From Viana do Castelo to Caminha, Camino Portuguese de la Costa, Stage no. 4

Basic Information

• Starting Point: Viana do Castelo, Portugal – One of the most beautiful towns on the northern Portuguese coast, set between the Atlantic Ocean, the Lima River, and green hills. You’ll find two pilgrim only hostels in town, a few other hostels, and plenty of other accommodation options for each kind of budget. A BIG town that has its charm though.
• Ending Point: Caminha, Portugal – A charming border town located at the mouth of the Minho River, right on the frontier with Spain. Caminha has a relaxed, historic atmosphere, with a beautiful old town, riverside promenade, and views across the water to A Guarda (Spain). With over 15,000 inhabitants, the town is very pilgrim-friendly, offering several hostels (with 2 pilgrim-only places), guesthouses, restaurants, and all essential services.
• Availability of an alternative route: YES, just as on other stages of this camino in Portugal, you can follow the coast even where official Camino doesn’t follow it. You will find sparse yellow arrows there, mostly painted by fellow pilgrims. The coastal way is super flat with nice views on both sides (Atlantic on your left and small hills on your right), but following it you’ll also avoid seeing some nice spots where the official camino passes (you’ll read about them below, in advanced description of the stage). So really it depends on your preference. For the record, the coastal variant is 0.5 km shorter than the official Camino, and has virtually no elevation.
• Maps:
  • Official camino: map.
  • Coastal alternative: map.
• Distance:
  • Official camino: 27.5km (download GPS here).
  • Alternative route: 27km (download GPS here).
• Elevation Difference:
  • Official Camino: +210m, -205m
  • Alternative route: +25m, -20m
• Difficulty Score: 3/5, for both ways. Again on a hot day things can get difficult, especially on tarmac sections (which are, as always on this Camino, quite frequent).
• Beauty Score: 3/5.
• Terrain/Asphalt Walking Ratio:
  • Official Camino: 20%/80%.
  • Alternative route: 50%/50%.
• Next stage: Camino Portuguese de la Costa, Stage no. 5, Caminha – Oia.
• Previous stage: Camino Portuguese de la Costa, Stage no. 3, Fao – Viana do Castelo.

Elevation profiles for the routes

– Official Camino, highest point 140 meters above sea level, with some mild climbs and descends until km 16. The rest of the stage is completely flat though.

– Coastal alternative, as FLAT as it gets, with highest point of the stage only 20 meters above sea level. If you love flat walking, this is your stage :).

Advanced info about the stage

• Natural Highlights:
  • Waterfall of Rio Pego, on the official camino, roughly km 5 of today’s walk, 200 meters detour. Exact location on Google maps here. A beautiful waterfall with a small pond of water little bit down the river, deep enough for a dive or swim. There aren’t many waterfalls on this way, and this short detour should not be missed, should you walk the official camino, and not the coastal one.
  • The “forest” section between Carreco and Ancora, on the official camino, km 10 to km 17. Mainly consisting of eucalyptus but also other trees, is also a natural highlight of this stage. Peaceful, beautiful, and atypical terrain and surrounding for this coastal Camino.
  • Beach Praia da Arda, on the coastal alternative, location on Google maps here. Sand as soft and white as in a TV commercial. Big waves and always some brave surfers around, this is simply a beautiful beach to walk through and stop for a while. One of the nicest beaches on the entire northern coast of Portugal no doubt.
  • Mata do Camarido natural park, km 26, entrance right form the Camino, ideal also for afternoon stroll and/or sunset once you’re without a big backpack. Location on Google maps here.  A beautiful pine forest with hiking trails and a wonderful beach (Praia do Camarido) at the end. Stunning views and scents.
• Historical & Cultural Highlights: 
  • Moinho da Areosa, on the coastal route, roughly km 5, location on Google maps here. Two well preserved wind-mills, used in the past to get flour from grains, benefiting from typical strong and consistent winds in this zone. Perched on a beach, they make for a beautiful view but also for an important reminder that getting bread was not always as easy as it it today… A few km on, you will pass by another mills from 19th century, Moinhos de Montedor, location on Google maps here.
  • Forte da Lagarteria, Vila Praia do Ancora, km 19, on both caminos. Location on Google maps here. You will pass by several forts on the coast today. Many of them will be closed or abandoned, but this one is worth a short stop at least. Not only it is well preserved and open, but you also have a little museum inside, mainly focused on the past of local fishing industry, but also describing the history of the fort. Free entry.
  • The medieval clock tower of Caminha, and the surrounding old town, Caminha, end of today’s stage. Charming square with many nice bars and restaurants and beautiful building with lot of history. Originally, the tower was not a clock tower at all: it was part of the medieval defensive walls that enclosed Caminha beginning in the 13th century and served as one of the fortified gateways. In 1673 a public clock was installed at the top of the tower, giving it the name Torre do Relógio (“Clock Tower”) that is used today. You can go inside too, location on Google maps here.
• Alternative route info: The alternative route leaves the official Camino right in Viana do Castelo. Basically you walk on the coast for the first 18 km, until Vila Praia de Ancora, from where both ways are identical, and both follow the coast. It is totally flat, and 0.5 km shorter than the official camino. And while it passes through some great beaches such as Praia de Arda, or Praia do Paco, which are some of the highest-rated beaches on the entire northern coast of Portugal (no doubt also for beautiful soft white sand and great surfing waves), you also miss some nice “forest” sections of the official camino. And there aren’t many such sections on this coastal camino… On the coastal way you are also much more exposed to the sun, so on a very hot day I would perhaps opt for the official way… In any case, on this day both alternatives have their charm. If you decide to follow the alternative route on the coast, I recommend either downloading our GPS for this variant, or at least follow our map.
• Camping/Bivouac Options on the Stage: Just like in the previous stage, this one offers decent alternatives for both wild and organized camping. Basically on your right you will have almost all day a decently forested landscape with sparse population, and you will sometimes walk directly through it. There are many routes and small trails, and any of them you take, climbing up, you will eventually find a decent location for pitching a tent. If you want to camp close to Caminha, I recommend location close to the Chapel of San Antao, location on Google maps here. It is a few extra kilometers from town, but the location with the views and everything is worth it… Just make sure to pitch your tent when the night already approaches. A few kilometers on, right on the camino, you have a great chapel with big porch where you can bivouac on the ground, protected from rain and wind. It is the chapel of Boa Viagem, the location on Google maps here. For a more convenient option, and a calmer night sleep, you will find a very nice camping place in the town of Caminha:
  • Camping Orbitur, Caminha, 1 km from the camino, on the coast. Location and reviews on Google maps here. A beautiful camping located between Minho river and the Atlantic ocean. Dog friendly, you can pitch your own tent, facilities in great condition, lot of shade. The only downside is the price, which is rather on a high end for camping places in Portugal. A night in a tent for two people will cost you about 25-30 euro, depending on the season. Apart from that, however, it is a great camping place.
• Dog-Friendly Score: 4/5, if you take the alternative route, on the coast. This stage has probably the least asphalt walking from all stages on this Camino (when you follow the coast). There are 2 great river crossing with rivers that always have water (even in summer months), and also some nice spots with trees and shade. For dog friendly accommodation check out hostel Bom Caminha, location on Google maps here. Another alternative is staying in the dog friendly camping in town (see the recommendations in previous paragraph). Overall a nice stage for dogs. Even the official camino isn’t too bad, because it offers lot of shade and forested sections.
• Special Remarks: This is the last stage in Portugal. Tomorrow morning (if you don’t do it on this day already), you’ll cross the Minho River (by boat) and continue your Camino in Spain. The first boat is at about 7:30 in the morning (in low season 8:30) and the last one at about 5pm (in high season it can be later, because there are now quite a few “private water taxi services”). The price for crossing is about 6-10 euro, depending on the service you use and also whether you cross with bike or on your own.

