Walking the Portuguese Camino: A Guarda to Oia

Categories Spain, travel | by

Seven hikers sit on a weathered wooden bench by the coast, with blue sky and ocean behind them.

Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while (ok, since at least 2016!) will know that I have walked the Camino de Santiago from St Jean Pied-de-Port in France to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, over the course of 5 summers (but 7 years thanks to C*vid) and those who know me in real life will know that I have nothing but AMAZING things to say about this experience. So much so that, when a group of us finished the final leg in the summer of 2022, we all immediately started looking at different routes to walk. We completed a stage of the Camino del Norte in July 2024 (San Sebastián to Bilbao), in 2025 we walked from Bayonne to San Sebastián along the Atlantic Coast in France and Spain, and in the summer of 2026, we started the Portuguese Camino, walking from Porto (Portugal) to Baiona (Spain) over the course of 7 days. This is Day 6 of the walk!

A Guarda > Oia (15.19km)

Blue sign with a yellow scallop shell and a right-pointing arrow on a textured stone wall (wayfinding marker).

Today’s route promised another “lighter” day (still, 15km!) for which we were all thankful! A little bit of flat terrain, a little bit of climbing and some time away from the coast (relief from wind and shelterless paths!) sounded like the mix we needed…

Hikers with backpacks walk down a narrow urban street lined with buildings and a stone wall on the right under a clear sky Two hikers with backpacks walk down a narrow sunlit street between white and colorful buildings; a yellow up-arrow sign is on the left wall. Two hikers with backpacks walk down a narrow cobblestone alley between gray wall and pastel buildings, with signs on the left wall.

Took us a little bit to figure out the way out of town (if you can believe it LOL!).

But we managed to get to the coast which we were to follow for a few kilometres…

Hiker with backpack and hat walking along a rural road, yellow cyclist caution sign on a pole nearby.

(Yes it was still windy here!)

Camino de Santiago milestone at the coast with a yellow shell symbol and a left-pointing arrow in GaliciaSunlit coastal path with red-roofed houses and two hikers walking toward the sea on a clear day, blue ocean to the right.

Easy walking to start the day…

Stone statue of a bearded man in robes with a walking staff by the rocky seaside, accompanied by a small wooden gnome figure.

Love to see it!

Hikers with backpacks walking along a coastal dirt path beside the blue ocean, hillside on the right under a clear sky. Group of hikers with backpacks walking along a rocky coastal path beside the blue sea under a clear sky

On and on along the coast…

Finally…

Two hikers on a sunny paved trail; one with a backpack taking a photo near a stone wall, with a chain-link fence on the right.

Still windy but moving away from the coast..

Tall, slender trees with smooth gray bark and green leaves in a sunlit forested area, rocky ground at the base.

Blissful (and much appreciated!) shade!

Stone trail marker with a yellow arrow and shell symbol, leaning beside a dirt path under a clear blue sky and trees. A group of hikers walking along a gravel trail lined with trees on a sunny day, backpacks on. Grassy coastal hillside with a weathered wooden railing in the foreground, blue ocean to the left and distant mountains on the right.

Happy hikers away from the immediate coast… And ok, there was a bit of this too:

Winding road along a hillside with a paved shoulder and dense trees on the right under a bright blue sky

Not usually my favourite way to enjoy the Camino but sometimes necessary and sometimes appreciated (especially when in the shade!). Slowly the road gave way to some dirt trails…

Stone milestone with yellow scallop shell and a right-pointing arrow, near an informational sign by coastal grasses and trees. Gravel hiking path winding through a sunny, green landscape with a tall tree on the left and a white wall on the right; two people walk ahead. Dusty forest path winding through dense trees with sunlight filtering through leaves; two people walk in the distance on the trail. Dirt hiking trail winding through a leafy tunnel formed by overhanging branches with leaf litter on the ground on both sides.

And we were hoping that the “only open in summer cantina – the Horizante” in Perludo would be open as the book cautioned “there are no facilities between A Guarda and Oia”. We had stocked up on snacks and water just in case but… behold!

Blue can of low-calorie soda 'Bajo en calorías' beside a mug of coffee, a banana, a wrapped biscuit, and a spoon on a gray table.

(you knew it was coming!)

