One of the unique aspects of hiking the Camino de Santiago is the Albergues. The Portuguese Camino albergues will either be a source of excitement or anxiety, depending on how you feel about shared accommodation!
Albergues can vary wildly from the number of beds to cleanliness, facilities, and the overall vibe. One night you can stay in a 50-bed room and the next you could be in a 6-bed room.
Never fear! I hiked the Portuguese Camino with my Mom and my partner in the fall of 2024. In this post, I’ll list everywhere we stayed, from Lisbon and Santiago de Compostela to Finisterre and Muxia.
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List of Contents
Portuguese Camino Albergues: Things to Expect
After hiking 3 other Caminos de Santiago, I thought the Portuguese Camino would be a very similar experience. To a large extent, it was. However, there are a few overall notable differences, one of which was the albergues.
1️⃣ First, if you hike the section between Lisbon and Porto, you will find far more hostels that accept everyone than albergues. There are also plenty of guesthouses and private rooms.
2️⃣ Again, between Lisbon and Porto, it’s hard to find anywhere on the route to stay outside of the main stage starts/finishes. There are a few exceptions, but more than any other Camino, it pushes you into hiking it by stages. We had to get inventive a few times to find accommodation at comfortable distances.
3️⃣ The Portuguese Coastal route has many albergues, but not as many as the Camino frances.
4️⃣ The albergue etiquette is the same: shoes at the front, no packs on the bed, use headphones instead of your phone volume, if you leave before everyone, do so as quietly as possible, etc.
5️⃣ Before settling in and showering, check for bed bugs. In 2024, there were multiple albergues with bed bug issues. If you take a shower first, they may not give you a refund.
6️⃣ Please, be respectful of others. No one really has enough space. No one really sleeps fantastically on old mattresses. Some people have never exercised this much and are hurting. Be kind.
Portuguese Camino Albergues: Everywhere We Stayed
Below is a list of *literally* every place we stayed while we hiked the Portuguese Camino from Lisbon to Santiago, then Santiago to Finisterre and Muxía.
👉 Before you book every night, please know that we varied our pace on this hike. Since we hiked the Portuguese Camino with my 70-year-old Mom, we started very slowly. When she got blisters and took the train up to Porto, Karma and I sped up and doubled our pace. After Porto, we slowed back down to my Mom’s pace.
Therefore, this list varies in mileage. ✨ All mileage marked is directly from my Coros watch. ✨ I note this because the apps available for Camino distance vary wildly and are often off by 0.5 to 1.0 kilometers (0.3 to .06 miles).
Also, please note I mark many of these as “hostels.” While we stayed in them, they mostly acted as Portuguese Camino albergues but stayed open for other travelers. They still had stamps for your credentials (pilgrim passport).
🔔 ALSO ALSO, if you click the town instead of the accommodation link, please double check the **map** feature before booking to ensure you’re in the same town. When you’re walking “just outside of the town,” it is different than when you’re driving.
Lisbon to Porto
Town/City: Lisbon
Accommodation: Poet’s Inn Hostel
Accommodation Type: Hostel
Notes: Lisbon stays were quite pricy. We wanted a place to get over jetlag and slack-pack ourselves with Uber for the first day. We shared a 3-person room here for 3 nights. It was clean.
Miles to next stay: 11.74
Town/City: Santa Iria de Azoia
Accommodation: Doce Dream Guesthouse
Accommodation Type: Guesthouse
Notes: **Not on route.** We cut off the boardwalk, walked to the nearest street and ubered here. Then, we got Uber Eats for dinner. In the morning, we Ubered back to where we got off and continued walking. Hosts were very welcoming and the 3-person room was clean.
Miles to Next Stay: 11.68
Town/City: Vila Franca de Xira
Accommodation: Hostel DP – Suites & Appartments
Accommodation Type: Hostel & Private Rooms
Notes: We booked late and the only option left for us was a 3-person private room with shared bathroom. The stay included breakfast. AND they had a pretty tile stamp (you have to ask for it!)
Miles to Next Stay: 13.02
Town/City: Azambuja
Accommodation: Albergue de Peregrinos de Azambuja (pictured above)
Accommodation Type: Albergue
Notes: First come, first serve. Only 16 beds! Basic, but clean. Only 2 showers. However, the host had an overflow option where some people could sleep in the elementary school as long as they got out before the kids got there.
