The Vía Serrana is a 240km Camino de Santiago route beginning in La Línea (the Spanish town adjacent to Gibraltar) and ending in Sevilla. It takes in many of the highlights you would expect to find in Andalucía, from historic cities to whitewashed towns and Mediterranean landscapes dominated by olive groves.  For me, the Vía Serrana was ultimately not marked by any of these things, however, but instead by an emotional phone call from half a world away that became the indelible memory of this camino. This is my day-by-day diary from the Vía Serrana. Vía Serrana Day 1 — La Línea to San Mart ..read more

The Portuguese coastal route is the third most popular Camino de Santiago trail after the Camino Francés and the Portuguese Central, according to 2022 statistics from the Pilgrim Office in Santiago. But does walking a non-traditional, scenery-based path along the coast still feel like a Camino de Santiago? That’s the question I asked myself as I walked on the Portuguese coastal route from Porto to Vigo in the middle of the beach holiday season. In keeping a daily diary of the pilgrimage, I eventually found my answer. One of the famous boardwalks of the Portuguese Coastal route. Day 1: Porto to ..read more

The Camino Inglés (‘English Way’) is an increasingly popular short route of the Camino de Santiago that winds its way south from the north coast of Galicia — where boats would drop English pilgrims in medieval times — to the tomb of the apostle in Santiago de Compostela. A 113km journey from Ferrol that is usually completed in five or six days, the Inglés is an excellent alternative to the more crowded last 100km of the Camino Francés or Camino Portugués. And a pilgrimage on the Inglés might just get you hooked, like the Italian pilgrim and self-proclaimed ‘King of the Camino’ we met who was w ..read more

The Camino del Salvador is a 118km camino from León to Oviedo, famed for its mountain scenery. Bookended by two fabulous historic cities, the Salvador is otherwise an isolated, rural trail taking in some of the most beautiful views that any route of the Camino de Santiago has to offer.  The views from the Cruz del Salvador are among the highlights of the Camino del Salvador. Here are our highlights of the Camino del Salvador.  Medieval Art in León As one of the most famous destinations on the Camino Francés, and a popular starting point for a shortened version of that camino, León is ..read more

The Caminho Português Interior (CPI) is a little-known Camino de Santiago route in north-central Portugal that combines gorgeous scenery, historic cities and that rare combination of an off-the-beaten-track pilgrimage that surprisingly offers a vast albergue network.  Not to be confused with the Portuguese Central from Porto, the Portuguese Interior route traditionally begins in the city of Viseu, although the trail has now been extended about 110km southwest to Coimbra.  From Viseu, the CPI heads north for 208km, crossing into Spain on the final day and finishing in the Galician tow ..read more

The Rota Vicentina is an emerging long-distance walking trail in southwest Portugal known largely for its natural beauty. The Fisherman’s Trail, the popular coastal variation of the route, affords sensational ocean views in remote areas of the Alentejo and Algarve. Although the scenery takes centre stage, that’s not the only reason to walk all or part of this 226km trail. These are our seven major Rota Vicentina highlights: Coastal Scenery This is why most people walk the Rota Vicentina, and, more specifically, the Fisherman’s Trail – and it doesn’t disappoint. ‘Coastal scenery’ here doesn’t j ..read more

While the Camino de Santiago is indelibly linked with Spain, there are an increasing number of camino routes in Portugal in addition to the country’s other long-distance trails including the Rota Vicentina and pilgrimage routes to Fátima. Here is an overview of the 10 main routes that form the Camino de Santiago in Portugal, where it is known as the Caminho de Santiago. The routes included in this summary are the Caminho Português Central, Caminho Português Coastal, Caminho Português (from Lisbon), Caminho Português Interior, Caminho de Torres, Caminho da Geira e dos Arrieros, Caminho Nascente ..read more

The Caminho da Geira e dos Arrieiros is an up-and-coming 239km camino linking the Portuguese city of Braga to Santiago de Compostela. ‘The Geira’ is an isolated camino that takes adventurous pilgrims on Roman roads past beautiful natural scenery, three border crossings and some of Galicia’s oldest vineyards. Here are the highlights of the the Caminho da Geira e dos Arrieiros. The Caminho da Geira e dos Arrieiros goes through typical Galician forests with moss-covered stone walls.The Early Medieval Chapel of São Frutuoso As the third largest city in Portugal and the starting point of the Caminh ..read more

The Caminho Nascente is a little-known but extraordinary Camino de Santiago route that starts at the Church of Santiago in the city of Tavira on the south coast of Portugal. Also known as the Via Portugal Nascente, the camino traverses the Portuguese regions of the Algarve, the Alentejo and the Beiras for 650km before finishing in the historic village of Trancoso, where it joins the Camino Torres.  Here are the highlights of the unforgettable Caminho Nascente. Walking on Water (Almost) in the Algarve Leaving Tavira and its thousand years of history behind, the camino first heads east alo ..read more

Before the pandemic, Lisbon had become one of the trendiest destinations in Europe, as visitors were drawn in by its special light, brilliant colours, warm weather, low prices and friendly people.  After living in the Portuguese capital for four years, these are my Lisbon highlights. ‘Lisbon’s special appeal lies elsewhere (beyond tourist attractions). Its secret is in the mix. That cosmopolitan legacy endows Lisbon with an intriguing, exotic flavour that is unique in Europe. Lisbon, for all its loss, still engages the imagination. Lisbon is a mood, and that cannot be captured in a trave ..read more