Camino Portugues: Coastal or central way?

The Portuguese Camino has two very distinct variants: one that follows the coast and another that runs further inland. In fact, there are actually three, because there’s also an official coastal route that almost no one uses — you can find the details about that here.

The coastal route and the inland route (also called the central route) meet in Redondela, which is about three-quarters of the way from Porto.

The Spiritual Variant begins only after Redondela, so it can be combined with either of the two main routes.

These factors play a role in helping you choose the variant that’s right for you:

• Season
• Type of accommodation
• Personal preference

Whether the coastal route or the inland route is more beautiful cannot be answered at all. Both have breathtaking sections as well as less appealing ones.

Which route is considered more beautiful overall mainly depends on your personal taste. Does your heart leap at the sight of a sunset over the sea? Or at sunlight filtering through eucalyptus forests?

Both routes feature very beautiful and noteworthy places.

On the coastal route, for example, you’ll find Viana do Castelo and Baiona, while the inland route passes through Ponte de Lima or Tui.

So the question is really: what appeals to you more — the sea or the forest?

The coastal route doesn’t stay entirely along the shoreline; it sometimes heads inland. The inland route, on the other hand, doesn’t see the sea at all — unless you choose the Spiritual Variant, in which case you can at least say hello to the ocean once. Or you could start in Porto along the coast and switch to the central route in Vila do Conde, which is fairly common.

The first stages of the coastal route often run along wooden boardwalks by the sea. For some people, this is incredibly relaxing — you can’t get lost, and you have a sea view all day. Others find exactly that completely boring.

How does the thought of that feel to you?

When do you want to walk your Camino?

In the height of summer, the coastal route has clear advantages — and disadvantages.

The advantage is that you can dip your hot, tired feet into the cool Atlantic. Believe me, at the end of a stage, there’s nothing better!

A delicious Aperol Spritz (or even better: a Porto Tonic) at a beach bar at the end of a stage easily beats any cold beer on the inland route.

But: the coastal route also has less shade. The sun beats down on you along the sea, and the cool breeze that often comes off the ocean can’t fully compensate.

In early spring and late autumn, however, the coastal route can be disappointing. You’ll often head to the sea in the morning — and there’s no sea to see. Fog can linger well into the afternoon, and the wind that’s pleasant in summer becomes uncomfortably cold.

When I walked my first Portuguese Camino in 2017, this statement was still clearly true, but nowadays it’s hard to say that anymore.

The inland route still has more state- or church-run albergues, especially on the Spanish side.

However, most pilgrims don’t sleep exclusively in public pilgrim hostels. They mostly stay in private albergues, hostels, guesthouses, or hotels (I’ve explained the differences in this article).

And there are plenty of those on both routes.

The single most important factor in deciding whether to walk the inland route or the central route is whether endless beach or endless forest makes you happier. Not that the two routes consist exclusively of beach or forest, but those are their defining characteristics.

The second most important factor is whether the climate during your planned season suits the route — the wind on the coast can be very unpleasant in cooler months, but fantastic in midsummer.

If you plan to sleep primarily in public albergues, the inland route has the advantage.