The Portuguese Camino starts in Lisbon though most pilgrims start in Porto. The route can be divided into two parts; the Lisbon to Porto and Porto to Santiago de Compostela. The first half of the Camino doesn’t have much infrastructure for pilgrims, fewer albergues, long stages, etc. The second half has good infrastructure, many albergues, and shorter stages. The part from Lisbon sees very few pilgrims. The part from Porto is the second most popular Camino de Santiago route after the Camino Frances.
The Lisbon to Porto part has only one route. From Porto there are 3 routes; the Central, Coastal Route, and Litoral Way.
How long is the Portuguese Camino from Lisbon?
The total distance of the Portuguese Camino from Lisbon to Santiago is 630 km/391 mi (on the Central Route from Porto) and 660 km/410 mi (on the Coastal Route from Porto). It takes one month on average to complete it.
Where in Lisbon does the Camino start?
The Portuguese Camino starts at the small church of Santiago in the Alfama district of Lisbon. The church is 400 m from Se Cathedral of Lisbon, on the Rua Santiago. There is a sign at the entrance with the words “the Portuguese Camino starts here” and the first yellow arrow. The route will take you to Se Cathedral. The Church of Santiago is often closed. If you want to stamp your Credential it’s better to do so at the Cathedral.
Where to get a credential in Lisbon?
You can get a pilgrim’s passport (credential) at Se Cathedral in Lisbon Mondays to Saturdays between 10 am and 6:30 pm. They can stamp your pilgrim’s passport at the Cathedral.
How difficult is the route?
It’s a challenging multi-day route. One of the main difficulties is the lack of infrastructure (first of all albergues) for pilgrims. Unlike the Portuguese Camino from Porto, the Lisbon part has few albergues (both private and public). It makes the walk more expensive.
The Lisbon part of the Portuguese Camino goes through less touristy areas with towns and villages far apart. Some stages are quite long with few places to stop in between.
In my opinion, there are better routes than the Portuguese Camino from Lisbon for inexperienced walkers who have never done a long-distance route before. The part of the Camino from Porto is a much better option.
What is the scenery like on the Camino from Lisbon?
The scenery is mostly fields, vineyards, and plains because of that it reminds me of the part of the Meseta on the French Camino de Santiago. In spring it looks beautiful; green and covered in flowers. In fall it is dry and kind of dusty. The Camino goes through many small non-touristy villages and towns. It allows you to see rural Portugal. The main cities/towns on the route (besides Lisbon and Porto) are Santarem, Tomar, and Coimbra. The last two have some impressive and important sites. They are perfect places to stop for a rest day.
When is the best time for walking?
We walked the Camino from Lisbon in May. The weather was great; sunny, warm but not hot, and no rain. The fields along the route were covered in wildflowers, overall spring is our favorite time for hiking in Portugal. We walked a couple of multi-day routes in Portugal during the spring including the Central Route of the Portuguese Camino and Rota Vicentina.
The weather in June is similar to May, warmer and dry.
The summer months of July and August are hot and dry. It might be too hot for long walking days. Central Portugal in general hotter than the northern part. Most of the time you walk through open areas and fields with no shade to hide.
From September to mid-October it’s warm and not much rain. From mid-October, the weather starts getting worse across the country. It starts to rain and temperatures decrease.
The shoulder seasons (April and the second half of October) can surprise you with some rainfalls though it’s nice and cool.
Between November and March, it is rainy and chilly. Some accommodation places might be closed for the off-season.
Is the route well-marked?
The Camino from Lisbon is marked with yellow arrows, a traditional route marking of the Camino de Santiago. On the part of the route from Lisbon to Santarem, you’ll see blue and yellow arrows. The blue arrows mark the Camino de Fatima. From Santarem to Santiago (the Portuguese Camino and Camino de Fatima split in Santarem) there will be only yellow arrows.
The cost of the pilgrimage
We spent more or less 25-30 Euros per person per day. It included accommodation, food, and several coffee stops. Some days we spent less, some days more depending on accommodation prices. Some days we had to stay in hotels and some in albergues for donation.
