’t been too hard.
The villages seemed to be spread out a bit more in this stretch and, when we stopped at our target destination, we learned that the only restaurant in town was closed, but the albergue could serve us dinner several hours later that evening. With plenty of daylight left, we pressed on and eventually checked into a very nice hotel with comfortable rooms, a great view, and best of all, a swimming pool.
We lounged in the lush grass and soaked in the cool waters, thankful for the respite after an unplanned 12.9 mile (20.75 km) day.
Day 9 – Cedral to Tui
We woke in the morning with only 6.5 miles (10.4 km) to Tui, Spain, our half-way point on the hike and the town we planned to take a day off in. We took our time all morning, stopping in cafes for coffee and snacks and arriving eventually at the Fortaleza de Valença.
Other pilgrims told us that they were staying in the fortress for a day or two, but we had already secured an apartment in Tui, so we spent a few hours wandering the streets and enjoying our final experiences of Portugal. After lunch, we crossed the bridge into Spain and into Tui for a day off and then the second half of our Camino Portugues Route pilgrimage.
Camino de Santiago – Portuguese Route – Porto to Tui
Day 1 – 13. 1 Miles – Porto to Vilar do Pinheiro
Day 2 – 6.5 Miles – Vilar do Pinheiro To Albergue de Peregrinos do Mosteiro de Vairão
Day 3 – 8.9 Miles – Albergue de Peregrinos do Mosteiro de Vairão to Rates
Day 4 – 10.5 Miles – Rates to Barcelos
Day 5 – 9.9 Miles – Barcelos to São Bento
Day 6 – 11.75 Miles – São Bento to Ponte de Lima
Day 7 – 6.5 Miles – Ponte de Lima to Labruja
Day 8 – 12.9 Miles – Labruja to Cedral
Day 9 – 6.5 Miles – Cedral to Tui
Day 10 – 0 Miles – Tui to Tui
Read more about our full pilgrimage hike from Porto to Santiago along the Camino Portugues and watch our Father-Sons trip film here.
