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Taking a daily walk has long been viewed as a secret to health and longevity, so there’s probably no better time for a Camino walk than in retirement.

I would guess that a quarter or more of the pilgrims I’ve met on the Camino Portugués were at retirement age. The oldest pilgrim I spoke to (who mentioned their age) was 84 years old, with many others being in their seventies.

Seniors aren’t just walking the Camino — they’re crushing it. I’ve been outwalked by retirees on every single pilgrimage I’ve ever done.

The advice in this article isn’t for those seasoned and confident long-distance walkers; they don’t need anyone’s advice to walk the Camino Portugués. This article is for the less experienced or uncertain aspiring pilgrims. It was inspired by seeing my 60-something mother and 70-something father-in-law prepare for their own Caminos.

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Have a question? Leave a comment at the bottom and I’ll reply right away 🙂

Is the Portuguese Way right for you?

Everyone’s first Camino begins as a question that needs to be answered — can I do this? Answering that question starts by assessing your physical ability.

Note that this is not medical advice. You should speak with your doctor about your specific needs.

Required walking stamina. A Camino is many things: a journey, a once-in-a-lifetime experience, etc. It’s also a long walk; being able to walk the Camino begins by building walking stamina.

Exhaustion is normal. On day two of my first Camino, a 50-something pilgrim on the bunkbed next to me said “I’m so tired I would pay someone to come brush my teeth for me.” Ninety percent of pilgrims are sore, blistered and tired by the end of the day. This feeling isn’t prohibitive; in fact, it might even be a required part of the Camino. These aches and pains are a common conversation point that bonds pilgrims as they walk.

Assess your limitations. If you consider yourself to be out of shape but you’re able to train without restrictions, then your physique might not truly be a limiting factor. There are many ways to make the walking more accessible, as we’ll discuss in a moment.

What excites you? There’s a lot of hype surrounding the Camino de Santiago, and it’s natural to find the enthusiasm contagious, but a successful pilgrimage is built on tangible motives. Consider what excites you most about the Portuguese Way to help you know if this route is for you.

Get more planning guidance here: Portuguese Camino Planning Guide

Perks Of The Portuguese Camino For Retirees

Beyond being the easiest route, there are a few specific details that make the Portuguese route ideal for anyone who’s less confident with long-distance walking:

1. You’re not isolated. While some other Camino de Santiago routes take you along mountains and on more isolated paths, this Camino trail (all routes) pass through towns every day.
2. The trail is well-maintained. Much of the Portuguese route of the Camino is well-maintained and paved or designed for foot traffic (boardwalks, etc.).
3. There’s a community. Community makes everything more approachable. If you you go in spring, summer or autumn, you’ll meet other pilgrims every day to speak to and share the experience with.

Which Camino de Santiago route is the easiest?

The Camino Portuguese has the easiest Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. There are three Camino de Santiago Ways through Portugal — the Coastal Route, Literol Route, and Central Route. The Literol Route is considered the be the easiest to walk, as it has the flattest terrain.

For the first few days, the Literol Route takes you on a seaside boardwalk path; the Coastal Camino goes slightly further inland and offers vistas of the ocean.

Important note: The term “Camino de Santiago” is an umbrella term that encompasses all routes ending the Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Most of the advice online is written about the Camino Frances (the French Route), which starts in St Jean Pied de Port. This route is much longer (6 weeks in total), with much rougher terrain. There’s no overlap between this route and the Portuguese route.

How do you know when you’re ready to walk the Camino Portugués?

There are no hard and fast rules on when you’re ready to walk the Camino, but consider these pointers.

A second reminder that these are general tips and not medical advice 🙂

The average stage on the Camino is 20 – 30 kilometers / 12 – 19 miles. If you’re planning shorter walking stages, a good training goal is 8 kilometers / 5 miles.

You train with two goals in mind:

1. Goal #1: Your first goal in training is physical ability and being physically able to walk distances without health risks (heart conditions, arthritis pain, etc.).
2. Goal #2: Your training becomes more about your comfort on the Camino Portugués and decreasing your pain (muscle aches, blisters, etc.).

Some people say that you’re ready to walk the Camino Portugués when you can walk half of your daily distances while wearing your full-weight backpack without feeling exhausted.

13 Ways To Make the Portuguese Camino More Accessible

The Camino is an incredible experience, and these tips can help make it more accessible. If you have specific questions, please ask in the comments and I’ll you the best I can!

1. Talk To Your Doctor

A certain level of good health is required to walk many miles per day, and your doctor is the best person to help you gauge your ability. Pilgrims who are recovering from surgery or have concerns about their health should see a doctor or a physical therapist. An appointment can yield really impactful recommendations.

This tip isn’t just for senior pilgrims, either. After our first Camino, in preparation for our 3-month pilgrimage to Rome, Bert-Jan and I both had doctor’s appointments to discuss our knees and get advice on how to avoid injuries. This insight is invaluable and can have a huge impact on your walking experience.

2. Choose A Light Backpack

The #1 Camino mistake is overpacking, and it changes the nature of your Camino experience. Bringing a bag that’s too heavy for you leads to shoulder, neck and back pain, increased demand on joints and overall decreased enjoyment of the walk.

I’m speaking from experience — on my first Camino de Santiago, I was crushed beneath the weight of my bag.

