In October 2026 I walked the Camino Portugués from Valença to Santiago with a friend. Before we left, I built a simple map app for the two of us. It showed where we were on the trail, where we were staying that night, and the nearest café, water fountain and stamp, even when we had no signal.
Our families wanted to share the journey, so I built them a page of their own. Each evening they could see how far we had walked, read our postcard from the day, browse the photos and send us a message of encouragement, which we read on the trail.
It made such a difference to our walk that I decided to turn it into an app every pilgrim can use.
Helen
The quotes below come from the journal we kept in the app and shared with our families every evening.
Porto
Porto Cathedral – truly beautiful.
We had our pilgrim passports stamped at the cathedral and walked across the Luís I bridge. “I could hardly walk across it, it was so high.” We ended the day with port and pastéis de nata.
In the app: the Getting around guide shows you how to get from the airport to the cathedral by metro.
Day 1 · Valença → O PorriñoLoved walking through Valença. I could move there in a heartbeat.
We crossed the river from Portugal into Spain and arrived in the lovely town of Tui, where the 12th-century cathedral was built like a fortress. “Roman cobbles have been everywhere.”
In the app: your train from Porto to Valença is saved on the day you travel.
Day 2 · O Porriño → RedondelaSet off at 6 this morning. It's dark in Spain until 8.30am.
After Mos the path climbs and drops on steep 10% slopes. “Going down is not as good on the feet as going up.”
In the app: every stage shows how much you will climb and is rated Easy, Moderate or Hard.
Day 3 · Redondela → PontevedraWe chatted so much, half the mileage was done before we blinked.
We made our first Camino friends, from Germany and Australia. Just before Pontevedra we passed a granite chapel built in 1617, and the town itself is full of murals.
In the app: the Variante Espiritual leaves the main route just after Pontevedra. Choose it, and your plan adds the monasteries and the boat trip.
Day 4 · Pontevedra → Caldas de Reis6am start. We really do feel so safe and blessed on the trail.
“23 km sounds like nothing until you carry backpacks along with you.”
In the app: water points, cafés and supermarkets are listed by kilometre, so you know where to find your first coffee before you set off in the dark.
Day 5 · Caldas de Reis → PadrónSent my bag via a transport service. Doesn't help when there's 3 litres of water and two huge apples in the small one.
Clouds gathered as we walked forest paths towards Padrón, where the Convento do Carme looks down over the town.
In the app: choose a luggage transfer company for each day, and get a reminder to book it the night before.
Day 6 · Padrón → TeoCafé con leche for €1. Everywhere else charges €2 minimum.
We found a roadside stop 4 km before Teo, run by a man who has walked the Camino himself. Dinner that night was “a local broth and chicken stew. Best money we spent on the whole trip.”
In the app: the places we loved are marked on the route, so you can find them too.
Day 7 · Teo → Santiago120 km done. We arrived at 10:07am.
“A chilly, windy morning. Some dark forest where we think a fox was stalking us. We almost turned back till the sun came up.”
In the app: the final day explains how to collect your Compostela, and shows which station your bus home leaves from.
As a South African it has been quite the test, but we really do feel so safe on the trail.
From our journal, Day 4
Choose where you start, which route you take and how far you like to walk each day. The planner suggests where to stop each night, with the distance, the climb and how hard the day will be.
Your family can follow your progress, read your daily postcards and send you messages. They don't need to download anything or sign up.
Book through Booking.com and add your confirmation to the app. It shows you the way from the Camino to your door, and back to the route the next morning.
Add bus, train and boat tickets from a PDF or a photo. Each one is saved on the right day and linked to the right station.
Choose a luggage transfer company for each day. The app checks that they cover your stage and reminds you to book.
How to get from the airport to the cathedral by metro, which station your train leaves from, plus taxi companies and emergency numbers.
The inland route passes through Barcelos, Ponte de Lima and the fortress town of Valença before crossing into Spain at Tui. The climb over Portela Grande is the toughest part of the walk.
This route follows the Atlantic coast north from Porto through Vila do Conde, Esposende and Viana do Castelo, with a ferry across the River Minho. It joins the Central route at Redondela.
This variant visits the monasteries of Poio and Armenteira and follows a river lined with old watermills. It ends with a boat trip up the Ría de Arousa, rejoining the main route near Padrón.
Fares from andante.pt, 2026. Please check before you travel.
We flew into Lisbon and lost a whole day getting to Porto. From South Africa, Turkish Airlines (via Istanbul) and Ethiopian Airlines (via Addis Ababa) fly to Porto all year round.
If you do land in Lisbon, take the red metro line to Oriente, then the Alfa Pendular train to Porto Campanhã. The trip takes about 3 hours. Note that Lisbon's yellow Navegante card doesn't work in Porto.
If you're starting in Valença, the Celta train leaves Porto Campanhã at 08:10 and 19:10.
Leave your bag at reception in the morning with a label showing your name, phone number and that night's address, and it will be waiting for you when you arrive. Many companies only collect from Valença or Tui onwards.
| Company | Price | Where they go | Book by | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Easy Brais We used them and highly recommend them. | €6 per stage | From Valença/Tui and A Guarda, including the Espiritual | In advance | easybrais.es WhatsApp +34 603 327 708 |
| Pilbeo | from €6 €84 Porto–Santiago | Every stage from Porto | Online | pilbeo.com |
| Sherpagrin | from €5 | Tui to Santiago, including the Espiritual. Closed 28 Oct–1 Mar | 22:00 the day before | sherpagrin.com |
| Free-path | €6.50 | From Tui on the Central, Coastal and Espiritual routes | 22:00 the day before | +34 673 143 065 |
| Correos Paq Mochila | per stage | Tui to Santiago all year; from Porto between Holy Week and 31 Oct | 20:00 the day before | elcaminoconcorreos.com |
Taken from the companies' flyers and websites in October 2026. Please confirm prices and dates when you book.
The variant takes three days between Pontevedra and Padrón instead of two. You cross Monte Castrove to the monastery at Armenteira (fill up your water in Combarro first), then follow the river of watermills down to Vilanova de Arousa.
On the third day you take a boat up the estuary to Pontecesures, which takes about 1 hour 20 minutes. Departure times depend on the tide, so book the day before (€30–32). The boat section doesn't count towards the 100 km you need for your Compostela.
In 2027, 25 July (the feast of St James) falls on a Sunday, which makes it a Holy Year. The Holy Door opens on 31 December 2026, and record numbers of pilgrims are expected. Book early if you plan to walk between May and October, especially around 25 July.
It's what the Portuguese say to every pilgrim they meet. The app will be ready in time for your walk in spring 2027.
Let me know when it launchesor email helen@brandexpert.co.za