Cycle the El Camino Portuguese Way!
Whether you are short on time or simply would rather BIKE than hike the El Camino de Santiago, cycling the Portuguese Way may be the right choice for you! The 239 km cycling route (just under 150 miles) from Porto, Portugal to Sanitago de Compostela usually takes a week. Plus, you can generally count on Portugal to provide sunny weather as you ride along it’s magnificent coast!
Learn more about cycling the Portuguese Way on today’s podcast.
What is the El Camino de Santiago?
For centuries, ‘pilgrims’ have walked (and more recently biked) an assortment of paths across Europe to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, to the Cathedral thought to hold the relics of St. John. While originally walked for religious reasons, many pilgrims do a ‘Camino’ for personal reasons or just for some ‘me’ time. If you walk at least the final 100 km (about 60 miles) or bike at least 200 km, then you can get a certificate proving your pilgrimage. Along the way, at hostels and other businesses, you get your ‘Pilgrim’s Passport’ stamped to verify your journey – see the top photo of our guest, Niall’s Pilgrim’s Passport.
If you would rather hike the El Camino, be sure to check out our earlier episode and webpage on hiking the El Camino and the different paths to Santiago HERE.
Who Can Bike the El Camino?
Most of the path is fairly evenly graded, so if you are fit enough to bike around 40 miles in a day – and remember that you have ALL day to do so – then you can bike the El Camino Portuguese Way! And you need to train your body to be able to do so for several days in a row (for me, it’s more a matter of getting my buttocks used to sitting on a bike seat for so long).
Still, it is best to train beforehand. If you would like assistance in planning your training for this or any adventure, please get in touch with my affiliate, Becky at Trailblazer Wellness. Becky offers a free consulation to see if you two are a good fit. She can custom design a training program to help ensure you are mentally and physically ready to tackle your adventures. Be sure to mention ATA to get a 10% Discount!
In addition to proper training, I would recommend wearing padded bike shorts and packing a new gel bike seat cover for added comfort (check with your tour operator to make sure you bring a cover that fits their bike seat).
How to Plan your El Camino
While you can certainly plan your Camino independantly, I recommend using my affiliate Follow the Camino. They are experts in all things Camino and can plan your walking and biking El Camino for you. They know the best places to stay for your budget, they arrange daily transfer of your main luggage so all you carry is some snacks, water and a jacket, etc. in your provided panier. In addition, FTC provides you with maps and explicit directions and arranges for your bike rental to be delivered directly to your first lodging. Plus, if you run into any problems, Follow the Camino offers 24/7 phone support to give you added confidence.
How to Find the Camino Trail
The Camino is extremely well marked with the iconic scallop shell trail markers that look like a sunburst – see the pics above. It is really hard to get lost (although you will have to pay more attention if you are biking to make sure you don’t whiz past a turn).
Why does a Scallop Shell indicate a Pilgrim or the Trail?
Back in the day, when you reached the shore, it was thought to be the ends of the earth and so picking up a scallop shell was a token of your pilgrimage. So over time, Pilgrims began identifying themselves by tying a scallop shell to their backpacks, or in the case of bikers, their paniers. As the trail became more popular, the routes were blazed, or marked, with the scallop shell icon.
Follow the Camino offers affordable self guided (and some guided Caminos!) tours. And FTC offers Active Travel Adventures fans a 5% Discount if you use Promo Code ATA5.
PLAN YOUR TRIP : HELPFUL TOOLS!
Follow the Camino is a Camino tour company that has some great tools to help you plan your own Camino walk that I’ve asked them to share with us:
- Camino training plans that were designed by physiotherapists: one for walking and one for cycling – these have lovely infographic style printables too!
- a comprehensive packing list for walking and cycling
- a guide for choosing the best Camino shoes
- a guide for choosing the best backpack for you
- and our Camino weather map which shows you the average weather at various times of the year for better planning!
Photo courtesy of Follow the Camino
Camino Add Ons
Follow the Camino can also tailor your Camino to your tastes and budget. Want more luxurious accommodations? They’ve got you covered. Breakfast is included on all of their tours, but you can also have them include your dinners, so all you have to pay extra for is drinks, snacks and lunch.
You can also have Follow the Camino pick you up and/or take you back to the airport for a worry free transfer.
And if you want to stay an extra night or two anywhere along your Camino, they can adapt your tour to accommodate your request here as well. Pontevedra makes for a fun extra stay before your final push into Santiago. Also, be sure to make time to spend a couple of extra nights in both Porto and Santiago at the beginning and end of your Camino. Follow the Camino can also arrange for fun day tours at any of your stops.
