Over the years, several alternatives have been configured. The most famous is the Portuguese Coastal Way, which starts in Porto and follows a path parallel to the sea.
The Portuguese Way, also called the Camino de los Portugueses, has a great historical tradition, fostered by the support received from the old Portuguese crown, which documents the pilgrimage from Lisbon to Santiago de Compostela since the 12th century. Isabel de Portugal herself and her entourage made a pilgrimage to Santiago in the 14th century, after the death of Don Dinís.

Its medium-low difficulty, its good communications –especially with Porto and Lisbon- and its rich landscape contribute to the fact that thousands of pilgrims travel the Portuguese Way each year. It also has a good network of hostels on the Camino, especially from Porto to Santiago.

The Portuguese Way is perfect for bicigrinos, characterized by a smooth run through a very regular terrain -mainly asphalt or dirt tracks- and a soft relief.

How many stages does the Portuguese Way have?
The Portuguese Way from Lisbon is usually covered in 25 stages:

• Stage 1. Lisboa – Alhandra. 37km.
• Stage 2. Alhandra – Azambuja. 23,5km.
• Stage 3. Azambuja – Santarém. 33km.
• Stage 4. Santarém – Golega. 30,7Km.
• Stage 5. Golega – Tomar. 31,3Km.
• Stage 6. Tomar – Alvaiázere. 32km.
• Stage 7. Alvaiázere – Rabaçal. 31,7Km.
• Stage 8. Rabaçal – Coimbra. 28,4Km.
• Stage 9. Coimbra – Mealhada. 23,3Km.
• Stage 10. Mealhada – Águeda. 25Km.
• Stage 11. Águeda – Albergaria a Velha. 15,8Km.
• Stage 12. Albergaria a Velha – Oliveira de Azeméis. 19,7Km.
• Stage 13. Oliveira de Azeméis – Grijó. 28,1Km.
• Stage 14. Grijó – Oporto. 23,5Km.
• Stage 15. Oporto – Vilarinho. 26,5Km.
• Stage 16. Vilarinho – Barcelos. 27,3Km.
• Stage 17. Barcelos – Ponte de Lima. 34,5km.
• Stage 18. Ponte de Lima – Rubiaes. 17,4Km.
• Stage 19. Rubiaes – Tui. 19,1Km.
• Stage 20. Tui – O Porriño. 13Km.
• Stage 21. O Porriño – Redondela. 16Km.
• Stage 22. Redondela – Pontevedra. 19,6Km.
• Stage 23. Pontevedra – Caldas de Reis. 21,1Km.
• Stage 24. Caldas de Reis – Padrón. 18,6Km.
• Stage 25. Padrón – Santiago de Compostela. 24,3Km.  

The pilgrim who begins the Portuguese Way in Porto usually travels it in 12 stages, crossing other Portuguese cities such as Viana do Castelo and Galician cities such as Oia or Vigo.
Those who prefer to start their Route in Galicia have two possibilities. The Portuguese Way from Tui has 6 stages. And the Portuguese Way from A Guarda is covered in 8 stages.

Portuguese Way from Porto

Porto, the second most important city in Portugal, is one of the most popular starting points on the Portuguese Way. After Tui, Porto is the town from which the largest number of pilgrims leave.

Like all the Portuguese Way, it is a route of medium-low difficulty, with a sufficient network of accommodation and good signposting. Only the city of Porto can be a real gibberish for the pilgrim, since we find a good number of signs and yellow arrows that mark the two main routes: the inland and the coastal variant. We recommend that you choose the Camino in advance and study the indications in the city well. 

Inland Portuguese Way from Porto. 11 stages. 240km.

The inland Portuguese Way is the historical route followed by the pilgrims who traveled through Portugal to Santiago de Compostela.

It is a beautiful route, demanding in some places, that crosses prominent Portuguese towns such as Barcelos, Ponte de Lima or Valença do Minho.
After traveling 125km, this route enters Galicia through the International Bridge over the Miño river, Tui being the first Galician town on the itinerary. The Portuguese Way from Porto is covered in about 10 or 11 stages that amount to about 240 kilometers.
Due to its tradition and historical value, it has a good number of services and accommodation, as well as places of great Jacobean importance such as Sao Pedro de Rates.

Portuguese Way along the coast from Porto. 13 stages. 280 km.

The Portuguese Way has a very popular historical variant: the Portuguese Way of the coast. Porto is its starting point and from here the pilgrim must travel about 280 kilometers to reach Santiago, a journey that is usually divided into 13 stages.
The Coastal Portuguese Way offers pilgrims a more relaxed route than the inland one and with an exceptional companion: the Atlantic Ocean. Most of the route runs along promenades, wooden walkways or dirt roads.

This Jacobean route along the coast runs through beautiful Portuguese towns such as Póvoa de Varzim, Viana do Castelo or Caminha. Until A Guarda, the gateway to Galicia, the pilgrim will have to travel about 118 kilometers through about 5 stages that will end on board a ferry to save the waters of the Miño River.

The Portuguese Way along the Coast has a smaller number of hostels for pilgrims, which is supplemented by the wide range of hotels at the main end of the stage.