My picks for accommodation on this stage

1. Albergue Casa do Sardão, Carecco, km 9. Location and reviews on Google maps here. One of the top-rated hostels on the entire Camino, across both pilgrim and non-pilgrim platforms.  A charming stone-house, with a beautiful atmosphere. A different experience for one night on the way… Lot of attention to detail, beautiful communal space outside of the house, comfortable beds, well equipped kitchen. Simply everything 5 stars, including the host Hugo. 24 beds (2 shared rooms and 2 private rooms), 21 euro/night. Recommended way of making a reservation: Either WhatsApp (+351 961 790 759), or Booking.com, here. Check-in from 11am already.
2. Albergue de peregrinos de Caminha, Caminha, km 27.5. Location and reviews on Google maps here. Pilgrim-only place run by the municipality of Caminha. 27 beds in 4 rooms, 10 euro/night, almost all beds are single beds. The mattresses aren’t the best and some installations need replacement, but for the price it is a great deal. On the top of that, the kitchen is decently equipped, and you have the location right next to the river. Check-in from 3pm.
3. Ola Vida hostel, Caminha, km 27.5. Location and reviews on Google maps here. Has both shared and private rooms, hence it is a great option also for those seeking a bit of privacy on their camino. Considering the price/quality ratio, it is probably the best place to stay in Caminha. Beds in dorms start from 25 euro/night, but can go up during the summer season. All installations are new and in great condition. Perfect location, great beds that offer privacy (with curtains), well-equipped kitchen, nice communal zone to connect with fellow pilgrims. Check-in from 3pm, recommended way of making a reservation: Booking.com, exactly here. If it shows no availability on Booking, try calling them on +351 926 677 900.

Pictures from the stage

– Blue blue skies, and endless coast in front of us. At times it is nice getting a bit above the coast. At least for the views…

– Watching a sunset is easy on this camino. Since you’re always on the westernmost coast of Europe, it’s enough leaving the albergue and finding a good spot to sit and relax… BTW, it’s not me on the picture :).

– I got this vegan burger in a random bar along the coast. Did you know that Portugal is the ONLY country in the world, where an option to have VEGAN food is obligatory in public institutions, such as schools and hospitals?

Few tips at the end

• Ask bout the boat schedule for crossing of Minho River in your albergue. Things change here quite often, and sometimes (with very low tide), it may not even be possible to cross the river (for short span of 1-2 hours, when the tide is lowest). The hosts in hostels should know the situation and inform you, at least about the tides for the next day. They may also recommend you a specific boat taxi that will take you to Spain for the cheapest fare. Or at least they can tell you when the first boat departs, so you do not wake up early for nothing.
• Spain is in a different time zone than Portugal. When you cross the river, do not forget to move your watch one hour back. For example, if it is 9am in Portugal it is only 8am in Spain. If you ever wondered how comes the sun sets so late in Spain in summer, here you have the answer :).

Next/Previous Stage

• Next stage: Camino Portuguese de la Costa, Stage no. 5, Caminha – Oia.
• Previous stage: Camino Portuguese de la Costa, Stage no. 3, Fao – Viana do Castelo.