Whether you take the Central or Coastal route there are many lovely towns on the Camino Portugués. Although you don’t need to take a rest day on the Camino there are some places that just seem made for spending a little longer. However, if your schedule doesn’t allow for any rest days you can do as I did and spend the afternoons exploring – you’ll be surprised how much you can see in half a day in some of the smaller towns along the way.
I’ve walked both the Central and Coastal routes and many of the places I stopped between Porto and Santiago were small villages. Places like São Pedro de Rates, Balugães, and Rubiães on the Central route, and Oia on the Coastal route were perfect for one-night stays but if you’re planning a rest day, it’s better to stop somewhere with enough to keep you occupied – even if you just want to chill with your feet up or hop from bar to bar enjoying the local food and drink.
Although you can start walking the Camino from Lisbon I’m only including towns from Porto as that’s where the majority of pilgrims set off.
This post may contain affiliate links which means if you click a link and purchase something that I have recommended I may receive a commission. While clicking these links won’t cost you any money, it will help to keep this site going. Thank you for your support.
Porto
There’s so much to see and do in Porto so, if you can, try and spend at least a day here before you start your Camino.
The Cathedral should be your first port of call – you can buy your credencial there and then head inside to wander through the cloisters, admire the traditional blue and white tiles, and head up to the roof for views across Porto.
For more amazing views walk across the Dom Luis I bridge to Vila Nova de Gaia where you can take a tour of some of the port wine houses (and have a tasting or two). Alternatively why not take a boat ride down the Douro river?
One thing you must do is have your first pastel de nata of your Camino – I can guarantee it won’t be the last. The best ones, in my opinion, are from Manteigaria on Rua de Alexandre Braga where you can watch them being made.
For more ideas read my post ‘Things to do in Porto before the Camino’.
Find the best places to stay in Porto
After you’ve enjoyed all that Porto has to offer here are some of the best towns on the Camino Portugués.
Barcelos (Central Route)
Barcelos is the birthplace of Portugal’s most famous symbol — the colourful Barcelos Rooster. In fact, as you wander through the town you’ll spot many different sculptures of the rooster.
The legend of the Barcelos rooster goes that a pilgrim on his way to Santiago was falsely accused of stealing and a judge sentenced him to death by hanging. The pilgrim protested his innocence and asked for an audience with the judge. The judge met the pilgrim while he was eating dinner with friends.
Again the pilgrim protested his innocence and, pointing at a roasted rooster on the dining table, proclaimed, “it is as certain that I am innocent as it is certain that this rooster will crow when they hang me”. Guess what? As the pilgrim was taken to the gallows, the rooster jumped up and crowed.
The judge rushed off to the gallows where the pilgrim was still alive thanks to a poorly tied knot. The pilgrim was set free and later returned to Barcelos to sculpt the Cruzeiro do Senhor do Galo – a carved stone cross outside the Palace ruins.
As well as spotting rooster sculptures you can also explore the ruins of Paco dos Condes de Barcelos (Counts of Barcelos Palace), a 15th century palace overlooking the Rio Calvado and visit the Igreja do Bom Jesus da Cruz and the beautiful Jardim das Barrocas.
Find the best places to stay in Barcelos
Ponte de Lima (Central Route)
Ponte de Lima is Portugal’s oldest town reached by walking along Avenida dos Platanos, a wide, sycamore tree-lined avenue.
Make sure to check out the bridge that gives the town its name. In fact, the crossing over the Rio Lima is actually made up of two bridges. The medieval bridge dates back to 1368, but there are also five arches from a Roman bridge dating from the first century.
On the opposite side of the river is the Igreja de Santo Antonio da Torre Velha with a pretty tiled façade and an impressive pilgrim sculpture.
You’ll also notice that there’s a statue of a Roman Captain on horseback on one side of the river with his troops lined up facing him on the opposite bank.
The legend goes that in AD 135, the soldiers refused to cross the river due to its similarities to the river Lethe (river of forgetfulness), one of the five mythical rivers of the Underworld. They feared that, if they crossed or drank from it, the river would erase their memories.
In order to show the soldiers they were mistaken, the Captain, Decius Junius Brutus, crossed the river and, once on the other side, called to the soldiers by name to prove that this wasn’t the river of forgetfulness.
