Walking the Portuguese Camino from Tui to Santiago in 2026: Slower, Smaller & More Connected

I’ve walked this section of the Camino a few times now, and each time I come back with a slightly different perspective on it. Because it always delivers a different experience. Without fail.

Porto & Beginning Slowly

This journey began in Porto with a small group joining me for this April’s Retreat, walking the Portuguese Camino in 2026, from Tui to Santiago. Porto is a perfect meeting point after long-haul flights and travel days, where people need a chance to arrive properly before immediately launching into walking.

That slower landing matters.

This time, I’d organised a surprise for the group on our first evening (I like to mix things up from time to time) — a traditional Fado performance across the river in Gaia, overlooking the Douro amongst the old port houses. Before the show, we started next door with one of Porto’s iconic Bacalhau experiences at Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau — pastel de Bacalhau served with Portuguese port (a surprisingly good combination, particularly with the white port) in an elaborate space with a pianist perched dramatically on the staircase overlooking the river.

Simple, distinctly Portuguese, and a very good way to begin the evening before disappearing into the candlelit stillness of Fado.

The Fado brought gentle and unexpected tears, and silence to the room.

These are intimate experiences… with more port of course

No phones.

No chatter.

Just people quietly taking it in.

Her voice was incredible. I felt like I was experiencing Edith Piaf in a little Parisian bar before she became famous.

The Rhythm of the Camino

The following morning is intentionally relaxed too. We transfer to Tui around 11am, giving everyone time to sleep properly, have breakfast, wander for coffee or simply breathe after travelling. Because we lose an hour crossing into Spain, we arrive ready to settle straight into our rooms rather than dragging luggage around waiting for check-in.

Those details shape the entire feel of the retreat.

And that’s probably one of the biggest differences I’ve noticed after walking the Camino multiple times myself — the experience isn’t only shaped by the walking.

It’s shaped by the pacing.

The accommodation choices.

The rest.

The spaces between things.

I’m not interested in treating the Camino like a forced march from one town to the next, overly regimented.

I want people to actually experience where they are. Mindfully. With Presence.

Some groups race through stages chasing kilometres and completion certificates. There’s nothing wrong with that if it’s what people want (although personally, I think you’re probably better off on a nature hike than a pilgrimage at that point). But for me, the Camino has always feels richer when there’s enough room to absorb it properly… and flow with it.

Once people start walking, something shifts fairly quickly anyway.

Life becomes surprisingly simple:coffee, weather, feet, food, conversation, finding your bed at the end of the day.

Some people process life out loud while they walk. Others go quiet for hours at a time. Some form deep connections quickly. Others simply enjoy the rhythm of the days without needing to analyse every thought they’ve ever had.

There’s room for all of it.

That’s one of the reasons I keep my groups small.

The Camino already does enough on its own without someone trying to manufacture a transformational experience every five minutes.

And despite what Instagram might suggest, not every part of the Portuguese Camino is endless forests and ancient stone villages.

Before O Porriño, walkers often debate whether to take the alternative “prettier” route or remain on the original Camino through the industrial section.

I’ve now walked both.

The alternative route is beautiful, but there’s also something grounding about the original path. It moves through real working areas alongside local life — factories opening for the morning, cafés full of workers before shifts begin, trucks passing pilgrims on the roadside.

Then suddenly you’re back under forest cover again, walking past donkeys, goats and tiny villages that feel almost frozen in time.

That contrast is part of what makes the Camino interesting to me.

It all just 'is what it is'.

And then there’s what may still be the best tortilla I’ve had anywhere on the Camino in Paso de Mos. I intentionally eat a small breakfast knowing what’s ahead to greet me. I think I walk with a bit more excited anticipation that morning.

All because of a perfectly cooked Tortilla.

It’s the little things that get highlighted walking the Camino...and appreciated.

That’s another thing I love about walking with small groups. There’s room for spontaneity. Space to follow recommendations from locals, stop at places that weren’t part of some rigid itinerary, or take small detours when something catches our attention.

Like a little 650 metre detour to Salto de Auga do Río Barosa — a beautiful waterfall area in a nature park our lovely host in O Porriño told us about.

