Portuguese coastal route by bicycle in 7 days

There are few better places to start your Portuguese Way route along the coast by bike than the great city in the north of Portugal. Porto - in Portuguese, Porto - offers you the possibility of cycling through one of the must-see places in the north of this Atlantic country. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, it has many attractions, from its cathedral and the Torre dos Clérigos to the popular and bustling cais da Ribeira, and one of the most famous bookshops in the world: Lello & Irmão.

Porto is one of Portugal's top tourist destinations and it shows. And the experience you are about to begin on two wheels is a great excuse to drop by and, if you have the time, dedicate a whole day to the city of the Douro.

Standard accommodation: Hotel Poveira or similar
Charming accommodation: Porto Coliseum Hotel or similar

Distance: 38 km
Difficulty level: ●●●○○○○○
Accommodation: Póvoa de Varzim

The first stage of your adventure on this coastal variant of the Portuguese Way. It is by far the shortest of the ones we propose, because it is always good to start slowly. And because it will help you to adapt to your bike - something that is not always taken into account and that is essential, unless you are very used to cycling.

The day starts in the city of Oporto, which we recommend you to have visited the day before. The first part of the route is obviously urban. We have to advance through the heavy traffic of the metropolitan area, which will give way to the open landscape as we advance. We take the path parallel to the Douro River - Douro in Portuguese - to Matosinhos and then turn north, which will become our permanent reference point during this journey.

If you have opted for this coastal route, instead of the inland route that goes to Tui and from there to Santiago, the urban area will give way to the views of the imposing Atlantic Ocean, from which you will not be separated at any time until the last day. Labruge and Vila do Conde are two of the towns you will pass through on this initial stage, which ends in Póvoa de Varzim.

Standard accommodation: Hotel Costa Verde or similar
Charming accommodation: Grande Hotel da Póvoa or similar

Distance: 46 km
Difficulty: ●○○○○
Accommodation: Viana do Castelo

The second day of this Portuguese Way along the coast by bicycle follows the same pattern as the previous day: kilometres and more kilometres of almost rectilinear route parallel to the immense Atlantic. Undoubtedly, one of the most spectacular routes of the Camino de Santiago. It is not by chance that in recent years it has gained followers. Between Póvoa de Varzim and Esposende, beaches, sea bream, traditional boats and old windmills reconditioned to welcome visitors during the summer season.

The second part of the day will take you to Viana do Castelo, with some points where the coastal path gradually leaves the sea to meet the river Neiva and, further on, the river Lima, at the foot of which rises the town of Viana do Castelo, which has one of the most beautiful and best preserved historic centres in Portugal.

Standard accommodation: Hotel Margarida da Praça or similar
Charming accommodation: Flag Design Hotel or similar

Distance: 61 km
Difficulty level: ●●●○○○○○
Accommodation: Baiona

The third stage of this coastal route runs halfway between Portugal and Galicia, jumping over the river Minho, which forms the border between the neighbouring towns of Caminha and A Guarda. With the sea always on our left, along coastal paths, asphalted tracks and dirt roads, the cyclist crosses here from river to river, from the Lima to the Minho. From Caminha, the last Portuguese town, we take the ferry (8 € / person + bicycle) to cross one of the oldest borders in the world, finally entering Galicia.

From there, it is a short walk to the southernmost section of the Galician coast, between the ocean and the cliffs. A short distance away you will find Oia and its old monastery overhanging the sea, where the so-called "cannoneer monks" lived, who defended the coast with cannon fire against pirate raids. Further on, the cliffs continue towards the beautiful lighthouse of Cabo Silleiro, slightly elevated above the coast and where we always recommend a stop.

From there, a short distance separates you from the end of the stage: Baiona, the old Erizana where the first news of the discovery of America arrived. You can see a reconstruction of the caravel La Pinta, and also visit the castle of Monterreal, today converted into a Parador de Turismo, or simply stroll through its medieval streets.

