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The Portuguese Way of Santiago Interior is a pilgrimage route of medieval origin that crosses 8 Portuguese municipalities, including: Viseu, Castro Daire, Lamego, Peso da Régua, Santa Marta de Penaguião, Vila Real, Vila Pouca de Aguiar and Chaves, crossing the Portuguese-Galician border through Verín and continuing to Ourense and Santiago de Compostela, along the Via da Prata or Caminho Mozárabe.
The path has a total length of 387 km, of which 214 km run in Portuguese territory. The path crosses 108 parishes and is currently one of the 5 Portuguese Pilgrimage Paths to Santiago, proposed by the Portuguese Ministry of Culture to acquire world heritage recognition by UNESCO.
Additionally, this historic pilgrimage route, which has been recovered and revitalized by local municipalities, as it crosses another cultural heritage asset recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in the Living Evolutionary Landscape category, the “Alto Douro Vinhateiro”.
The Portuguese Way of Santiago Interior was certified through Ordinance No. 457/2021, as part of an integrated work to recognize and preserve the cultural and natural heritage associated with the Way of Santiago.
Inner Path
The Camino Português de Santiago Interior is safe, as it does not travel on roads with heavy traffic. In fact, most of the route is along old medieval paths, rural trails and eco-tracks. Some of the safest Portuguese cities, from the point of view of crime incidence, are located precisely along the Caminho do Interior, between Viseu and Chaves.
The main challenge on this Route is the existence of extensive and somewhat isolated sections, in uninhabited areas, sometimes with low mobile network coverage. Pilgrims who walk alone must have a cell phone with a sufficient charge at all times, and possibly a backup battery/powerbank.
Now that you know what it takes to do the Camino de Santiago by bike, all I can do is wish you a “Happy Journey”!
If necessary, download the track to your GPS or Smartphone.
