28th of December 2025 to 3rd of January 2026.
Distance: 180.5km. 7 days.
For a long time I have contemplated doing a winter camino. Especially the Camino Francés. However, if I was to walk that route in the winter, I would like to do it in its entirety. Unfortunately, when I finally found time to embrace a Camino in the colder months, I had not that many days at my disposal. Instead my eyes went further south to Ponte de Lima in Portugal, and the Camino Portugués Central.
Estátua Peregrino on the way from Facha to Ponte de Lima.
Ponte de Lima.
To get there I flew to Lisbon and took a bus to Ponte de Lima. On the way I was passing by Santarém, Coimbra and Porto, reminiscing about my first Camino Portugués back in 2018.
Ponte Medieval e Romana in Ponte de Lima.
After a quick walk down another memory lane in Ponte de Lima, I felt so eager to start walking that I took a taxi to Facha. From the tiny hamlet there is a walk of about 8km back to Ponte de Lima. Those that saw me on the way, would have witnessed a face with a huge smile kind of like the Cheshire cat passing by, only without the vanishing act.
Frost smoke on the Camino outside Ponte de Lima.
When I walked into Ponte de Lima the sky was painted in pastel colours, with the arches of the old medieval bridge lit up by lights and the Largo de Camões square adorned by Christmas decoration. A small merry-go-round cheering up the children. Interestingly enough, there are more people here now than when I was here two years ago during the fall. Seeing more pilgrims at this time of year is on the other hand something that I do not expect.
View from Labruja.
Cruz dos Peregrinos on the way up twards Alto de Portela Grande de Labruja.
There are some things that pilgrims need to take into account when walking a Camino in the winter. First off and as already mentioned, do not expect to meet a lot of other pilgrims. If, however, you are a person that wants to avoid the crowds, this might be a good time of the year to do a Camino in. That being said, with fewer pilgrims on the way, the infrastructure is more limited as well. Not all of the pilgrim albergues will be open, and some of the cafés that cater to the pilgrims will also be closed. Finding a place for the night should not be a problem though, but at times one might need to stay at a more expensive place.
Walking next to the Coura river.
Then, of course, comes the weather. It will be colder than during the normal walking seasons, and you have to expect more frequent inclement weather. Carry some more warm clothes than usual and know that the albergues that are open will be much colder during the nights. Bring a warm sleeping bag instead of a sheet bag.
Valença do Minho in the evening.
Fortaleza de Valença shrouded in mist in the morning.
It was a cold morning when I walked out of Ponte de Lima, with frost smoke seeping up from the lovely stream and path at the beginning of the walk. Behind me another pilgrim followed me, wrapped thick in clothes. When I walked over the Alto de Portela Grande de Labruja the previous time, I got heavy rain, now the sky was a clear blue. Mind that you get the best view from a small hill to the left just after you start the descent from the pass. For my own part, one of the lures of doing the Camino Francés in wintertime would be to experience snow on O Cebreiro, the same thing would be a distant hope here.
Tui.
Arriving at the top of the ramparts of the Fortaleza de Valença, I got the last glimpse of the sun as it disappeared behind the hills in the horizon. Again a sky painted in pastel colours. Staying at the Pousada Valença does not really feel like the pilgrim way, but another thing when walking off season is that you can get to stay at a place that is normally way too expensive to a much more reasonable price. After eating dinner out in one of the very few restaurants open, I came out to the old fortress covered in fog.
Ponte das Febres and the Cruz de San Telmo.
The fog lasted through the night and well into the next day. Quiet streets and old bulwarks wrapped in low clouds provided a mysterious atmosphere, but no views of Spain like the day before. In Tui after having crossed into Spain, Valença do Minho with its fortress was barely visible across the Minho river.
Canal on the recommended alternative route to O Porriño.
The stage from Tui features some beautiful woodland sections, made atmospheric in the sombre weather, passing by the Cruz de San Telmo and the Ponte das Febres stone bridge crossing over the San Simón river where Saint Telmo died in 1251. It was a quiet walk with very few people around; I did not meet any other pilgrims until just before I arrived in Redondela.
View towards Redondela.
The Three Wise Men in front of Convento de Vilavella in Redondela.
As I approached O Porriño, where I stopped for lunch, the clouds took their leave and the rest of the way to Redondela became a warm walk in the sun. Redondela has always fascinated me, situated underneath its tall viaducts. In front of the Convento de Vilavella there was a sculpture of light depicting the Three Wise Men.
