Day 1: Porto Cathedral to Matosinhos (11KM)
My 2nd journey on the Camino de Santiago begins in the City of Porto where I will take the Portuguese Camino Coastal Route (also known as the Senda Litoral) to Santiago de Compostela. My flight was arriving into Porto at 3:45pm, and the plan was to book it to the Porto Cathedral before it closes at 6:30pm (5:30pm – in the off peak seasons); in order to purchase my Pilgrims’ Credential and hit the ground running on my 1st day with an easy 11KM to Matosinhos.
Luckily for me; my flight was one time. Doubly lucky was that I did not have to check my collapsible walking poles in. In fact the Lufthansa ticket agent simply refused to check my collapsible walking poles in stating that they were simply too small to go as checked baggage – she insisted they should be fine as carry on, and she was right! Without checked baggage I was able to walk straight off the plane directly to the light rail train that would take me to the Cathedrale. If you’re able to, I strongly recommend going carry-on only if you’re flying in to do the Camino. It would be a serious pain to try to replace all your Camino items if the airline loses your bag.
The Metro machines at the airport takes credit card – so don’t sweat not having cash if you’re in a hurry. If you’re like me, and you don’t want to spend precious vacation time waiting in line to get a SIM card at the airport. Consider buying an eSIM prior to your arrival, and simply switch it on once you arrive and you’re good to go! Mine worked seamlessly. I was super impressed.
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My plan was to immediately start walking once I got to the starting point of the Camino Portguese – the Cathedral of Porto. The idea behind this was that I was on a bit of a tight schedule trying to do the combined Varients of the Camino Senda Litorel (already slightly longer than the traditional Camino Portugese – and I also wanted to add the Spiritual Variant detour – which adds another 40KM). So the more ground I made up the better. Ideally, I would make it to Vila do Conde about 34KM from the Porto Cathedral the next day, so if I walked 11KM from the cathedral to Matoshinos the day I arrived, it would break up the distance the next day to about 24KM rather than 35KM.
It was emotional to see the stone Camino marker in front of the Church – marking the distance to be travelled to Santiago. The marker is identical to the ones I saw all over the French route on my first Camino, and the familiarity of it brought back beautiful memories, even though I was starting in a different country this time.
I was able to purchase both my Pilgrims’ credential (2 Euro) and scallop shell (2 Euro) at the ticket office of the church. I decided to also purchase an entrance to the church itself (3 Euro). They speak English at the ticket desk and you can pay by credit card.
The 11KM walk from the Cathedral of Porto was a scenic riverside walk along the Douro River until you reached the Atlantic Ocean, then the walk continued along a beautiful oceanside boardwalk until the town of Matoshinhos. I stayed at the Caruma Surf Hostel for the evening, which was a clean and affordable option near the beach.
Day 2: Matosinhos to Vila do Conde (24KM)
Day 2 got off to a slow start as I had to purchase some toiletry items at the local Lidl that I had accidentally forgotten to pack. By time I finished my early morning shop and got walking – it was already 10:30am – ugh. A morning person I am not. I walked the short distance to the water, and about 30 minutes along the beach, and it quickly became apparent why Matosinhos is considered the sports and fitness capital of Portugal. It was a veritable heaven of surfing, beach sports, and hard bodies.
Today’s walk was about 80 – 90% on a beachside boardwalk. I kept thinking the boardwalk would end but it kept going and is impressively long. The boardwalk full of people running, biking and going to the beach. Many sections of the beach where suitable for surfing – and I also saw people biking with surfboards on their bikes!
Logistics wise, this section has a huge number of water fountains with potable water – so if you want to pack less water – this section is the one to do it. There were also clean public bathrooms at regular intervals. I was impressed about the amazing beachside infrastructure along the board walk – such as public gyms (which I didn’t feel compelled to use, all things considered), and heavenly wooden beach lounge chairs – which has every Pilgrim’s name on them! Kick up your feet (and socks) and relax barefoot. Take a load off 🙂
My destination today was the Municipal Albergue in Vila do Conde. For reference, municipal albergues are typically run as non-profits, and are usually quite a bit cheaper than private hostels. The catch is: they do not accept reservations and operate on a first-come-first-serve basis; so if you do not arrive early enough – they may be at capacity when you arrive. As Vila do Conde is a fairly large city – I was confident I would find something even if the municipal albergue was full. It was my lucky day. Although I arrived at 6:30pm, they still miraculously had room for me. I was the 3rd to last bed sold for that night though and the hostel did eventually sell out. If you wish to avoid the anxiety of knowing whether you’ll get a bed to sleep in, consider pre-booking your accommodations. The HI Vila do Conde is one of the most affordable and well-reviewed options available for pre-booking.
That night I had the Pilgrim’s Menu at the Saura Cool restaurant right next to the Albergue. The 3 course menu including a soup, bread, main course of pork schnitzel, and coffee was only 10 Euros. A half litre of wine was an additional 3.5 Euro. Excellent meal and excellent value.
