The Portuguese Way of St James from Porto cathedral to Santiago de Compostela on its Central route, in the official stages of Turismo de Portugal and the Xunta de Galicia, town to town, with the pilgrim albergues and the Compostela rules.
Best season: All year; rain much of the year in Galicia. The Xunta says Galicia is humid, with rain much of the year; the hottest days, in July and August, reach 25 to 30 °C, and inland minimums can fall to 0 to 5 °C. It advises never walking at night, before dawn or after sunset. The albergues keep their own hours, shorter in winter at Ponte de Lima and Rubiães. Before you go
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Fourteen official stages, some of them short: the plans join them into walking days that end where pilgrims sleep. Choose a plan, or pick your own start, finish and nights below.
Changing where you stay suggests a new number of days: the fewest that keep each day under 8 h of walking and in daylight, where a place to stay allows.
Days end where the route has a stay, a camp or a village.
Stage 1: From Porto cathedral to the cross of Senhor do Padrão in Matosinhos, where the Coastal route parts: 6.5 km, the shortest official stage. The way out of Porto from the Dom Luís bridge to Praça de Carlos Alberto is one of the certified historic tracings.
Stage 2: By Leça do Balio to Moreira (Maia): 8.7 km on the certified route.
Stage 3: To Vilarinho in Macieira da Maia, near the monastery of Vairão: about 12 km on the certified route.
Vilarinho Town or village
Vilarinho in Macieira da Maia (Vila do Conde), the end of Turismo de Portugal’s Maia to Vila do Conde stage, with a few places to stay.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 2 places to stay within about 900 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapStage 4: To São Pedro de Rates: 10.6 km, the official stage page and route file say (its text gives 13.5 km).
Stage 5: To Barcelos, crossing into the town from Barcelinhos, another certified historic tracing: 16.4 km.
Barcelos Town or village
A town with hotels, guest houses and a pilgrims' albergue.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 11 places to stay within about 900 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapStage 6: The longest official stage, 33.8 km, to Ponte de Lima and its old bridge.
Ponte de Lima Town or village
The municipal pilgrims’ albergue, 60 beds, is across the old bridge at Praça da Alegria (Arcozelo). The town’s page gives 15:00 to 22:00; its regulations open later (16:00 or 17:00) and close at 21:00 in winter: ask on arrival.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 8 places to stay within about 900 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapStage 7: Over the Serra da Labruja to Rubiães: 17.5 km, the stage with the most climbing, from Portela Grande da Labruja past the forestry guard house and down to Cabanas.
Rubiães Town or village
A village below the Labruja climb with the pilgrims' albergue of São Pedro de Rubiães (open 13:00 to 19:00 from April to October, to 17:00 in winter) and rooms.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 4 places to stay within about 900 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapStage 8: To Valença and the international bridge over the Minho: 18 km.
Stage 9 begins here; its notes are with Day 6, which walks most of it.
Tui On the route
Where the Xunta’s stages in Galicia start: 118.8 km to Santiago, enough for the Compostela.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 13 places to stay within about 900 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapStage 9, of which this day walks part: Across the bridge of 1886 into Tui, then 18.1 km to O Porriño (the Xunta gives 3 h 35 from Tui). Tui, a cathedral city, is where the Xunta's stages start, with its public albergue; a waymark at the Parador gives 115.4 km to Santiago. From Orbenlle the Xunta gives two ways on, by Os Eidos or by As Gándaras; our line takes As Gándaras.
O Porriño Town or village
A town with the Xunta's public albergue (Finca Isla) and private albergues and rooms.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 15 places to stay within about 900 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapStage 10: O Porriño to Redondela: 16.4 km, 3 h 10, by Mos. Between O Porriño and Mos the Way runs on the hard shoulder of the N-550: take the branch to the right away from the traffic.
Redondela Town or village
A town on the Ría de Vigo with the Xunta's public albergue in the Casa da Torre, and private albergues.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 13 places to stay within about 900 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapStage 11: Redondela to Pontevedra: 18.2 km, 4 h 35, by Arcade on the Ría de Vigo.
Pontevedra Town or village
A city with the Xunta's public albergue (Rúa Otero Pedrayo) and many places to stay.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 9 places to stay within about 900 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapStage 12: Pontevedra to Caldas de Reis: 22.9 km, 5 h 45, past the albergue of Briallos. The Way crosses the N-550 and the high-speed railway again and again: watch the waymarks.
Caldas de Reis Town or village
A spa town with private albergues and rooms; the Xunta has no albergue in the town itself (the nearest is at Briallos, before it).
OpenStreetMap lists at least 20 places to stay within about 900 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapStage 13: Caldas de Reis to Padrón: 18.8 km, 4 h 45. It leaves Caldas along the N-550 and soon takes a path, the Xunta says.
Padrón Town or village
A town with the Xunta's public albergue (Costiña do Carme) and private albergues.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 16 places to stay within about 900 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapStage 14: Padrón to Santiago: 25.2 km, 5 h. Leaving Padrón it crosses the N-550 at Iria Flavia, with an optional branch to the right away from the traffic; then by A Escravitude and O Milladoiro, into the city by A Porta Faxeira and Rúa do Franco. Pilgrims on the Portuguese Way traditionally enter the cathedral by the Praza das Praterías.
Longest day: day 3, 8 h 20.
Days end at a stage end with a refuge or a village, or in a village the route passes through. Walking times are the Xunta de Galicia's published times where it gives one, with our estimate beside it; a day that walks part of a stage gets a share of the stage's time by distance and climb. Running times use 7.5 km/h plus one hour per 700 m of climb: a steady reference, not a prediction. Daylight is sunrise to sunset where the day starts; the time left is for breaks, meals and delays. For villages we count the places to stay OpenStreetMap lists; we have not checked which are open. A plan is not a booking: reserve every night before you commit to these day lengths.
