Caminho Português

The Portuguese Way, or Caminho Português, runs north from Lisbon to Santiago de Compostela, a distance of roughly 620 km. It is the second most walked Camino after the French Way, though the great majority of pilgrims join it at Porto rather than starting from the Portuguese capital, leaving the southern half comparatively empty.

From Lisbon the route follows the Tagus valley through Alverca and Vila Franca de Xira, then crosses the flat agricultural plains of the Ribatejo to Santarém and Tomar, seat of the Convent of Christ built by the Knights Templar and later the Order of Christ. Beyond Coimbra, with its twelfth-century Romanesque cathedral and hilltop university, the land rises into the wooded valleys and granite of the Minho. The final Portuguese stages pass through Barcelos, associated with the rooster legend that became a national emblem, and Ponte de Lima, named for its Roman and medieval bridge over the river. The frontier is crossed at Valença into Tui, after which the route continues through Pontevedra and Padrón to Santiago.

The tradition rests partly on the account that the body of Saint James was carried by sea and landed at Padrón, making the region a destination long before it was a corridor. Pilgrimage traffic grew after Portuguese independence in the twelfth century and was reinforced by royal patronage, notably by Queen Isabel of Portugal, who walked to Santiago in 1325 and again in 1335.

Terrain is gentler than on the northern routes, with long flat sections in the south and only moderate climbs in Galicia, though cobbled Roman surfaces and stretches of road walking are common. North of Porto the route splits, with the Portuguese Coastal Way offering an Atlantic alternative.