I was pleasantly buzzed by time I headed back to the Albergue at 9:40pm – just prior to the doors closing at 10pm. Note: many albergues close their doors at 10pm – so be aware of your albergue’s policies!
Day 3: Villa do Conde to Esponsende (27KM)
I woke up slightly before my 8am alarm around 7am – as that was when everyone else in my 6 person dorm were also stirring. It was a fitful evening. We had pretty loud snorer in the room that night. Thankfully he was only intermittently snoring, so I put in my earbuds and put on a sleep story about the Greek Gods and eventually fell asleep.
I was hoping for a slower morning, but the cleaning ladies were basically already cleaning the hostel starting at 8am – 1 hour ahead of the 9am check out time. I was out the door at 8:30am – the Camino has a way of forcing you to become a morning person whether you want it or not.
The walk through Villa do Conde was around the Ave River towards the ocean at the southern point of Vila do Conde, where the River flows into the Atlantic ocean. This is also where the impressive Forte de Sao Joao Baptista de Vila do Conde is located.
There’s a bank of cafes just across from the Forte and I stopped for coffee and a delicious Pasteis do Nata at a cafe called O Forninho. Grand total was 2.70 Euro, and they had clean washroom I could use before heading back to the trail. Pristine morning experience.
The trail continued along the oceanside much like the day before – although a word of warning – there are much fewer water fountains along this stretch compared to the previous day – so make sure you carry enough water. If you’re low on water, there are a lot of shops particularly Povoa de Varzim where you can pick up food, water and many other items before heading into the rest of your day.
Just after noon, I decided to stop at Barracuda Mar, a beachfront restaurant that purported to serve good seafood. I ordered the grilled sardines, and was directed to sit in the dining area with large open-air windows. Grilled Sardines are a local delicacy in Portugal and a must try.
The Grilled Sardines (14 Euro) at Barracuda Mar did not disappoint, they were expertly grilled and fall off the bone tender. My meal came with a large green salad and bread with olive oil. I splurged on a glass of white wine (3 Euro) to top it off. It was an indulgent 1.5 hour mid-afternoon break – both in terms of food as well as time – but I enjoyed the rest, good food and the opportunity to catch up on my writing while listening to the ocean nearby. Highly recommend this stop. Note they are cash-only.
The scenery starting from Estela changed from beach side walk to a board walk cutting through a golf course, and then into a sandy trail through farmland. It was just past the 20KM mark of the day that I came across a dilapidated stone house. Dilapidated would be a generous term to describe the structure. There was no roof, and there was more like 3.5 walls rather than 4 walls – normally I just would have strode on by; but something caught my eye: scallop shells and a sign with the distinctive yellow scallop shell on a navy background.
Intrigued I walked closer to read the sign. It read:
“Hello! My name is Miguel and I live in this village. I’m also a pilgrim. Inside this house, you’ll find some inspirational quotes, a special stamp, and a few handcrafted items made by me. Take one and leave whatever you wish. Don’t rush along the way – enjoy the journey”
I peaked inside… it did not seem promising at first glance. There was debris and garbage everywhere inside the structure… and then on one wall… there it was: a beautiful little stand in amongst the chaos, with a stamp, and several rows of little Camino souvenirs, just as the poster outside promised. I loved that this place existed.
After stamping my credential, I picked up one of the cute souvenirs, and dropped off some money in the money box in exchange. “You are never alone on the Camino” was one of the quotes inside the house. I could not agree more.
The walk into Fao was excruciating. The roads on the town where comprised almost completely of cobblestones, and my poor feet were protesting hard. The closer I got, the farther it seemed as my body tired and my feet screamed. The little bit of the Camino Senda Litoral that did a little loop around the town of Fao prior to crossing the bridge over the Cavado bridge into Esponende almost made me want to b-line to the bridge – but I stuck to my guns and did the little loop. In hindsight, I see why they designed the route that way – I ended up in a beautiful little courtyard with historic buildings – some completely covered by beautiful Portuguese tile. It was like stepping into a bubble where time stood still. An old Portuguese man was talking to his little dog and he waved cheerfully at my tired, tired being as I walked by. Seeing him, and his kind gesture lifted my spirits. He reminded me of my dear Portugese neighbours who lived beside my childhood home. They were a retired couple – who always grew the most amazing gardens and their tiny “talkative” Pomeranian “Smokey.” Their friend (also Portuguese) actually built the house that I grew up in – and the original bathroom had the distinctive blue patterned tile that is famous all over Portugal!
Shortly afterwards I turned around the bend, and there was the historic Ponte D. Luis Filipe Bridge. Built in 1892, it has been the main crossing of the Cavado river for more than a century. The Hostel Eleven is a top pick with affordable dorm beds in Esposende