If you’re stopping for a day in Ponte de Lima check out the Centro de Interpretação e Promoção do Vinho Verde, a museum dedicated to Vinho Verde, Portugal’s famed wine.
Find the best places to stay in Ponte de Lima
Tui (Central Route)
Once you reach Tui you’ve officially left Portugal behind and are now on Spanish soil.
Visiting the Cathedral is a must – it has a small museum and an impressive altar. You can stroll around the cloisters that surround the manicured gardens and then climb to the top of the cathedral for unrivalled views of the surrounding area. You’ll be able to see the fortress of Valença on the other side of the Rio Minha, plus the bridge that you crossed to walk into Spain.
On a smaller scale the Capel de San Telmo is worth a visit and I can recommend heading to the Convento de Santa Clara to buy some biscuits which are made by the nuns themselves – try the traditional almond biscuits shaped like fish.
You could also head back to Valença for the day to explore the fortress.
Find the best places to stay in Tui
If you want to walk the Camino but don’t know where to begin I’ve written this Camino Portugués planning guide which tells you everything you need to know and outlines all the steps you need to take to get you on your way.
Viana do Castelo (Coastal Route)
The highlight of Viana do Castelo is the Santuário de Santa Luzia, a beautiful basilica which overlooks the town.
If you’re feeling energetic you can climb the several hundred steps to the top of Monte de Santa Luzia to visit the basilica. However, the best (and easiest) way to get there is to take the funicular railway (Elevador de Santa Luzia) which will get you to the top in just over five minutes.
Viana do Castelo has a lovely old town where you’ll find a cathedral and several museums including the Museo do Traje (Costume Museum) as well as a chocolate museum situated in the basement of Fábrica do Chocolate, a chocolate themed hotel. I stayed here and can highly recommend it – the breakfasts are to die for!
Find the best places to stay in Viana do Castelo
Baiona (Coastal Route)
Baiona is a beautiful coastal town and if you’re walking the Camino during the summer months would be a perfect place for a rest day – imagine relaxing on a golden beach and soothing your weary feet in the Atlantic Ocean. Bliss!
If you’re not into beaches you can explore the fortress which sits on a headland jutting into the sea. The fortress now houses the local Parador if you want a luxury stay in Baiona but you can walk around the headland and on the walls that surround the fort.
If you’re interested in maritime history, you can visit the replica of the Pinta, one of the ships used by Christopher Columbus when he set off on his voyage to the new world in 1492, to find out what life was like at sea at that time.
Find the best places to stay in Baiona
Vigo (Coastal Route)
Vigo is Galicia’s largest city – an abrupt change of pace from the previous towns along the Coastal route.
The Casco Vello (old town) is made for exploring. Start in Plaza de la Constitución and just wander through the narrow streets – keep your eyes peeled for some unusual sculptures, and street art. You could also book a walking tour and have a local guide show you all the best spots.
If you want to practice some uphill walking ready for the next stage of your Camino head up to Castelo do Castro, where you’ll find prehistoric stone ruins and the remains of a fortress dating from the Middle Ages.
If you’d prefer to just relax and enjoy some local delicacies then head to Calle de las Ostras (Oyster Street) where you can enjoy some tasty seafood washed down with a beer or two.
Depending on the time of year you might also decide to visit the Cies Islands to relax on the beaches there or enjoy some more hiking.
Find the best places to stay in Vigo
The Central and Coastal routes converge in Redondela, so you’ll find it a lot busier along the way once you’ve passed through this town.
Pontevedra (Central and Coastal Route)
This is the last big town before Santiago and has a lovely old town which is perfect for a wander. In Plaza de Ferreria you’ll find the Convento de San Francisco that was, according to legend, founded by Francis of Assisi who stopped in Pontevedra when he was walking to Santiago.
One thing not to miss in Pontevedra is the Capela da Virxe Peregrina (Church of the Pilgrim Virgin) in the centre of Pontevedra’s old town. It’s shaped like a scallop shell and stands in the centre of one of the squares in the historic centre, with a fountain in front.
It’s free to get in with a nominal charge to climb up the spiral staircase to the dome for a bird’s eye view of the layout of the church. You can fully appreciate its scallop shape from above. Keep an eye out too for the stained glass with more scallop shell designs.
