Camino Porto to Santiago de Compostela — Self-Guided From Porto to Santiago de Compostela

The Camino begins at the Sé do Porto, the cathedral at the top of the old quarter, where you can also get your credencial. From there, walk down the narrow streets to the Ribeira and the Douro River, with the Dom Luís I Bridge in the background. This is the day to take in the city without a backpack: a stroll through the historic center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and dinner overlooking the river before you set off.

The first stage leaves downtown Porto through the streets of the northern part of the city and crosses the suburbs of Maia, a more urban stretch, before reaching the rural landscapes of Vilar do Pinheiro and Arcos. It is the day to find your own pace and follow the yellow arrows carefully, because there are many intersections. From tomorrow on, the countryside takes over the Camino.

The stage passes through São Pedro de Rates, with its Romanesque church, one of the oldest in Portugal, linked to the legend of the first bishop of Braga. The Camino then continues through fields and woods to Barcelos, where you cross the Cávado River on a medieval bridge. If you arrive on a Thursday, don't miss the town's big weekly market, one of the largest in Portugal.

A short, idyllic day through the heart of the Minho region. The Camino climbs to Portela de Tamel and continues through Aborim and small villages, among vinho verde vineyards, stone granaries (espigueiros) and wayside crosses. In Balugães, the rural landscape is the best rest for your legs before the mountain stages.

The arrival in Ponte de Lima is one of the most beautiful on the Camino Portugués: the final stretch follows the bank of the Lima River, under a tree-lined avenue, to the many-arched medieval bridge. The town, the oldest in Portugal, with a charter from 1125, has a charming historic center — try arroz de sarrabulho, the local specialty.

This is the mountain stage of the Camino Portugués. After Ponte de Lima, the trail climbs the Serra da Labruja along stone paths through the woods, up to the pass where the Cruz dos Franceses stands, covered with small crosses left by pilgrims. The descent leads to Rubiães, where the Romanesque church of São Pedro preserves an ancient Roman milestone.

Your last day in Portugal passes the chapel of São Bento da Porta Aberta and continues to Valença, with its massive bastioned ramparts above the Minho River. The international bridge takes you on foot to Tui, in Galicia — remember to set your watch forward one hour. It is one of the most symbolic moments of the Camino: two countries separated only by a river.

After Tui's cathedral, the Camino descends into the valley of the Louro River, with stretches of woodland that seem forgotten by time. On this stage, many pilgrims choose the alternative route along the river, greener and quieter, to reach O Porriño away from the traffic. It is a short day — ideal for resting after the Portuguese stages.

Between O Porriño and Redondela, the Camino climbs through the woods to the highest point of the day and then descends with ever wider views of the Vigo estuary and its mussel rafts. In Redondela, the 19th-century railway viaducts dominate the town's skyline, which marks the meeting point with the Coastal Portuguese Way.

A stage of water and stone: the trail follows the edge of the estuary to Arcade, where the oysters are well worth trying, and crosses the Verdugo River on the Ponte Sampaio, of medieval origin. Then come woods and old stone-paved roads to Pontevedra, whose historic center, almost entirely stone-built and pedestrian-only, is one of the best preserved in Galicia.

Leaving Pontevedra, the Camino crosses a Galicia of vineyards, woods and villages with hórreos, on an almost flat route. This is Albariño wine country, and vines supported by stone columns line much of the day. In Caldas de Reis, the hot springs are the perfect place to soothe tired feet.

The second-to-last day of walking passes through San Miguel de Valga and Pontecesures, where the Ulla River separates the provinces of Pontevedra and A Coruña, and ends in Padrón. According to tradition, this is where the story of Santiago in Spain begins: it was in Padrón that the boat carrying the Apostle's body arrived. Climb up to Santiaguiño do Monte, where the Apostle is said to have preached.

The last day crosses Iria Flavia and the sanctuary of A Escravitude before continuing through villages to O Milladoiro and the first neighborhoods of Santiago. You enter the city from the south and, after twelve stages from Porto, arriving in Obradoiro Square feels truly special. Pick up your Compostela at the Pilgrim's Office.

A day to celebrate at your own pace. Climb onto the Cathedral rooftops to see the city from above, stroll along Rúa do Franco and Rúa do Vilar, under the arcades, and try Tarta de Santiago at one of the bakeries downtown. At noon, the Pilgrim's Mass brings an emotional close to a Camino that began in another country.