- Accommodation – between 10 and 25 Euros per person depending on where you stay. Municipal albergues 0 10 Euros, private albergues/hostels – 15 euros, hotels – 20+ euros per person.
- A set menu in a local restaurant (Menu do Dia) – 10-12 Euros pp. The Menu usually includes a starter, a main with sides, a cool drink or house wine, and dessert or coffee.
- Food shopping – 8-10 Euros pp. per day.
- A cup of coffee – 1,5-2 Euros.
Are there albergues on the route from Lisbon?
The Portuguese Camino from Lisbon like any other Camino, the route from Lisbon has a network of albergues. Albergues are special hostels for pilgrims with bunk beds and shared facilities (showers, toilets, etc.). They can be private or public (municipal). Private albergues belong to a person or a company, public albergues are run by municipalities or parishes.
Private albergues usually have better facilities and are a bit more expensive 12-15 Euros per bed vs 10 Euros in public albergues. Public albergues are exclusively for pilgrims with a Credential.
Public vs private albergues on the Camino
| Features | Public albergues | Private albergues |
| Exclusively for pilgrims | yes | no |
| Need a Credential | yes | no |
| Can be booked | no | yes |
| Price | 10 Euro | 12-15 Euro |
| Can stay more than 1 night | no | yes |
| Accept luggage delivery | usually no | usually yes |
On the Lisbon – Porto stretch there are significantly fewer albergues compared to the Porto – Santiago part. Many days you stay in hotels or guesthouses.
In small villages bars/restaurants usually have one or two rooms for rent, they give special prices for pilgrims, it’s not expensive, 25-30 Euros for a single room, 35-40 Euros for a double. In bigger places, you can find albergues, hostels, hotels, and guesthouses.
Albergues on the Portuguese Camino from Lisbon
There are 19 albergues (municipal and private) on the Portuguese Camino from Lisbon to Porto.
- Azambuja (municipal)
- Azinhaga (municipal)
- Golegã (private)
- Asseiseira (municipal)
- Calvinos (municipal)
- Areias (municipal)
- Alvaiazere (private)
- Alvorge (municipal)
- Rabaçal (private)
- Conimbriga (private)
- Coimbra (municipal)
- Sernadelo (private)
- Agueda (private)
- Albergaria-A-Velha (municipal)
- Albergaria-A-Nova (private)
- Branca (private)
- São João da Madeira (municipal)
- Grijo (parish)
- Porto (private)
Luggage delivery on the Camino from Lisbon
As I already mentioned above there are very few pilgrims on this part of the Camino Portuguese as a result it’s more difficult to arrange a backpack delivery. On the Camino from Porto, several companies offer the service but on the Lisbon – Porto part it’s only Taxitemplarios. They don’t cover the entire route, only the Santarém – Coimbra part.
It’s important to pack as lightly as you can. As an option, you can send some of your stuff from Lisbon to Porto and keep it in storage facilities. From Porto to Santiago, it’s easy to arrange luggage delivery service on both the Central and Coastal Route.
The Portuguese Camino from Lisbon; pros and cons
If you’re thinking of whether to start the Portuguese Camino in Lisbon or Porto here are our pros and cons of starting the pilgrimage in Lisbon.
Pros
The distance from Lisbon to Santiago is three times as long as from Porto, 630 km vs 260 km which is great if you want to walk a longer route.
There are very few pilgrims on the Camino from Lisbon it’s an off-the-beaten-track route compared to the Porto – Santiago part of the Portuguese Camino.
It goes through non-touristy areas of Portugal, which you will never visit otherwise.
You can combine two pilgrimage routes; the Camino de Fatima and the Portuguese Camino.
Private rooms in hotels and guesthouses overall are cheaper than on the route from Porto.
Cons
The part of the route from Lisbon to Porto has less infrastructure for pilgrims including fewer albergues.
There are fewer albergues your average accommodation budget is higher than on the Porto to Santiago part because you stay in private rooms.
