The Fisherman’s Trail, Portugal – a 2025 guide

The Fisherman’s Trail is a walking route in the south of Portugal. It’s a part of the Rota Vicentina network. The trail is considered one of the most beautiful coastal routes in the world. The scenery along the route is breathtaking; rugged cliffs, sandy beaches, stunning lookout points, charming towns, blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean, and diverse wildlife. We were so impressed by the beauty of the area that after completing the trail decided to move to the south of Portugal.

The Fisherman’s Trail is one of the best hikes in the Algarve. It deserves to be on a bucket list of any hiker.

Fisherman’s Trail PDF

To make your planning easier we’ve created a downloadable PDF file with walking stages and places to stay on the Fisherman’s Trail.

We have a detailed Fishermen’s Trail walking itinerary post where you can find complete information on each stage of the trail with distances, elevation profiles, times, and accommodation options.

GPX files of the Fisherman’s Trail

The trail overview

• Total distance – 230 km/143 mi
• Number of days – 11-13 days
• Starting point – S.Torpes Beach, 10 km before Porto Covo, Alentejo
• Finishing point – Lagos, Algarve
• Total ascent – 4418 m
• Total descent – 4414 m
• Route marking – wooden poles with blue & green stripes
• Average cost – 40 Euros per person per day
• Accommodation options – camping, hostels, hotels

Where is the Fisherman’s Trail?

The Fisherman’s Trail follows the southern coast of Portugal. It stretches between Porto Covo and Lagos. The starting point is near the town of Sines, 170 km/105 mi south of Lisbon. The route goes through two Portuguese provinces Alentejo and Algarve.

How long is the route?

The total distance of the Fisherman’s Trail is 230 km/143 mi. You need 11-13 days to complete it.

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In which direction to walk?

You can walked the Fisherman’s Trail south to north or north to south. The route is marked both ways. Some people prefer walking it south to north so they don’t walk facing the sun. I suggest choosing the direction based on the time of the year. In spring it’s better to walk south to north, it gets warmer earlier in the south. In fall north to south might be better for the weather conditions.

Where does it start and end?

The start and end of the Fisherman’s Trail depends on the chosen direction.

If you walk north to south then you start in S.Torpes Beach, 10 km north of Porto Covo and finish in Lagos. We started the walk in Porto Covo. I walked the 10 km from S.Torpes Beach to Porto Covo later and to be honest I didn’t feel we missed out on anything by skipping it.

If you walk south to north then you start in Lagos, a popular beach town and finish in Porto Covo/S.Torpes Beach.

The most popular route options

Walking the entire trail from Porto Covo (S.Torpes Beach) to Lagos. The full length of the route is 230 km/142 mi. It takes 11-13 days to complete.

Starting in Porto Covo and finishing in Odeceixe. It’s the original trail that later was extended to Cabo de Sao Vicente in Sagres and then to Lagos. The total distance is 76 km/47 mi. It takes 4 days to complete.

Starting in Porto Covo and finishing in Sagres. The extended version of the Fisherman’s Trail. The total distance is 181 km/112 mi. You need 9-10 days to complete it.

Walking the last part of the trail from Sagres to Lagos. This part of the route was added later. The distance is 63,5 km/40 mi. One needs 2-3 days. To be honest this is our favorite part of the route because we live in Lagos and can easily do any part of it as a day hike.

Is the trail well-marked?

Yes, the Fisherman’s Trail is marked in both directions with small wooden poles with green and blue stipes. You can find these route markers everywhere along the route.

The Fisherman’s Trail itinerary

You can find a detailed trail itinerary in THIS POST

How difficult is the hike?

Like any multiday trail, the route is challenging. Some days you walk for many kilometers on the sand, and some days climb up and down the cliffs. Despite daily distances being relatively short don’t underestimate the trail it has its difficulties.

If you don’t have any previous hiking experience I would suggest doing a part of the Fisherman’s Trail or having rest days in between. Using a luggage transfer service will make your walking easier. You can carry a day pack and your main luggage will be delivered to your hotel every day.

In my opinion, the easiest stages are the Salema to Luz and Luz to Lagos. The two shortest stages with stunning views. Both can be walked as day hikes.

What is the best part of the route?

The scenery on the Fisherman’s Trail is spectacular from the start to the end. My favorite part of the route is between Sagres and Lagos. You get to see limestone cliffs, dramatic drops, charming towns, and amazing beaches. For the cliff views the part from Carrapateira to Vila do Bispo is one of the best.

Best guidebooks

The official guidebook by the Rota Vicentina organization is the best one to use. You can buy it online or at one of the information offices along the route. In Proto Covo, you can purchase the guidebook and a route map at Papelaria O Correiro, Vasco da Gama Street 7b, (a block away from the church).

There is a Cicerone guidebook on the Rota Vicentina that has a lot of information on the trail that you can buy on Amazon.

Accommodation on the trail

Accommodation on the Fisherman’s Trail wasn’t a problem. We have a complete list of places to stay along the route.

Hostels, hotels, and guesthouses can be found in every town some places have more options some less. The campsites can be found in Porto Covo, Vila Nova de Milfontes, Zambujeira do Mar, Odeceixe, Aljezur, Sagres, and Salema.

We don’t like booking accommodation in advance and usually don’t do it, but for this route, we prebooked accommodation. The guesthouses/hostels on the route are quite small, they fill up quickly. We walked the trail at the beginning of May which is not the busiest season. If you’re planning to walk it between June and September I recommend booking accommodation. Even if you’re planning to camp at least contact campsites to find out how full they are.