When to Bike the Portuguese Way El Camino
Portugal has a mild Mediterranean climate, so you can actually bike it year ’round. However, I would recommend biking the Portuguese Way in spring and fall to avoid the summer heat and crowds. The winder months are the off season, so you may find some restaurants and other small businesses closed. You may also find it too windy along the coast during the winter, and will be more likely to be biking in rain.
The season to bike the El Camino runs from April to October. The most popular months are May, June and September. Other good months to cycle the Camino from Porto to Santiago are April, July and August. In July and August, there will be a lot more people on vacation sharing some of the boardwalks you’ll be biking on, so keep that in mind when planning when to go (plus it will be hotter).
Here are the weather averages for Porto and Santiago. As you’ll see, the weather is pretty darn great along the coast of Portugal and Spain!
How to Rent a Bike for the Portuguese Way
Follow the Camino will provide you with a well maintained Mountain Bike BH Over-X 27V for your Camino when you book with them. They will have your bike boxed and delivered to your first accommodations. You’ll do some minor assembly with the handle bars and pedals (there are easy to follow instructions included). You will also get a repair kit AND your tour comes with Bike Breakdown Insurance! Be sure to check out the videos below so you know how to do minor bike repair, just in case.
Highlights along the Portuguese Way
Here are some of the highlights of your Portuguese Way Camino:
- PORTO A colorful and charming coastal city famous for the Port wine houses across the Douro River in the Ribiera District. You can easily walk there across the many bridges. Be sure to take a boat tour for a fun vantage point before or after your port tastings.
- BAIONA Check out the sunset from the old Monterreal Fort and wander the narrow streets of old town.
- PONTEVEDRA Our guest, Niall, recommends planning a little extra time in the charming, tree lined historic center. Be sure to visit the Capela Da Virxe Peregrina, a national monument (and see its scallop shell shaped floor plan!).
Where to Stay on the El Camino
Fortunately, the routes of the El Camino have been traveled by pilgrims for centuries and there is an abundance of lodging options to fit all budgets.
The least expensive option is for pilgrims to stay in an albergue, or Pilgrim’s hostel. They charge a nominal fee per night and the hostels host only fellow Pilgrims, so you’ll meet lots of folks on the same journey as yourself. BUT, you are trading off the cheap price and companionship for privacy (and sometimes cleanliness) as you are generally sharing a dorm room. After walking or biking all day, expect snoring and other noises and light, so pack ear plugs and an eye mask!
Alternatively, Follow the Camino, my recommended tour company, can put you up in some comfy accommodations for a very reasonable price (plus don’t forget to get the 5% discount with the ATA5 Promo Code!). They know the Camino routes so well, so they know the best places to stay and can get the best prices since they arrange so many pilgrim’s Camino. I think you’ll find it very much worth it to use them. You will meet lots of fellow pilgrims during the day you can socialize with at night, plus it is easy to meet folks at restaurants, too. So by staying in nicer lodging, you’ll get a comfortable night’s sleep but still make friends to hang out with.
What Food to Eat in Portugal and Spain
It’s a good thing you’ll be burning a lot of calories while you bike the Camino, because the food in Spaiin and Portugal is AMAZING! Most restaurants will be serving you fresh, local food and you will have ample opportunities to eat fresh off the boat seafood. Below is a checklist of the dishes you should be sure to try in Spain and Portugal.
Popular Portuguese Food
- Bifana: The national Portuguese sandwich features marinated pork and crunchy white bread. The marinade is made with paprika, white wine and garlic.
- Francesinha: A meatlovers delight! Two pieces of bread are stuffed with ham, sausages, and steak, then covered with a cheesy sauce, often with an egg on top. I didn’t think I could eat the whole thing, but it was so delicious, I managed (high cholesterol alert:)
- Sardines
- Bacalhau Codfish
- Polvo (octopus)
- Caldo Verde: This Portuguese soup is made with a particular green cabbage and sausage
- Chicken Piri-Piri: a chili pepper spiced roasted chicken
- Black Pork cured ham
- Pastel de Nata: a creamy egg tart. I found it sweet enough to skip the powdered sugar
Popular Spanish Dishes to Try
- Tapas: Small plates of an amazing variety. In bars, if you order a drink, you will often get a tapa. When biking the Camino, stopping for tapas is a great and delicious way to keep fueled!
- Paella: The famous rice dish with seafood, chicken or rabbit
- Ibérico ham: Black ham flavored by the acorns the wild pigs eat
- Pisto: Spanish ratatouille
- Cochinillo asado: roast suckling pig or lamb
- Turrón: almond nougat
- Tortilla Espanola: An egg, potato and onion omelette
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