Loading the forecast for low point (sea level) and high point (405 m)…
Typical weather on this trail: at the lowest point (sea level) and the highest point (405 m). Select a month to see why it is rated as it is.
| Month | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weather | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed |
| Stages rated good on typical weather | 10/14 | 14/14 | 14/14 | 14/14 | 14/14 | 14/14 | 14/14 | 12/14 | 14/14 | 4/14 | 4/14 | 4/14 |
| High point, day / night | 11°/4° | 12°/4° | 15°/7° | 16°/8° | 19°/10° | 22°/13° | 24°/14° | 24°/14° | 22°/13° | 19°/11° | 14°/7° | 11°/5° |
| Low point, day / night | 13°/6° | 14°/6° | 17°/8° | 18°/10° | 21°/12° | 24°/14° | 25°/15° | 25°/16° | 24°/14° | 21°/12° | 16°/9° | 14°/7° |
| Rain, mm | 197 | 144 | 172 | 139 | 99 | 52 | 31 | 39 | 81 | 209 | 217 | 220 |
| Snow at high point | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Daylight | 9 h 26 | 10 h 34 | 11 h 51 | 13 h 18 | 14 h 31 | 15 h 13 | 14 h 58 | 13 h 55 | 12 h 33 | 11 h 09 | 9 h 51 | 9 h 09 |
Source: TerraClimate 1991–2020 monthly averages. Averages for the area at each point’s elevation (4 km grid, corrected for height). Not a forecast or a report of current trail conditions. Snow at the high point is estimated with a simple snowpack model from these temperatures and precipitation, not observed; steep islands and high summits can hold more snow than it shows. Daylight is for the 15th of each month. Hut, transport and park seasons are separate: check them for your dates.
Before you go
Arrange your stays, food and travel first, then check conditions again near departure.
The Xunta's public albergues in Galicia take no bookings: beds go to pilgrims as they arrive (those with limited mobility first, then walkers), for one night, at €10 in 2026. They open at 13:00 and close at 22:00; you leave before 08:00. Private albergues, guest houses and hotels are booked directly. In Portugal the municipal albergues of Ponte de Lima, Rubiães and Valença keep their own hours.
The Pilgrim's Office in Santiago gives the Compostela to those who walk at least the last 100 km on one recognised route, with two stamps a day in the credential over that stretch; from Tui it is 118.8 km. Only credentials from the Cathedral or a body it authorises are accepted. In Porto, the Pilgrim Office by the cathedral (Rua da Pena Ventosa 38) sells one for €2: in 2026 it opens Monday to Saturday 07:00 to 12:30 and 14:30 to 17:00 (Sundays and holidays to 12:30) until 30 October, then daily 10:00 to 12:00. Starting at Tui, bring a credential with you.
Pilgrim's Office: the CompostelaRúa Carretas 33, closed on 25 December and 1 January; you take a QR ticket to queue. Its FAQ gives 08:00 to 20:00 from Easter Monday to 31 October and 10:00 to 19:00 in winter, its reception page 9:00 to 19:00, and it may close up to an hour early when busy: check before you arrive.
Pilgrim's Office: receptionIn Galicia the Way crosses and follows the N-550 at times: keep to the waymarked branches away from the traffic. Do not walk at night, carry a small first-aid kit and no more than 10 kg, the Xunta advises. In an emergency call 112.
Xunta: advice for pilgrimsGetting there
Choose a stage or journey above to narrow the travel searches.
Google Maps journey searches, not confirmed services. A mountain endpoint may need a booked transfer or an additional walk.
From Porto airport the Metro do Porto runs to the city; the Way starts at the cathedral above São Bento station.
Metro do PortoCP's Celta train runs daily from Porto-Campanhã by Nine and Viana do Castelo to Valença and Vigo, where it meets Renfe's trains in Galicia; regional trains also run from Porto São Bento to Valença. To start at Tui, take the train to Valença and walk over the international bridge.
CP: the Celta trainALSA runs more than 16 coaches a day from Santiago bus station to Porto airport and Porto-Campanhã. Santiago airport is on city bus 6A.
ALSA: Santiago to PortoTake your trip with you
Prepare each stage while you have a connection, and test it offline before you set out.
Keep your route and maps on your phone for places without a signal. For multi-day trips, prepare them in the installed TrailSplits app.
Saving a bookmark is not a map download. Storage can be cleared by your device; keep a backup map for remote trips.
Route & sources
Turismo de Portugal certified the Central route through Porto e Norte in December 2023; its stages from Porto cathedral to Valença add up to about 124 to 126 km. From Tui the Xunta gives 118.8 km in six stages to Santiago. The line here is the route on OpenStreetMap (relation 12786090, planet of 28 September 2026), 244 km from the Sé to the cathedral, cut at the official stage ends. From Matosinhos to Barcelos, where the mapped relation strays up to 1.1 km from the certified route, the line is the certified route itself, matched onto OpenStreetMap's streets and paths (within about 60 m of Turismo de Portugal's route file). From Orbenlle, of the Xunta's two ways to O Porriño (by Os Eidos or by As Gándaras), it takes As Gándaras: follow the yellow arrows where they differ.
Official guidance and mapped-source comparison checked 1 October 2026. Map data is a route reference, not confirmation of today's path, weather or accommodation availability.
Xunta de Galicia: the Camino PortuguésMap data © OpenStreetMap contributors · Source relation