Camino Portugués

Camino Portugués

Lisbon – Porto – Santiago: Central, Coast and Spiritual Routes

The Caminho Português (known in Spanish as the Camino Portugués and in English as the Portuguese Way) is one of the many Camino routes that connect to Santiago de Compostela and is today the second most popular of these paths.

The full 630km route starts in Lisbon, though the majority of pilgrims start further north in Porto. Much of the Camino Portugués follows ancient Roman roads, and the route passes through Padrón, Spain, the site where the boat carrying St. James’ remains from Jerusalem is said to have made landfall. Pilgrim traffic on the Camino Portugués dates to the Middle Ages. Most notably, Queen Isabel of Portugal (1271-1336) was known to have traveled this Camino route.

On the Camino Portugués, pilgrims have many routes to choose from. From Porto, central (inland) and coastal options leave the city before reconnecting further north. From Pontevedra, Spain, pilgrims can choose to follow the traditional route to Santiago or take the Variante Espiritual, a route that includes a boat journey following the final passage of St. James’ body to Padrón. Between Lisbon and Porto, blue blazes mark the Caminhos de Fátima (the Fátima Ways)—popular pilgrimage routes to Fátima, the place where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to shepherd children in 1917.