Camino Portugués Coastal - Day 1: Porto to Póvoa de Varzim
I had planned two months in Europe for my Camino Francés journey, but I finished early with time to spare. After sightseeing in Porto and Lisbon, I wanted to see more of the ocean. Sujin, whom I met on the Francés, felt the same. We reunited in Porto and decided to take on a fun challenge—walking from Porto to Vigo, as Sujin only had a few days.
Sujin wanted to complete a 40km day, so we chose the first day of our Camino Portuguese Coastal for it. With relatively flat terrain, it seemed doable. We started just before 6:30 AM, enjoying Porto’s city lights without the crowds was an experience. The route wasn’t well-marked, so we used the Camino Ninja app to navigate. We didn’t see a camino arrow until 9.5km in and encountered other pilgrims around the 15km mark.
The walk flew by—we breezed through 20km and felt much stronger than when we first started the Francés. With plenty of ocean views, boardwalks, and fun along the way, it was a great start to our journey.
Route Overview
Distance: 40 km (The Central House Porto Ribeira → Sardines and Friends Hostel)
Total elevation gain: 143 m
Duration: 7 hr 38 min (with breaks 9 hr 25 min)
Difficulty: Challenging
Cost Breakdown
Accommodation: Sardines and Friends Hostel (Reserved via Agoda) — €20
Food: €38.18