Miles to Next Stay: 20.81
Town/City: Santarém
Accommodation: N1 Hostel Appartments & Suites
Accommodation Type: Hostel
Notes: Many options for beds here. We just stayed in an 8-bed dorm. We tried to push the larger mileage here, but it was a long day. There was a small albergue to stay 12 miles into the 20 mile day. This is also where my Mom took the train to Porto and healed her blisters while Karma and I hiked faster.
Miles to Next Stay: 20.97
Town/City: Golegã
Accommodation: Quartos de Limão
Accommodation Type: Guesthouse
Notes: Golegã has few accommodations and lot of horse tournaments. If you’re getting here on a weekend, consider booking further in advance. This was one of the last rooms in town when we needed one and it was ok, but I left with a few spider bites. The shower was fantastic though.
Miles to Next Stay: 19.10
Town/City: Tomar
Accommodation: Hostel 2300
Accommodation Type: Hostel
Notes: While there were a few non-pilgrims here, it was mostly Camino pilgrims. They grouped hikers together as best they could. Clean, great location, good kitchen, washer for extra money.
Miles to Next Stay: 21.04
Town/City: Alvaiázere
Accommodation: Albergaria Pinheiro’s
Accommodation Type: Albergue
Notes: ***GOT BED BUGS from the 3-person room in Sept. 2024*** You can reserve this via WhatsApp. Not the cleanest. The guy running it does giant actual wax stamps that take up four spaces on your pilgrim passport, and he matches the stamp to your outfit colors.
Miles to Next Stay: 19.93
Town/City: Rabaçal
Accommodation: Albergue O Bonito
Accommodation Type: Albergue
Notes: ***Found one bed bug on blanket and was moved to a different room*** Has pool, fast laundry, and restaurant. There is a very small grocery nearby, and the albergue has a microwave. Booked on WhatsApp phone call.
Miles to Next Stay: 18.71
Town/City: Coimbra
Accommodation: Coimbra Portagem Hostel then Zero Box Lodge Coimbra
Accommodation Type: Hostel then Private Room
Notes: I had to zero here to wait on wildfire information. Stayed at the hostel the first night, then needed better sleep, so we moved to Zero Box (weirdly comfortable and clean).
Miles to Next Stay: 15.69
Town/City: Sernadelo
Accommodation: Albergue de Peregrinos de Sernadelo – Hilarios
Accommodation Type: Albergue
Notes: Borrowed a European’s phone to call and reserve. Small, clean enough. Not many options in this area.
Miles to Next Stay: 23.80
Town/City: Albergaria-a-Velha
Accommodation: Hotel Alameda
Accommodation Type: Hotel
Notes: Off route a bit, but needed a private room after very bad snoring. I don’t recommend Hotel Alameda–not very clean, but not bad enough to ask for a refund.
Miles to Next Stay: 20.04
Town/City: São João de Maderia
Accommodation: Porto Je T’aime – Solar São João
Accommodation Type: Pension
Notes: Very nice hostess, although we communicated through Google Translate. Good view of the plaza. Got a private room for two people. I also don’t recommend doing the 24 miles the next day. We only did this to get to where my Mom was already paying for an AirBnB. You could, however, get to Porto.
Miles to Next Stay: 24.77
Town/City: Foz do Douro (near Porto)
Accommodation: Dream Home AirBnb
Accommodation Type: Airbnb
Notes: This is where my Mom picked to heal her blisters. **From here, we return to a slower pace.**
Miles to Next Stay: 12.51
Porto to Santiago de Compostela
Honestly, this is where I recommend starting the Portuguese Camino. This slower pace will help many of you get your trail legs while allowing you restful afternoons to socialize at the albergues. The Portuguese Camino albergues from Porto onward are more similar to albergues on other caminos. In contrast, between Lisbon and Porto, we had more hostels that doubled as albergues.
A few notes:
1️⃣ We took the coastal way from Porto to Caminha, then cut inland and rejoined the central route at Valença. Honestly, we did this because a hurricane came in the day we got to Caminha and the weather was just a little better inland.
2️⃣ Our stay list starts approx 5-6 miles after Porto on the coastal route. Why? Because that’s where my Mom chose an AirBnb as a blister healing spot and midway treat.
3️⃣ Instead of staying at the Airbnb like we did, I recommend:
- Find a good place to stay in Porto.
- Then, walk one day to stay in Matosinhos.
- The next day, you can then walk to Labruge and continue on with our slower-paced itinerary.
