Portuguese Camino Spiritual Variant – 9 Days

Today you arrive in Valanca or Tui ( they are essentially the same place) and rest or explore both towns. Tui has some excellent restaurants and is worth a visit today, even though you pass through it almost immediately tomorrow. Before you leave Valenca/Tui make sure you visit the famous Gothic cathedral.

Accommodation: Valença, a 2-3-star country hotel

The path from Tui follows the Louro Valley via a forest track and crosses an ancient stone slab bridge to a wetland area where there’s an abundance of birdlife. Today’s walk ends in the city of Porrino in Spain, noteworthy for its magnificent Gothic town hall building at its centre.

Walking: Moderate / 19 km or 11.8 miles / 5.5 to 6.5 hours
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Porrino, a 2-3-star country hotel with breakfast included.

From Porrino, the walk makes its way through the forest of Chan das Pipas. As you leave the forest, you’ll pass Redondela, where the central route and the coastal route merge. You walk into the town of Arcade in Spain, a small village that is renowned for its oysters and, interestingly, as a site of a very important battle in the Napoleonic wars.

Walking: Moderate to Challenging / 22 km or 13.6 miles / 6 to 7 hours
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Arcade, 2-3-star country hotel

From your Arcade accommodation, we traverse one of the most beautiful sections of the Portuguese Camino de Santiago. Today’s section is one of the shortest. Pontevedra is a city in northwest Spain known for its well-preserved old town. The Gothic Santa María la Mayor Basilica, the Ruínas de San Domingos (the remains of a 14th-century convent) and the nearby Sexto Edificio museum showcases Galician art. In the evening, be like the Spanish and wander from one tapas bar to another.

Walking: Easy to moderate/ 13 km or 8 miles / 3 to 4 hours
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Pontevedra, a 2-3-star country hotel

The walk starts today from Pontevedra, but the Spiritual way doesn’t begin until two kilometres out of town.

The Salnês Spiritual Variant traverses the stunning landscapes of Comarca and O Salnês via the village of Poio and its old monastery. Arrive at the coastal town of Combarro before you undertake the uphill climb to A Armenteira, the location of a magnificent 12th -century Monastery that is still in operation today.

Walking: Moderate to challenging/ 23 km or 14 miles / 6 to 7 hours
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Armenteira, a 2-3-star country hotel

Today’s walk is among the most beautiful and pleasant on the Portuguese Camino. The way from Armenteira to Pontearnelas is called the “A Ruta da Pedra e da Auga” in the municipalities of Meis and Ribadumia. The track is under treed canopy much of the way and along the banks of the Armenteira River. Ancient watermills dot the riverside, as do small waterfalls and bridges.

The reward for walking 23 km is the town of Vilanova de Arousa and its glorious beaches.

Walking: Moderate to challenging/ 23 km or 14 miles / 6 to 7 hours
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Vilanova de Arousa, a 2-3-star country hotel

This day is effectively the last day on the Salnês Spiritual Variant before rejoining the traditional Portuguese Camino.

This journey is made by taking the Translatio route (the maritime path); taking a boat up the Ulla River and therefore honouring the journey that the remains of Saint James made to Pontecessures.

From Pontecessures, where you rejoin the Camino, we walk to Teo. The walking is easy and on fairly quiet and remote roads.

Walking: Easy to moderate / 13km or 8 miles / 3.5 to 4.5 hrs
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation:Teo, a 2-3-star country hotel

The final stage from Teo begins with a gentle climb through woodlands. As you descend, the way travels long, quiet, bituminised lanes with the city of Santiago de Compostela in sight once you summit the next hill.

You’ll begin today with a steady but not arduous climb, mostly through woodlands, of 160m to a peak of 260m. As you descend, you will see the city of Santiago de Compostela ahead of you on the next hill.

About 4km from the city, you can stay amid greenery for as long as possible or stick with the original Way, which is more built up.  The last few km, regardless, are on tarmac roads. But after a long walk, this will be gratifying, given the end is within reach.

Walking: Easy to moderate / 14km or 8.7miles / 3.5 to 5 hrs
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Santiago de Compostela, a 3-star country hotel

After breakfast, prepare for your onward journey. If you have time, explore the old city of Santiago de Compostela before you leave, or why not add a day to relax and soak up the atmosphere of this magnificent town?

Meals: Breakfast