When booking accommodation;

• check for the check-in time in most hotels it’s quite late, around 3 pm.
• make sure your hotel is in the town itself and not 5 km outside of it
• find your place on Google.maps beforehand

Luggage delivery

It’s possible to use a luggage transfer service on the Fisherman’s Trail. Vicentina Transfers is a company that provides luggage delivery services on the trail. They deliver your luggage door to door between any accommodation along the route including campsites. It’s between 15-20 Euros (depending on how many stages you book) per section for 1 piece of luggage.

The company provides only luggage transfer they don’t do accommodation booking for you. Before you arrange the delivery you have to book your accommodation.

The cost of walking the Fisherman’s Trail

The cost depends on where you stay and what you eat. It can anything between 30 euros to 100 euros per day.

If you’re planning to camp or stay in dormitories, cook and go out every other day budget 30 euros per person per day.

Staying in private rooms and eating out once a day – budget 40-50 euros per person per day.

If you want to stay in private rooms and eat every meal in a restaurant then 100 euros per person per day is more or less what you’ll spend.

Accommodation

Accommodation prices vary a lot depending on the season with winter months being the cheapest and the summer months between June and September the highest. In summer you might pay double of what you pay offseason.

Camping

It is the most budget option. Prices still vary depending on the season with July and August being the most expensive months. The main drawback is that you have to carry camping gear with you (tent, mattress, sleeping bag, cooking stuff, etc.) which adds a lot of weight to your backpack. The price for camping is between 10 to 15 Euros per person per night. Wild camping is not allowed on the Fisherman’s Trail.

Hostels

A bed in a dormitory is another budget accommodation option on the Fisherman’s Trail. You don’t get hostels in every town but in most of them. The hostels are often fully booked in summer. To get a spot it’s advisable to book a bed in advance. The price for a dorm bed is around 20 Euros depending on the season.

Hotels

A private room is the most comfortable accommodation option and sometimes a double room with a shared bathroom costs the same as two beds in a dormitory. If you’re two people it’s a much better deal. Several hotels offer triple and family rooms if you’re a group of people hiking you can share a bigger room. Prices for a budget double room are between 40 and 50 Euros. If you walk off-season between November and March it will be more or less the standard price.

Food

There are grocery stores and shops in every town on the route. if you’re on a tight budget cooking is the best option. Try to book accommodation with a kitchen (most places we stayed had at least a microwave). Depending on what kind of stuff you buy shopping for 3 meals (lunch, dinner, and breakfast) costs between 10 and 12 Euros per person. Many bigger supermarkets have a canteen where you can get a meal, a sandwich, or a pastry for a lot cheaper than in restaurants.

Restaurant prices are quite high in touristy areas. You can get cheaper meals at local restaurants. To find them ask at your hotel/guesthouse. In most places on the trail you pay an average of 12 Euro for a dish, every time we went out for dinner we paid about 25 Euros pp. including drinks. Breakfast (toasted sandwich and coffee) you can get for 5 Euros.

Walking we stop a lot for coffee. Portugal is a real paradise for coffee lovers, the coffee here is good and cheap; for a cup of Espresso, you pay about 1 euro, and for coffee with milk (Galao) – 1,5-2 Euros. If you order Americano it’ll cost you more, about 1,2 Euros, for cappuccino you’ll pay between 2 and 3 Euros.

If you want to know about Portuguese coffee culture read our post on How to order coffee in Portugal?

The best time for hiking

The Fisherman’s Trail is in the south of Portugal. It’s never really cold here (only at night in winter) which means the route can be walked all year round.

We’ve done several multi-day walks in Portugal and like hiking in spring, between April and May. We walked the Fisherman’s Trail, the Seven Hanging Valleys Trail and the Historical Way in spring. For us it’s the best time of the year; not hot, not too busy, fields are covered in flowers, and prices are a lower than in the peak season.

Summer particularly July and August are the hottest and the busiest months in the Algarve. If you have a choice I’d suggest walking the route any other time. Accommodation prices go up, it’s busy, and very hot. Not the best time for hiking.

October and the beginning of November are good months for walking; comfortable weather, lower prices, not too many people.

As for walking the route completely offseason between December and March it can be good or bad. After living for 4 years in the Algarve, I can say that December is one of the driest and warmest winter months. January is usually sunny but it can get quite cold at night and morning, around 6C.

In the last 2 years February and March were the rainiest months here.

How to get to the Fisherman’s Trail?

There are direct buses from Lisbon to both Porto Covo and Lagos (wherever you decide to start). Rede Expressos buses leave throughout the day from Sete Rios and Oriente bus stations in Lisbon. When checking for buses make sure to choose Lisbon all stations (Lisboa todas as Estações).

The Lisbon to Porto Covo journey takes between 2 and 3 hours depending on the bus route. The standard price is 16,5 Euro. You can get tickets online for as little as 7 euros. There are 7-10 daily departures. You can check the up-to-date itinerary and buy tickets online.

If you’re planning to start at S.Torpes Beach which is 10 km north of Porto Covo you’ll have to get off the bus earlier. S.Torpes Beach is between Sines and Porto Covo. Ask a driver to stop at Praia de São Torpes.

The Lisbon to Lagos journey takes 4 hours on average. The price is 20 euros but you can buy tickets online for 6-7 euros. There are more than 10 daily buses.

There are daily direct buses from Lisbon to Sagres, Vila do Bispo, Aljezur, Odeceixe, Zambujeira do Mar, Almograve, and Vila Nova de Milfontes.

Places to stay in Porto Covo

Places to stay in Lagos

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The pretty half of Stingy Nomads, responsible for all our land adventures (hiking, climbing, walking the Camino) and following them write-ups. Alya loves walking since she was a child, she prefers to walk 1000 km with a backpack rather than to do a 10 000 km road trip (actually any road trip). Alya is a big fan of Latin America, the Spanish language, and dancing. Every time we go away she desperately misses our dog Chile.