Without further adeiu…
Town/City: Foz do Douro (Porto)
Accommodation: Dream Home Airbnb
Accommodation Type: Airbnb
Notes: This is where my Mom picked to heal her blisters. **From here, we return to a slower pace.**
Miles to Next Stay: 12.51
Town/City: Labruge
Accommodation: Albergue de S. Tiago
Accommodation Type: Albergue
Notes: This is a municipal first come, first serve albergue. It was also the largest albergue we stayed in. While there were technically separate rooms, the doors stayed open for bathroom and kitchen access for all.
Miles to Next Stay: 9.81
Town/City: Póvoa de Varzim
Accommodation: Siglas & Runas II
Accommodation Type: Guesthouse
Notes: This was one of our FAVORITE stays. The hostess was so welcoming and kind. She sat us down and gave us local Port wine as soon as we got there. She also helped us with some laundry and answered all our questions. I HIGHLY recommend staying here, although I heard the municipal albergue in town was also nice.
Miles to Next Stay: 10.86
Town/City: Fão
Accommodation: The Spot Hostel Ofir (pictured above)
Accommodation Type: Hostel/Albergue
Notes: This was a FANTASTIC small, clean hostel. It was *mostly* an albergue, but also admitted others. Had a fantastic kitchen and a pool!
Miles to Next Stay: 9.98
Town/City: Castelo do Neiva
Accommodation: Albergue de Peregrinos Don Nausti
Accommodation Type: Albergue
Notes: This is an old-school municipal albergue. If you want to see what albergues looked like back in 2008 when I started hiking Caminos, this is it. It’s small, and you can hear everything, but it’s cheap. **You can reserve a spot here via Whatsapp! I don’t know why you can, because it’s municipal…but you can.
Miles to Next Stay: 13.93
Town/City: Carreço
Accommodation: Casa do Adro
Accommodation Type: Hostel
Notes: Clean cubby-style bunks! Has single one-person twin bed cubbies and two-person double bed cubbies. Had some frozen dinner options and beverages for purchase at check-in. We also used Uber Eats to get a vegan pizza delivered.
Miles to Next Stay: 12.06
Town/City: Caminha
Accommodation: Albergue Santiago de Caminha
Accommodation Type: Albergue
Notes: Small, in a 400-year-old building with a surprisingly modern interior.
Miles to Next Stay: 8.39
**This is where we cut inland toward Valença and the central route. You can continue along the coastal route after taking a ferry into Spain. If you do, you would rejoin the central route at Redonela. It basically makes a trapezoid on the map.
Town/City: Vila Nova de Cerveira
Accommodation: Casa Gwendoline
Accommodation Type: Albergue/Guesthouse
Notes: We LOVED this stay. It was also the only logical place to split the way inland in half mileage-wise. The owner offered a communal, healthy dinner which I recommend. I did feel like it lacked protein as a vegan, but I added some sunflower seeds. They had small bunk rooms and affordable private rooms.
Miles to Next Stay: 10.01
Town/City: Valença
Accommodation: Hostel Bulwark
Accommodation Type: Hostel/Albergue
Notes: A very clean cubby-style hostel with lockable lockers that you’re required to keep your backpack in. They had solo twin-bed cubbies and two-person double-bed cubbies. Very cool location!!! IMO, Valença was a more unique town to stay in than Tui. The old town (where this hostel is located) is inside an old fort.
Miles to Next Stay: 13.11
Town/City: O Porriño
Accommodation: Senda Sur
Accommodation Type: Albergue
Notes: This is a large(r) one-room albergue. They had privacy curtains on the bunks, a small eating area with a microwave, and small lockers for a euro. We also used their laundry (one washer and one dryer).
Miles to Next Stay: 12.16
Town/City: North of Redonela
Accommodation: O Refuxio de la Jerezana
Accommodation Type:
Notes: We actually booked A Dársena do Francés but left due to BED BUGS. If you stay there, check the beds and blankets before settling in!!! Instead, we got a refund and walked a mile more here. O Refuxio de la Jerezana was simple but clean, and they had super glued all the cracks in the wood bunk beds, making it harder for bed bugs to nest. They had privacy curtains and offered a community dinner. The hosts were kind and helpful. **If you don’t want the community dinner, make sure to bring dinner with you from Redonela.
Miles to Next Stay: 10.96
Town/City: Pontevedra
Accommodation: Turoqua Hostel
Accommodation Type: Hostel
Notes: Small, clean, had washer and dryer, many surrounding restaurants. We did find it very warm, but found a standing fan in the closet and set it up.
Miles to Next Stay: 12.27
Town/City: Caldas de Reis
Accommodation: Albergue Vintecatro
Accommodation Type: Albergue
Notes: It was smaller and calmer because it was about a mile south of Caldas. Honestly, the weather was terrible, so we stayed here instead. It had a restaurant attached and had a nice hang-out area.