Standard accommodation: Hotel Anunciada or similar
Charming accommodation: Casa do Marqués or similar

Distance: 60 km
Difficulty level: ●●●○○○○○
Accommodation: Santiago de Compostela

Sixty kilometres separate the town of Baiona from the city of Pontevedra. A more complex stretch in technical terms than the previous days and with the challenge of crossing Vigo, the largest city in Galicia and where the signposting can get a bit confusing.

As you leave Baiona behind you, the open ocean and straight coastline give way to the complex and choppy coastline of the Galician Rías Baixas: you enter the Vigo estuary, famous for its shipwrecks full of gold from America and for the Rande bridge, which at the time of its construction was the largest suspension bridge in the world. This estuary, with the famous Cíes Islands in the background, was also used by Jules Verne as the setting for one of the adventures of the Nautilus.

After leaving Vigo through the Teis neighbourhood, with the A Guía lighthouse looking down on you, you'll arrive in Redondela, the so-called city of viaducts. You'll be impressed by the iron bridges that cross the town flying over the houses to allow the railway to pass. In addition, this coastal route joins this route with the inland variant of the Portuguese Way, so you will have many experiences to hear and tell other pilgrims.

After leaving Redondela, a new effort will take you to the top of O Viso, which offers one of the best views over the famous estuary. From there you will quickly reach Arcade, also famous for its oysters, which we recommend you try. Soon you will reach the end of the stage: the beautiful city of Pontevedra, which is said to be boa vila (good town), and whose sanctuary of the Pilgrim Mother has become a symbol of the city and of the Portuguese Way itself.

Standard accommodation: Hotel Avenida or similar
Charming accommodation: Hotel Boa Vila or similar

Distance: 64 km
Difficulty level: ●●●○○○○○
Accommodation: Santiago de Compostela

Last stage of this Portuguese Way along the coast by bicycle. Don't be in a hurry to finish it: the Camino is about giving time to time and stopping where the mood takes you. You will start the journey leaving Pontevedra behind by the Burgo bridge, where the river Lérez becomes the Pontevedra estuary. This stage is for nature lovers: wonderful landscapes dotted with vineyards and the characteristic villages of the Rías Baixas - a name inextricably associated today with the wines of the area, especially Albariño.

After 20 km you will reach Caldas de Reis, one of the towns with the longest thermal tradition in Galicia, and another 20 km will take you to Padrón, on the banks of the river Ulla, which flows into the immense Arousa estuary. According to Christian tradition, this is where the stone boat that brought the remains of the apostle St. James to rest in Galicia entered. It is worth taking a stroll through its historic centre and its breakwater to the church of Santiago, where the pedrón is kept: the stone on which, according to the same tradition, the boat was moored when the disciples and the remains of Saint James continued their journey on foot.

From Padrón, the Camino will take you through Iria Flavia, where the bishopric of Teodomiro was located at the time of the discovery of the apostle's tomb, and through O Milladoiro, today a dormitory town of Santiago whose name comes from the Latin humiliatorium - a clear reference to the pilgrimage and to the fact that from its top it was possible to see, at last, the towers of the Cathedral of Santiago.

Only five kilometres more and you will enter the city from the south, through the Porta Faxeira of the old city wall and the Rúa do Franco, a name related to the pilgrims, who were called francos indistinctly, whether they came from Portugal or from the south of Galicia. Congratulations, pilgrim! You have reached your goal. The journey continues.

Standard accommodation: Hospedería San Martín Pinario or similar
Charming accommodation: Hotel Costa Vella or similar

You have completed your Portuguese Way by bike and after a well-deserved rest, you finally have time to visit the city you have cycled more than two hundred kilometres to reach. Its historic centre, its university, its market and its countless parks, its surroundings...

And, if you have time, the End of the World awaits you. We bring it to you on a full day trip to Muxía, Fisterra and the Costa da Morte to complete a fantastic week.