Just across the way from the church you’ll find a brass statue of a parrot – this is Ravachol who was the pet of the pharmacist Perfecto Feijoo whose business stood in the Plaza de la Peregrina. The parrot lived in Pontevedra from 1891 and 1913 and became such a big part of the city that, even today, its burial is commemorated during the annual Carnival.
Find the best places to stay in Pontevedra
The Spiritual Variant is an alternative route from Pontevedra. Most pilgrims will walk it in three stages (Pontevedra to Armenteira, Armenteira to Vilanova de Arousa, and Vilanova de Arousa to Pontecesures) but there is the option to break the first stage in two.
You can read more in my post ‘Walking the Spiritual Variant – Everything you Need to Know’.
Combarro (Spiritual Variant)
Combarro is a small town on the Ría de Pontevedra. While you can easily see all it has to offer in a few hours, many people choose to stay overnight so that they’re fully refreshed and ready to tackle the climb out of the town to Armenteira.
The old fishermen’s quarters that overlook the estuary house a mix of restaurants and souvenir shops and can get extremely crowded when tour buses are in town. Head away from the water though and you can explore the myriad of narrow streets that make up the town. Combarro’s historic centre is a car free zone so exploring the narrow streets is a pleasant experience – there are tiny plazas, stone crosses, and lots of horreos, the grain stores that are everywhere throughout Galicia.
One highlight of Combarro is the seafood – choose a restaurant near the water and enjoy a freshly caught feast with a spectacular view.
Find the best places to stay in Combarro
Padrón (Central and Coastal Route)
Padrón is usually the last stop before Santiago and is where the remains of St. James are said to have first arrived by boat.
Not as big as other towns on the Camino there is still quite a bit to see and do here. Your first stop should be the Igrexa de Santiago Apostolo de Padrón which is dedicated to St James. When his body was brought back to Spain by boat it was moored to a Roman altar stone called a pedrón which is now located under the main altar of the church and which gave the town its name.
Just across the bridge from the church is the 16th fountain, Fuente del Carmen. At the top is a carving of Queen Lupa being baptised by St James, while underneath you can see the boat transporting his body.
From here you can walk to the Santiaguiño do Monte which is where St James would preach from the rocks. You need to climb 125 steep steps to reach it and you’ll find a statue of St James there as well as a hermitage and fountain. Pilgrims in the 16th century would climb the rocks on their knees praying on each of the steps.
While you’re in Padrón make sure to get your Pedronia certificate. This is a certificate that is given out by the Town Council in Padrón to show that you’ve followed the route to where the body of St James was brought before it was carried through to Santiago. To get the Pedronía you need to get your credencial stamped in the main church and then head to the Tourist Information Office on Avenida de Compostela and show them your credencial.
One final thing to do in Padrón is to tuck into a plate of the local pimientos de Padrón. These are small green peppers that have been fried in olive oil until their skin blisters and then seasoned with salt. Most of them are very mild but you occasionally get a hot one so be prepared!
Find the best places to stay in Padrón
Santiago de Compostela
Congratulations! You’ve reached Santiago de Compostela. Just like in Porto at the start of your journey there’s so much to see and do here. A visit to the cathedral is a must – especially to the pilgrim’s mass where, if you’re lucky, you’ll get to see the swinging of the botafumeiro. It’s also worth booking a rooftop tour of the cathedral so you can enjoy great views of Santiago from above.
Other things to do include the Pilgrim’s museum, a wander around the beautiful old town where you can find some great bars and restaurants to enjoy the local cuisine, or perhaps take a tour to Finisterre and Muxia.
For more ideas read my post ‘Things to do in Santiago de Compostela after the Camino’.
Find the best places to stay in Santiago de Compostela
I hope this post has given you some ideas of the best towns on the Camino Portugués whether you’re just staying overnight or having a well-earned rest day. Let me know your favourites in the comments.
If you want to read my latest posts you can sign up below to my monthly newsletter to receive them straight to your inbox. Even better, why not come and join the Camino Portugués Planning Facebook group where you can chat to others who are planning, or have already walked, the Camino.
Buen Camino!
Why not pin this for later and follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for more inspiration, photos and updates?
If you would like to support my work by buying me a coffee I’d be really grateful – the more coffee, the more I can travel, the more content I can write! Thanks for your support, it’s very much appreciated.
