Walking the Portuguese Camino: Viana do Castelo to Vila Praia de Âncora

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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 4 of the walk!

Day 4: Viana do Castelo > Vila Praia de Âncora 20.8km

You know the day is going to maybe not include many stops for food and drink when the hotel breakfast includes tin foil “so you can pack a picnic” 😉

On this day, we veered off the Senda Littoral (the coastal route that follows the beach) and followed the Camino da Costa – just slightly inland and described in the book as “quiet country lanes and cobbled streets” with “several sections through woodland offering shade”. Ok then.

With the promise of a shorter day and just ONE ascent, it felt like it might be an easier day…

Getting out of Viana do Castelo proved interesting… The book says “The route out of town is complicated – stay focussed! And when the book says that, you know it’s going to be… not fun…

It took a good half and hour to figure out the way out of town – thankful for helpful locals! But finally, we were on the right path…

With loads of waymarkers that were NOT present in the early part of the day…

On the map, it looked like we might be able to stop for our morning coffee in Boa Viagem, described as “a quiet suburb of Viana”. In fact, the route today took us through many smaller towns but it felt like we were taking the back lane routes and never got to pass through a town.

Narrow stone-path alley with a mossy wall on the right and arches of leaves above; two hikers walk away in the distance on the left. Hiker with backpack walking up a cobblestone street between a white building and a stone wall under a blue sky.

So there was no stop in Boa and we continued on to Carreço (the book shows the magical coffee cup symbol here which is always promising) where there is a beautiful little church…

Igreja Paroquial de Carreço - a stone church with arched door, circular rose window, and a tall bell tower on a paved plaza under blue sky.

and where we enjoyed the FIRST AQUARIUS of the trip (IYKYK).

Blue aluminum can of mineral water with droplets on the outside, placed on a dark table outdoors.

What is Aquarius and why were you so excited to find it?

Well…

Aquarius is an American-owned Japanese brand of sports drink manufactured by The Coca-Cola Company. It was developed in 1978 and was first marketed in 1983 in Japan as a grapefruit-flavored sports drink, in response to Pocari Sweat, a brand of sports drink that debuted in 1980 in that country.

It’s rare to find it outside Spain and it’s been my and our group’s “official drink” of the Camino. It’s SO refreshing and not overly sugary. On this day it came at JUST the right time!

We also picked up some “essentials”:

Stainless steel counter with a small blue battery, a white decorated pen, a yellow candy tube, and a yellow S. BRAZ lemon snack bag.

AirTag battery, Asterix Bic 4-colour pen, Spanish Smarties and local throat lozenges – what more can you want?

After this delightful rest stop, there was a climb, but again, it was through villages not up hills and mountains so it *felt* lesser…

Blue sign with an upward arrow and shell on a wooden post beside a white wall with a stone base, under a clear sky and greenery above.

(sidebar: check out this stonework!)

Rough stone wall made of irregular, stacked boulders with smaller stones filling gaps, creating a rustic barrier.

With not many places to stop, we were grateful for many fountains along the way…

Person fills a purple reusable bottle at a decorative outdoor drinking fountain mounted on a mossy stone wall.

And it really was a day of villages and woodland…

Two hikers walk along a narrow dirt path beside a mossy stone wall, surrounded by trees on a sunny day. Person wearing a light hat and orange backpack walking away on a narrow dirt trail through dense green forest, seen from behind. Group of hikers with backpacks walking along a sunlit stone path between old walls overgrown with ivy and trees, on a bright day.

And the usual confusion…

Rock with two painted arrows on a dirt trail: yellow arrow points up, blue arrow points left, seen from hiker's perspective with boots in frame.

But generally lovely walking conditions today…

Narrow cobblestone street beside a mossy stone wall with climbing vines, under a bright blue sky and overhead power lines.

Sadly we didn’t see any donkeys…

Sign reading 'Caminho dos Burros' on a green post amid dense shrubs and rocky ground.

And eventually, after a lot of flat walking, once we hit Afife, the climb started…

Hikers with backpacks walk along a rocky forest trail under a bright blue sky. Stone cobblestone trail between dry-stone walls, a person in blue walking away amid trees under a clear blue sky.

For a while, there was a descent that felt promising…

Cobblestone road winding through a green hillside with a distant hiker; utility pole leaning on the left under a clear blue sky.

But NOPE, back up we went…

A person with a backpack walking up stone steps beside a decorative iron gate, with a large tree and stone wall in a sunny, garden-like setting.

Blue ceramic tile of a robed saint in an arched niche set in a stone wall, likely part of a roadside shrine.

Right?

Hikers walking along a dirt rural path beside a stone wall and a pile of rocks under a clear blue sky.

On the ascents, we are always looking for the top, usually marked with a cross.. On this day, we, in fact, DID stop for a picnic in the woods just before we reached the peak…

Sign reading 'Caminho da Revolta' mounted on a stake among dense greenery and ferns.

Had to laugh at this as *some* of us felt like revolting against the climb 😉 But eventually…

Stone cross on a tall pedestal in a rocky clearing among eucalyptus trees under a blue sky. Hiker in a blue shirt and sun hat walks along a dirt trail flanked by tall, slender trees on a sunny day. Weathered stone crucifix on a tall column set in a grassy hillside, with green trees and a clear blue sky behind it.

Made it!

And then just on the descent, there it was…

Cold blue Aquarius can beside a tall San Miguel beer glass on a dark table outdoors, condensation visible on the glasses.

A little café nestled in the side of the hill about 3/4 way down. A modern pilgrim’s oasis!

With about 5km to go, we all had a bit more pep in our step…

Back view of a hiker with a backpack and hat walking along a sunny cobblestone path beside a stone wall in a rural village, with green fields and mountains in the distance.

Especially when someone realised that there was an Intermarché on the way into town (sometimes you need a big supermarket!). So a pit stop it was!

Front of Intermarché supermarket with red and blue sign; a person walks toward the entrance under a clear blue sky.

Wandered through the suburbs of Âncora (book says “poor waymarking”!)…

Person wearing a hat and backpack walks along a sunlit cobblestone street in a residential area, toward a curve ahead. Man with a backpack and wide-brim hat walks along a curved cobblestone path beside a canal under a graffiti-covered green bridge on a sunny day. Man wearing a hat and blue shirt walks along a cobblestone path with a black backpack in a green, sunny outdoor trail. People walking along a wooden boardwalk with backpacks and sun hats, heading toward a tree-lined path by a park and a street with parked cars in the distance

Until we FINALLY hit the beach town of Vila Praia de Âncora!

Again, our hotel was at the far end of the town but the beach was a nice way to end the day’s walk…

Large red heart-shaped fence covered in padlocks along a seaside promenade under a blue sky. Man wearing a hat and backpack walks along a concrete seawall beside a calm bay on a sunny day Mural of a man in a cap rowing a boat and reaching toward a dragon-head figure on the bow, in earthy tones Bright beach scene with a shallow tidal channel cutting through light sand, a calm blue sea on the horizon, and a wooden boardwalk along the edge.

A satisfying day’s walk with reasonable challenge, a couple of well-placed pit stops and a lovely end point. What more could you want?

Checkout counter with two wine bottles, a water bottle, a tray of dried red peppers, and a purple Pringles bag on the counter.

Well, some water, jamón-flavoured chips and some chilled white wine to enjoy for an apéro, that’s what!

Seaside promenade with curved lamp posts holding red flower pots against a blue sky and ocean backdrop

Boa noite!

After four days of (well) over 20km walking a day, we were all looking forward to the next one – a mere 13km (!) AND we would arrive in Spain!

Stay tuned!

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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. 

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