The towns are far apart some days you have to walk for hours through fields.
It’s difficult to arrange luggage transfer on the route (in case you need one).
What are the highlights of the route?
Beautiful historical towns on the Camino from Lisbon are some of the highlights. Santarem, Tomar, Coimbra, and Agueda are the ones not to miss.
Santarem is a historical town on the shore of the Tagus River. The historical center is situated on a high slope overlooking the river. Some of the highlights of Santarem include the Old Castle, Cabaças Tower, several convents, and churches.
Tomar is a small town 60 km north of Santarem. It’s known for its impressive complex of the Convent of Christ, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Convent is considered one of the most important monuments in the country. Other remarkable sites include the Aqueduto dos Pegões, the Synagogue of Timar, and the Church of Santa Maria de Olival.
Coimbra is a university city in Central Portugal. The University of Coimbra is the oldest in the country and one of the oldest continuously operating universities in the world. If visiting it during the school year expect to see many students. During the summer break in July and August, it gets very quiet.
Agueda is a small town 80 km south of Porto. It’s known for the Umbrella Sky Festival which happens every year in July. For 23 days the streets of the town are decorated with umbrellas so it’s the best time to visit Agueda. In 2025 the festival will take place between the 5th and 27th of July.
Besides these towns, the Camino from Lisbon goes through many smaller towns and villages that pilgrims will find interesting.
If you walk the Camino from Lisbon in springtime the countryside looks beautiful because the fields are covered in wildflowers, the vineyards are bright green, and the fruit trees are in blossom.
How to combine the Camino from Lisbon with the Fatima route?
It’s possible to combine the Portuguese Camino from Lisbon with the Camino de Fatima. Both routes start in Lisbon and follow the same itinerary till Santarem. In Santarem the Caminos split; the Fatima route goes through Amais de Baaixo to the Sanctuary of Fatima and the Portuguese route goes through Tomar.
From Fatima, you have two options; to walk to Ansião (2 days) or Tomar (1 day). The route from Fatima to Ansião is marked with the Camino signs. The route from Tomar has blue arrows but it’s in the opposite direction it’s called the Camino de Fatima from Tomar. I haven’t walked from Fatima to Tomar so I can’t say if it’s easy to find the way.
In theory, I like the Tomar route more because the town is very interesting and worth visiting. Another advantage of the Tomar route is that in one day you get back to the Portuguese Camino which has more accommodation options. The route from Fatima to Ansião has very few places to stay.
The best guidebook for the Portuguese Camino
Camino Guides by John Brierley is our all-time favorite. We’ve used his guidebooks on different Camino routes and they’re always helpful and accurate. I can highly recommend his Pilgrim’s Guide to the Camino Portugués: Lisbon – Porto – Santiago / Camino Central, Camino de la Costa, Variante Espiritual & Senda Litoral for this route.
Portuguese Camino from Lisbon apps
- Portuguese Way Premium. Cost US$4, available for Android and Apple.
- Camino Assist Pilgrim Santiago. Free download, available for Android and Apple.
- Buen Camino de Santiago. Free download, available for Android and Apple.
- Wisely + Camino Portugues; a Wise Pilgrim guide. The cost is US$6, available for Android and Apple. We haven’t used it but I saw many unhappy users complaining about the app, I’d recommend reading the reviews before buying it.
Our final thoughts about the Portuguese Camino from Lisbon
It is an off-the-beaten-track part of the Portuguese Camino, we were about 10 pilgrims on the route. If you want a quiet walk without hundreds of pilgrims the route from Lisbon is great.
Portuguese people are very friendly and helpful. We enjoyed meeting locals in small towns and villages.
You walk through many interesting places that we would have never visited while traveling.
We walked the Camino from Lisbon in May, fields were covered in flowers.
We felt safe walking through both rural areas and cities, even through the industrial areas of Lisbon and Porto.
As big coffee addicts, we love Portuguese coffee. Every tiny village has a local café with good anch cheap coffee.
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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.
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