Camino de Santiago Self-Guided Bike Tour from Porto (Portugal)

Arrival at leisure in Porto, the second biggest and most populated city in Portugal, just after Lisbon.

Porto has a range of flight connections with major international airports; alternatively, it is easily accessible from Lisbon by train. Ask your Bike Spain Tours travel consultant for assistance if required.

In Porto, you can visit attractions such as the Cathedral, the Tower “de los Clérigos”, Church do Carmo, Plaza de la Libertad and, of course, take a walk along the Douro River. We also recommend a visit to the beautiful Lello Bookshop, said to have inspired JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series.

Don’t forget to drop by the Cathedral to pick up your credencial: the document that demonstrates your status as a pilgrim. You will need to get this stamped twice a day at hotels, restaurants and anywhere else you might visit in order to be awarded your certificate of pilgrimage once you arrive in Santiago!

You’ll cycle along the banks of the Douro River out of the city and into the seaside resort town of Matosinhos. If all that cycling makes you peckish, you’ll find plenty of beachfront grills that will barbecue freshly-caught fish for you to give you energy for the next part of your ride!

You’ll spend the night in Vila do Conde, a pretty town built during the Portuguese Golden Age. The town’s skyline is dominated by the imposing Monastery of Santa Clara, as well as the aqueduct that was built in the 18th century to bring water to the monastery and of which nearly 1000 arches still remain.

At Fao, you’ll cross the bridge over the river Cádavo and into Esposende, where you’ll follow the estuary before turning slightly inland to explore ancient medieval town such as Castelo do Neiva, whose Benedictine monastery dates back to the 11th century, before crossing the Eiffel bridge over the River Lima into Viana do Castelo.

You’ll spend tonight in the picturesque town of Viana do Castelo, overlooked by the hilltop Basilica del Sagrado Corazón, which was inspired by the Sacre Coeur in Paris.

Your first stop is the medieval border town of Caminha. Don’t miss the rude gargoyle at the church of Nossa Senhora da Assunção, a symbol of the historic enmity between Portugal and Spain!

In Caminha, you’ll take a boat across the River Miño to begin the Spanish portion of your journey in the charming fishing village of A Guarda, where you’ll cycle around the base of the Monte de Santa Tegra to follow a coastak cycle path along one of the wilder portions of Spain’s Atlantic coast towards Baiona. Along the way, you’ll pass by the beautiful beachfront Monastery de Santa María de Oia.

Once in Baiona, you can spend some time exploring the city’s atmospheric historic centre and quaint fishing port. The town’s most important historic building is the Castelo de Monterreal, a medieval fortress that still retains the cannons once used to defend the town from pirates, and which offers fabulous views over the bay from the parapet. Nowadays, it is a luxury hotel; your hotel for the night, in fact!

It’s well worth stopping in Vigo to admire the many sculptures that decorate the city, including one dedicated to Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and to enjoy the tapas that many bars give out for free to accompany drinks.

Leaving Vigo behind, we’ll follow a vía verde (disused railway line converted into a traffic-free cycle path) towards Redondela, before following the course of the River Tomenza into Pontevedra.

You’ll spend the night in the interesting Camino city of Pontevedra, where we highly recommend a visit to the Santuario de la Virgen Peregrina, dedicated to the patron of the Portuguese Camino and featuring a unique scallop shell floor. Pontevedra is the first city of the albariño wine region, so we highly recommend trying some of this light Galicial white wine.

Your first stop is the spa town of Caldas de Reis, situated at the confluence of the rivers Bermaña and Umia, and well-known for its geothermal hot springs.

From here, you’ll continue north along quiet forest paths towards the town of Padrón, famous for the small green peppers of the same name. We highly recommend that you make a quick stop here to try a tapa of freshly fried and salted peppers, but remember the saying: “Padrón peppers, some are hot, and others are not!”

Leaving Padrón behind, you’ll face one last climb up to Santiago de Compostela and the end of your journey! Your pilgrimage finishes in front of Santiago Cathedral, where you can celebrate along with the hundreds of pilgrims who arrive into Santiago every day, just as they have been doing for centuries. You can collect your Compostela certificate, which certifies your status as a pilgrim, at the Pilgrim’s Office beside the Cathedral. Congratulations – you’ve earned it!

Arrival airport: Porto-Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport (OPO)

Direct flights to Porto are available from a number of destinations worldwide.

You might also consider flying into Lisbon (LIS) and taking a train to Porto (approx. 3 hours).

Departure airport: Santiago–Rosalía de Castro Airport (SCQ)

Note: Santiago airport will be closed for renovations from 23rd April – 27th May 2026. From 28th May onwards, there will be a new direct flight route from Santiago SCQ to Newark EWR.

Santiago de Compostela is well-connected with Madrid and other destinations in Spain via air and high-speed train (approx. 3 hours).