Miles to Next Stay: 12.32
Town/City: Padrón
Accommodation: Hostel & Rooms O Albergue de Meiga
Accommodation Type: Albergue
Notes: Most of the other albergues were booked up, and this one was available. It was solidly average.
Miles to Next Stay: 9.24
Town/City: Teo
Accommodation: Albergue Aldea da Pedreira
Accommodation Type: Albergue
Notes: This was one of our favorite Portuguese Camino albergues! HIGHLY recommend. Because it’s in between stages, it has a lot of charm that the larger towns just don’t have. It was clean and comfortable and had a food truck in the front. The food was a little pricy but very tasty.
Miles to Next Stay: 8.73
Town/City: Santiago de Compostela
Accommodation: Hostal As Margaritas
Accommodation Type: Hostel
Notes: We got a private triple room as a Santiago treat. This hostel had a great location, not far from all the restaurants and the old town. **IN ALL SANTIAGO ALBERGUES, check for bed bugs before taking a shower and settling in. There was a big problem with them when we walked through and heard some bad stories.
Miles to Next Stay: 13.30
Santiago de Compostela to Finisterre & Muxía
I highly recommend adding a few extra days to Finisterre, Muxía, or both! I’ve finished each of my four Caminos in one of these towns, and they’re both so much more relaxing than Santiago.
Finisterre (Spanish) or Fisterra (Galego) is a bit more of a classic finish. You cannot walk any further west, and it’s super scenic. Despite being a smaller town, you can find all kinds of restaurants here. It is on the very hippy side of life, so make sure you pick a clean place to stay. **If you want to swim, make sure you stop at the obvious beach on the way into town. The lighthouse is on cliffy rocks and is not suitable for swimming.
Muxía is a small Spanish fishing village. It boasts a few restaurants, several albergues, and now has it’s own kilometer 0,0 marker. It also has fantastic sunsets and beautifully large crashing waves. It’s more laid back and chill. IMO, I like to finish here best.
Town/City: Negreira
Accommodation: Albergue Cotón
Accommodation Type: Albergue
Notes: This was one giant room for all beds. However, the kitchen was GREAT. Link TBD…only open from May 1 – Oct 31.
Miles to Next Stay: 17.56
Town/City: Lago
Accommodation: Albergue Monte Aro
Accommodation Type: Albergue
Notes: Another favorite albergue! It had all beds in one room, but smaller and run by a family. It has an attached restaurant that accommodates a plant-based diet when asked. The albergue even had two washers and two dryers.
Miles to Next Stay: 16.07
Town/City: Cee
Accommodation: Albergue Tequeron
Accommodation Type: Albergue
Notes: The host is amazingly nice, and the facilities are clean. We were in a 6-bunk room.
Miles to Next Stay: 12.64
Town/City: Finisterre
Accommodation: Hospedium H Cabo Sport
Accommodation Type: Hotel
Notes: Great one or two-person rooms with private bathrooms. It was clean and in a great location, right next to the bus stop if you need to get back to Santiago de Compostela. The check-in was inside the athletic store.
Miles to Next Stay: 19.12
Town/City: Muxía
Accommodation: Albergue Bela Muxía
Accommodation Type: Albergue
Notes: I LOVE this albergue…when I stay in one of the private rooms. Get a group together and go for the private. They’re out of the large bunk room and upstairs. You can hang out on the roof, and the hosts are soooo welcoming and learn everyone’s name!
Miles to Next Stay: Bus to Santiago!
Final Thoughts
Portuguese Camino albergues vary drastically from small 6-bed to 90-bed options. You can pick your flavor as you go along. I recommend staying open to the experiences and trying different options.
Don’t be afraid to stay in a private room if you need a break from snoring and early morning shuffling. It’s ok to alternate your options as you need them. We preemptively booked a private room after we booked a night in a large Portuguese Camino albergue.
Lrm
Sunday 16th of February 2025
This is perfectly done! Thank you. I suffered a knee injury in 2024 on the Camino Madrid, switched to the Frances to finish. This spring I plan on the Portuguese route and definitely at a slower pace."
mandyredpath
Sunday 16th of February 2025
I'm sorry about your knee injury...that's rough! For the Portuguese Camino specifically, I would suggest making sure you have solid trail runners with a good cushion. While it's a beautiful Camino, there is a lot of pavement, so you would protect your knees better with the cushion that a lot of trail runners offer. Have fun out there and buen camino!