Suitably fortified, with just over 6km to go, we headed out again. On this day, I noted that it was/ felt much hotter walking than it had in the past few days. Not unbearable heatwave-type heat but noticeably hotter.

Hiker with backpack walking along a sunlit dirt trail bordered by tall pine trees. Dusty rural path lined with stone walls and tall pine trees under a bright blue sky, with distant mountains hidden in the background.

There was, in fact, a Yellow (Brick) Road…

Two hikers walking on a yellow pedestrian path beside a road under a clear blue sky, with trees on a hillside.

And since Oia is on the sea, we headed back towards the water for the final stretch of the day…

Gravel coastal path winding along a grassy cliff edge, with the blue ocean to the left and a clear sky above. Rocky coastal shoreline with waves breaking against boulders under a clear blue sky, grasses in the foreground. Two hikers walking along a coastal dirt trail with green hills on the right and blue sky above; a warning sign about cyclists nearby reads 'Precaución Ciclista 200 m'.

These last few kilometres felt longer than they actually were simply because of the heat…

Yellow up-arrow painted on rough asphalt, with a smaller yellow palm/hand-shaped symbol nearby; photo shows a person wearing sneakers standing at the bottom edge, viewed from above.

But there was some reprieve here and there…

Hiker walking away on a narrow stone path beside a dry stone wall in a green, forested area. Rugged dirt trail winding through rocky path lined with green bushes and trees under a bright blue sky

Finally, we arrived in Oia (at a reasonable hour!)…

Man walking away down a narrow stone street with a backpack and wide-brim hat, white shirt, blue pants, yellow shoes, beside stone buildings. Four hikers walk along a winding country road toward a hillside village with a church tower under a bright blue sky.

Of course we had to climb UPHILL to our hotel…

Stone sculpture of a man riding a bicycle carved into a triangular rock, surrounded by garden plants in a sunny coastal village setting.

But in time for lunch we arrived!

Garmin smartwatch on the wrist showing running stats: 15.19 km, time 3:55:01, pace 15:29/km, calories 795, Done.

Another “easy” day under our belts!

Pale lemonade in a tilted glass on a granite ledge with a blue sky, featuring a large 'B' logo and the slogan 'La revolución sabe a limón'. Sunny-side-up fried egg atop a mixed green salad with carrots, corn, tomatoes and onions on a white plate.

Fortified with Cerveza con Limón and a salad (with an egg! Winning!), we explored the town a little…

Four people walk along a stone seawall promenade beside the water, with a hillside town in the distance.Small village at the foot of green hills with a stone church tower in the foreground and a clear blue sky. Geometric mural on a wall under a bridge, showing a stylized church with brown angular shapes, blue sky, and rolling hills in greens and yellows, beside a paved road. Three people walk along a coastal road toward a stone church with a tall bell tower under a blue sky. Historic stone church facade with ornate pediment and statue niche against a bright blue sky; foreground stone wall and greenery. Stone medieval church tower with a dome and cross, set against a bright blue sky.

It’s a beautiful little town but on a very hot afternoon, we didn’t explore too much. The monastery looked worth a look but we missed the guided tour (you can’t visit by yourself)

The real draw in Oia apart from the monastery is the sunset…

Sunset over a coastal town with a church on a hill, calm water reflecting the sky, and grassy foreground by the shoreline

Worth waiting until nearly 10pm for…

Sunset over the ocean with a gradient orange-to-blue sky, rocky shoreline, and a concrete pier leading toward calm waters.

And of course, World Cup oblige, there was some footy-watching action…

Green barrier wall painted with soccer-themed graffiti, featuring the word 'GOOL' and several soccer ball drawings beside a paved path.

A pleasing day’s walk that felt “just enough” – building up to the final day!

Stay tuned to read about our final day’s walk!

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Disclosure: I researched Camino tour operators independently and chose the Camino Travel Center based on a number of features such as flexibility to accommodate a couple of “splits” in some of the longer days, price, and customer service. They were, in fact, the first company I came across in my very first Google search and the one I ended up booking with. From the initial inquiry to the actual trips, they have been a pleasure to deal with and we have been very impressed with the service provided (bag transportation) and the accommodation choices. I was not compensated to write about this trip in any way but I love sharing companies and products I believe in with my readers. I couldn’t recommend the Camino Travel Center more highly. 

Read more about the Camino de Santiago

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