Caminho Português: Porto to Santiago · Stage 8
To Valença and the international bridge over the Minho: 18 km.
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
Facts read from the guide's sources and OpenStreetMap on 1 October 2026. A page can change after we read it, so confirm with your accommodation before you rely on a date or a bed.
Stage start
Town
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 (read 1 October 2026). TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
Stage end · overnight
Town
The fortress town on the Minho, with the municipal Albergue São Teotónio (its regulations: arrivals 13:30 to 20:00, €8 a night, leave by 08:00) and rooms. Across the international bridge of 1886 lies Tui.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 5 places to stay within about 900 m (read 1 October 2026). TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
Make it your trip
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 whole Central route in eleven days, a night in each town pilgrims stop at, Tui after the bridge.
Plan this journeyThe last 118 km, enough for the Compostela, in the Xunta's six stages.
Plan this journeyThe Portuguese half in five days, ending at the train in Valença.
Plan this journeyLoading the forecast for low point (10 m) and high point (275 m)…
Typical weather on this stage: at the lowest point (10 m) and the highest point (275 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 |
| High point, day / night | 12°/5° | 13°/5° | 15°/7° | 17°/8° | 19°/11° | 22°/13° | 24°/14° | 24°/14° | 22°/13° | 19°/11° | 14°/7° | 12°/5° |
| Low point, day / night | 13°/6° | 14°/6° | 17°/8° | 18°/10° | 21°/12° | 23°/14° | 25°/15° | 25°/16° | 23°/14° | 21°/12° | 16°/9° | 13°/7° |
| Rain, mm | 198 | 145 | 162 | 137 | 100 | 51 | 31 | 39 | 82 | 209 | 218 | 222 |
| Snow at high point | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Daylight | 9 h 26 | 10 h 34 | 11 h 51 | 13 h 18 | 14 h 32 | 15 h 13 | 14 h 58 | 13 h 56 | 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 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
Travel around Rubiães to Valença.
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