Walk along original cobble Roman roads
Visit Porto's UNESCO World Heritage city centre
Experience a path rich in history and taken since the twelfth century
Indulge yourself in en-suite rooms and with a high level of comfort all along the way.

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Departures:

>Self-Guided
Any time, all year round!

>Guided
See Guided Departures page

The Portuguese Way became very popular after the country gained its independence in the mid 12th century. Nowadays, some people claim the Portuguese Way offers one of the richest cultural and architectural heritages of the whole of the existing Caminos. The Portuguese way starts in Lisbon and crosses Lisboa, Alentejo and the Central and Northern regions of Portugal. It then enters Spain in Tui to continue North through Galicia and towards Santiago de Compostela!

Starting in Coimbra and continuing all the way up to Porto, this 3rd section of the Portuguese Way stretches between inland Portugal and the Atlantic coast. Here, the Camino brings us through history with such cities as Coimbra, the former capital city of the country or even Porto, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Between these urban areas, vineyards, river valleys and gently undulated woodlands are also part of the landscape and with reasonable length walks, this walking holiday is accessible to anybody with a regular level of fitness.

DAY 1 –Coimbra
Coimbra has always played an important role in history of Portugal and remains of the ancient times can still be seen in this lively city. Indeed, being the former capital city of Portugal, Coimbra is not only home of a 13th century university, but its cathedral is one of the best preserved gothic building in the country. As a university city, Coimbra has everything to entertain visitors, and it is also a great place to taste local wines produced in the area!

Town: ATM, Shops, all facilities

DAY 2 – Coimbra to Mealhada (23km, 5h45, +120m -100m)
Today is mainly a flat walk alternating between urban areas and river valleys. The only difficulty of the day might be the gently climb up when leaving Coimbra and the Rio Mondego valley, up to Cioga do Monte. On this stage, the Camino mostly follows an ancient Roman road even though nowadays very little remains. We end up the day in Mealhada, in a famous winegrowing area.

Town: ATM, Shops, all facilities Meals: Breakfast, dinner

DAY 3 – Mealhada to Agueda (25km, 5h45, +100m -100m)
Leaving Mealhada, we continue to walk through pleasant vineyards and this with no particular difficulty, even though we spend most of the day on asphalt. On the way, the route runs through Avelas de Caminho, a city historically linked to the Camino We finally reach Agueda, a town built on the banks of the Certima river.

Town: ATM, Shops, all facilities Accommodation: En-suite. 2* accommodation or equivalent. You hotel is located in the centre of Lalin, 2 kilometre off trail. Meals: Breakfast, dinner

DAY 4 – Agueda to Albergaria A Velha (17km, 4h15, +150m -100m)
This easy short stage presents no difficulty, the highest point of the day being our final destination in Albergaria A Velha. The nicest part of the day runs through peaceful pine and eucaliptus woods, a leg of the Camino that follows the original Via Romana XVI, with a beautiful stone bridge crossing over Rio Marnel.

Town: ATM, Shops, all facilities Meals: Breakfast, dinner

DAY 5 – Albergaria A Velha to Sao Joa da Madeira (29km, 7h15, +300m -260m)
We start this day walking along a nice forest road through pine and eucalyptus woods and then the area becomes more urbanised as the Camino progresses further towards the North of the Beira coast and Porto. We also cross the nice town of Oliveira de Azemeis with its small yet pretty historical centre and Matriz de Sao Miguel church. The terrain also becomes more undulated and there is a bit of ups and downs across small hills, the highest point of the day culminating at a mere 220m in Sao Joao da Madeira.

Town: ATM, Shops, all facilities Accommodation: En-suite. 2* accommodation or equivalent. Meals: Breakfast, dinner

DAY 6 – Sao Joao da Madeira to Seixezelo (16km, 4h, +150m -200m)
This short stretch of the Portuguese Way mainly passes through urban areas but gives a chance to modern pilgrims to follow the original Calzada romana for a good while. Leaving Sao Joao da Madeira, we pass through Arrifana and by its blue chuch and soon we find ourselves walking on the well-preserved original cobble Roman road. We then continue downhill towards the 13th century Monastery Mosteiro de Grijo and we then head towards Seixezelo.

Town: ATM, Shops, all facilities Meals: Breakfast, dinner

DAY 7 – Seizelo to Porto (16km, 4h, +200m -250m)
For our final walking day, we head towards Porto, feeling the fresh breeze of the Altlantic coast as we get closer to the famous Port wine capital city. Today again, we will walk on an original Via Romana section in Perosinho before heading to Vila Nova de Gaia, the big city facing Porto, on the other side of Rio Duero. Finally, we enter Porto via the magestic Puente D. Luiz I before reaching the city's UNESCO World Heritage old town.

Town: ATM, Internet, shops, all facilities Meals: Breakfast

DAY 8 – Porto
After breakfast, we bid you farewell.

Town: ATM, Internet, shops, all facilities Meals: Breakfast

• Luggage transferred from hotel to hotel
• Rooms en-suite
• Half-Board during the hike
• Detailed Walking Notes
• Map
• Pilgrim passport

• Flights
• Insurance (recommended)
• Drinks
• Dinners in Coimbra and Porto
• Transfers from/to airport