Hello! I’m going to ride (by bicycle) the Portuguese coastal route in late June and curious if anyone has suggestions or feedback on my tentative itinerary?
Day 1: Porto to Vila do Conde
Day 2: Vila do Conde to Viana do Castelo
Day 3: Viana do Castelo to Oia
Day 4: Oia to Vigo
Day 5: Vigo to Pontevedra
Day 6: Pontevedra to Padron
Day 7: Padron to Santiago
First timer here, going solo. Mid-40’s male, in good health, active, and have already booked hostels (cancellable) in these towns. Thinking I’ll be able to pack and travel ultra-light with a backpack and bike panniers.
Hi, very excited for you! We did the Portuguese route via bike last fall starting on coastal and shifting to central midway and wouldn’t change a thing. I’m sure yours will be great. We are 40s athletic/novice cyclists and did the whole thing in 6 days so your schedule will be nicely balanced. My schedule and daily distance was below. My first 3 days were gruelingly long despite the flatness so it would have been nice to split those up like you’re doing. My first two days on endless cobblestones were so painful! 😂
I also did very light packing/30L double panniers - no backpack. I rented my bike including panniers from a great shop in Porto, Vieguini bike rentals.
Here’s how I did the days: Day 1: Porto to Esposende ~60km flat Day 2: Esposende to Caminha ~50km flat Day 3: Caminha to Valenca (switch to Central Route) to O Porriño ~50km hilly Day 4: O Porriño to Pontevedra ~35km hilly Day 5: Pontevedra to Padrón ~40km hilly Day 6: Padrón to SDC ~25km hilly