View from Alto da Lomba, Arcade and Ponte Sampaio below.
After Redondela, the way has changed. To the better. Where it before went too quickly down to the road leading to Arcade, it now heads uphills over Alto da Lomba on a track providing nice views over the estuary surrounding the Verdugo river. The Ponte Medieval de Pontesampaio is still a highlight, and the rest of the walk to Pontevedra a pleasant one.
Ponte Medieval de Pontesampaio.
Speaking of New Year’s Eve, I was not here for the sake of the celebration, but I considered it a bonus to be able to experience the transition into a new year while on the Camino. Celebrating it in Pontevedra however, turned out to be a somewhat surreal experience, mostly due to my own expectations.
Omg! They killed Kenny!
Pontevedra is hosting an annual New Year’s Eve race, the San Silvestri. Running through the streets are everything from the usual athletes to witches to rubber ducks to inflatable dinosaurs. Even the Grinch was out running. Afterwards the charming narrow streets in the old town were packed with people celebrating.
Convento e Igrexa de San Francisco in Pontevedra.
Ponte do Burgo in Pontevedra, New Year's Eve.
What I was not aware of, however, was that on New Year's Eve, all the restaurants close early. Luckily, not all of the food stores were closed, and I was able to buy some food that I could eat in my hotel room while I relaxed before going out to celebrate the transition into the new year.
Beautiful forest path on the way towards Caldas de Reis.
However, when I went out, I found myself all alone. There was not one person around. All the streets and squares were empty, by the look of it I had the whole city to myself. Where did every go? I had expected that they would be gathering at the squares counting down to the next year and doing their grape ritual, which amounts to eating one grape for each stroke of the clock leading up to midnight.
Ponte de Pedras.
At the Praza de España, a lone security guard gave me an answer. Unlike, for example in Madrid or Barcelona, it is not a tradition here to gather for fireworks and celebration in the squares in the city at midnight. Around eleven o'clock the bars and cafés closes, and then the Spaniards go home to have dinner, either with their family or with friends. Unfortunately for the grapes, they still do not escape. When the clock strikes twelve, the deep rumbles of fireworks has already been going on for a while.
Pontecesures.
Leaving Pontevedra the next morning is not so pleasant on the other hand, with the streets being full of garbage. I also pass by some stragglers from parties last night.
When I arrive in Padrón, chains of lights between the sycamore trees on Paseo Do Espolón guide me towards the Church of Santiago.
Padrón and the Convento do Carmen.
And with the change of year, there is also a change of weather. From blue and sunny days to a forecast of grey and rainy days. Despite the inclement weather and a long walk to Padrón, I had a nice day out. A calm of mind as I walk through melancholic forests, tranquil villages in the rain and a cultural landscape clad in grey. At dusk I cross the Roman bridge in Pontecesures with its lamps lit and a light rain in the air.
Another wonderful forest section on the Camino Portugués on the last day towards Santiago de Compostela.
If walking a Camino on the first day of a new year, one thing to be aware of is that almost all of the cafés and food stores will be closed. I was therefore happy to find a place that were open both in Caldas de Reis and Padrón so I that could get some food for lunch and dinner.
A small wooden ferris wheel at the Praza do Obradoiro.
The forecast for the last day had promising a wet walk to Santiago de Compostela, but the weather itself was not having any of it. I had barely any rain, although the sky was as dull as one could make it.
Christmas decoration on the walls of the convent next to Praza da Quintana.
Christmas decoration on Praza do Obradoiro.
In front of the Concello de Santiago de Compostella there is a Christmas installation with a merry-go-round and a Ferris wheel, both small and wooden. Praza do Obradoiro is busy as usual, but the number of pilgrims are as expected far fewer than normal. I wonder how it must be to arrive here in snow. I sit down at the square together with another pilgrim, with the sounds of children laughing from the Christmas installation in the background.
View of Santiago de Compostela and the cathedral from Monte de Moas Abaixo.
Being back in Santiago de Compostela I do what I enjoy the most when I am here, by just being here. No need to make specific plans, just walking around in the old town and then the occasional visit to the square in front of the cathedral taking in the joy of pilgrims arriving. It is no different now, just fewer pilgrims.
Catedral de Santiago de Compostela from the Alameda park.
