Porto to Santiago Driving Tour

Ten nights, self-guided, between Porto and Santiago de Compostela on the coastal Camino Portugues. Caminos arranges the hotels and an economy hire car, and the page says the tour can start and finish in either Porto or Santiago, with stops interleaved to avoid long drives.

Caminos describes it as two countries in one trip, so much in common and yet so different. The gentle charms of northern Portugal meet the drama of the Galician Rias Bajas, monumental Santiago and the wild Atlantic coast. Wine runs the whole way, from Port and Douro to Vinho Verde and Albarino, with striking scenery, wonderful walking and the legacy of centuries of pilgrimage.

Two nights in Porto begin with the Ribeira, the Dom Luis I bridge and the port wine lodges. Two nights follow in Viana do Castelo and the Minho coast, with Ponte de Lima’s Roman bridge and Vinho Verde tasting. Santiago de Compostela takes two nights, including a guided walking tour. The Rias Bajas take two more, with shellfish, the islands of Cies and Ons, Vigo, Cambados and the Celtic ruins of Santa Tecla. The final two nights are in Braga and Guimaraes, with Portugal’s oldest cathedral, Bom Jesus and the market at Barcelos.

The price covers hotels on a bed and breakfast basis for two sharing a double room, an economy four-door hire car for those flying, a regional guide book and a personal travel app with restaurant suggestions and weather forecasts, and instructions for finding every hotel. Flights, one-way and cross-border car hire charges, extras such as a second driver, garage parking and local tourist taxes are not included. Caminos quotes about £1,150 per person as an indicative mid-season figure for 10 nights, and adapts the route, hotels and airports to each traveller.