It was my first time taking a group there and of course I checked whether everyone was actually up for a little extra side adventure after already walking all day.

Yep. Immediately in.

And absolutely worth it.

Moments like that change the energy of a group.

Not because they’re “life-changing,” but because they’re real and totally in the moment. And because we make those decisions together.

Rural Galicia & Small Moments

As Chivas near Redondela is always another highlight.

You earn it a little too — particularly with that final uphill climb at the end of the day.

By the time we arrived, the resident goats greeted us along with our slightly cheeky welcome of “Where have you been? We’ve been waiting for you!” Now, you need to know that this comes after a 3km walk... completely uphill.

Perhaps not so much as a walk as a challenge!

However as the green hills rolled out in every direction,  the mood shifted from ‘good lord’ to ‘ahhhhh’,  almost instantly.

And somewhere around this point in the retreat, people usually stop checking their phones quite so much too.

There were plenty of smaller moments I found myself quietly loving along the way as well — seeing the same woman just outside Arcade, up the winding village hill, selling handcrafted goods to help raise money for the local school children’s annual excursion.

Or the Pontevedra-wide hunt for magnesium salts (yes, we have bathtubs at the Parador) after sore legs started kicking in properly.

Or the hilariously chaotic dinner in Tui with a waitress we all fell slightly in love with, entertaining us while simultaneously bossing both the kitchen and customers around… particularly the men.

There was also the one man determined to explain the Camino to women literally leading groups on it. Completely uninvited.

I’m still working through that little trigger.

Two nights in Pontevedra also remain one of my favourite stops along the route. It feels lived-in rather than performative. It's a heady mix of pilgrims moving through old squares, locals gathering late into the evening, wine poured into ceramic cups in old taverns, small bars spilling onto the streets.

And of course, our second Michelin-starred lunch there — returning to the same restaurant we’d visited the year before, only to be greeted by the same waiter who immediately remembered our group. One of those unexpectedly lovely moments that somehow makes a place feel familiar rather than simply visited.

Slowing Down Before Santiago

Then further along comes one of the most intentional parts of the retreat for me — Padrón and Os Lambrans.

Most Camino itineraries push hard toward Santiago at this point. Bigger walking days. Faster pace. Everyone emotionally charging toward the finish line.

I prefer the opposite.

Os Lambrans sits just outside Padrón (but not far off the Camino route) surrounded by greenery and quiet, and by the time we arrive there, the retreat intentionally slows down before the final walk into Santiago. There’s space to rest properly, reflect, eat exceptionally well and actually absorb what the previous days have been.

To integrate, and to perhaps release anything we’re no longer willing to carry with us moving forward.

Maria’s welcome there feels less like arriving at accommodation and more like arriving at someone’s home. After days of walking, her hugs alone are enough to lower everyone’s cortisol levels.

By then, the group dynamic has completely changed from when we first met in Porto. People have settled into the rhythm of walking, shared meals, silence, laughter, friendship, sore feet, emotional moments, ridiculous conversations and all the strange little Camino experiences that somehow become the stories everyone remembers later.

There were migraines pushed through.

Unexpected emotional releases.

Moments of complete exhaustion.

And moments where everyone somehow found another gear anyway.

There were other firsts for me on this trip too — including the Santiaguiño do Monte experience, as we walked towards Os Lambrans. Another team decision to take the long uphill stone staircase to see what was at the top.

It became another one of those unexpectedly memorable parts of the route.

Arriving in Santiago

And then finally, Santiago.

Every arrival there feels different.

Some people cry.Some go quiet.Some immediately want wine.

Usually all three happen within the first hour.

What keeps bringing me back to the Camino isn’t the idea that it magically changes your life.

It’s simpler than that.

The Camino strips things back.

And somewhere amongst all of that walking, eating, resting and noticing, people often reconnect with parts of themselves that had been drowned out by noise for far too long.

If you'd like to find out more about Walking the Portuguese Camino, you can check out next years on the links here. September 2026 is already fully booked.

April Camino ~ Portuguese Way

May Camino ~ The Ingles

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