So how heavy should your bag be? The rule of thumb in the hiking world is that your backpack shouldn’t be heavier than 10% of your body weight. This estimate doesn’t imply that you CAN’T carry more weight. Rather, this is the tipping point where your enjoyment starts to decline as a result of your pack weight.

This will be different for people with back or neck problems, though those issues aren’t prohibitive. Packing light is a solution, as in the next tip: using a luggage transfer service.

3. Use A Luggage Transfer

If carrying all of your belongings is too demanding or you fear you won’t enjoy your experience as much, then having your luggage transferred is a great option.

It averages €7.00 per day, and works very simply: you leave your luggage at your accommodation in the morning. While you’re out walking, it’s moved for you to your next accommodation. This means you only need to carry a small bag with water, snacks, a light jacket, etc.

Learn more in my Camino Portugués Luggage Transfer guide.

Planning tip: You don’t have to decide in advance if you’d like to use a luggage transfer. A luggage transfer for the next day can be booked as late as 8 pm with Top Santiago, allowing for spontaneous “rest days” from carrying your backpack.

4. Shorten Daily Stages

While most itineraries pace the Portuguese Way at 20-25 kilometers per day, many pilgrims prefer a slower pace of 10-15 km.

Hotels and pilgrim accommodations (albergues) are scattered along the entire route, making it very easy to customize daily distances. This allows you to easily move at your own pace.

5. Only Walk The Final Section

The Camino Portugués technically starts in Lisbon, and most pilgrims begin their walk in Porto, but there’s another option: you can shorten your Camino pilgrimage by starting in Spain.

Walking from Tui or Vigo to Santiago is a very popular option because it’s shorter but still covers 100 kilometers, allowing you to collect your Compostela (certificate of completion) at the end.

Fun fact: Tui is the actually second most popular starting point of the entire Camino Portugués.

Learn more in my guide to the Camino’s last 100km.

6. Book Comfortable Accommodation

Book accommodation that supports good sleep. Albergues, or pilgrim hostels, are a staple of the Camino de Santiago, but they’re not as comfortable for everyone as hotels.

Pilgrims sleep in bunk beds, often 10 to a room (sometimes more, sometimes less). The appeal of albergues is the community and the price — they’re around €10 per night per pilgrim.

Some albergues also offer private rooms, which lets you experience the social aspect of albergues without risking disrupted sleep.

Speaking of accommodation, this guide is helpful: Should You Pre-Book Camino Accommodation?

If you’re not a sensitive sleeper, this might not bother you. For some, albergues will lead to sleepless nights. It only takes one snoring pilgrim to wreck my sleep! I sleep in albergues while on pilgrimage, but not every night. Rest is essential, which is what makes the next tip important as well.

Important: If you stay in hotels over albergues, make sure you still get 2 stamps in your pilgrim’s passport (pictured below) per day. You need a minimum of 2 daily stamps to receive your Camino certificate in Santiago de Compostela.

Learn more here: Important Pointers For Your Pilgrim Passport.

7. Schedule Rest Days

One day of rest might not seem like much on the surface, but it can have a huge impact on your body when you’re exhausted from walking. Take a day (or more) off from walking to help your body recover and to allow some tourist time.

Planning tip: Consider not booking all of your accommodation in advance so that you can choose rest days as they’re needed. You never know when a blister will appear!

If your schedule doesn’t allow for rest days and you find yourself really needing the day off from walking, the next tip will allow you to bridge this gap.

8. Take The Train Or Bus When Necessary

Need a rest day, but you’re on a fixed schedule? Take a train, bus, or taxi. Public transportation in Portugal and Spain is excellent, easy to use, and affordable. You can also use a Camino-specific taxi service such as Caminofácil(they’re also a luggage transfer service).

On my first Camino, my knee started to feel very weak within the first hour of walking one day. We’d already booked accommodation for that night in the next town, so we reluctantly took the train that day. You know what we saw on the train? A bunch of other pilgrims who were doing the same thing. We even became friends with a few of them and are still in contact to this day.

There’s nothing wrong with taking a rest when needed and still maintaining your original walking schedule. As long as you’ve walked a minimum of 100 kilometers, you’re still eligible for the Compostela when you arrive in Santiago de Compostela.

9. Pick The Right Time Of Year

The summer heat in Portugal and Spain is intense, and avoiding it can provide an easier walk. This is particularly important for walkers on medication that causes heat sensitivity. Likewise, the chillier temps and rain of winter provide their own challenges.

Read my full guide: Best Time To Walk The Portuguese Camino.

Speaking of medications: If you’re traveling from outside the European Union (EU) and bringing prescription medications with you, research the laws on bringing medication from your country into whichever country your flight lands in.

Early September is often recommended to avoid the summer crowds, but the heat remains (and the month of September is almost as popular as August for pilgrims). There’s no right or wrong time to walk, but take the climate into consideration with your planning.

I have a flexible schedule, so I will never walk in summer. I prefer the smaller crowds and cooler temps, even if it means walking in winter (which I’ve done and have loved). In my opinion, spring is the best time of year.

10. Consider An Organized Group

When planning feels like a burden, an organized group tour takes away the uncertainty. There are many Camino de Santiago tours that go along the Portuguese Way.

You can also create your own group at home. I met a group of women from Wales on my first Camino who went to church together and organized their trip as a group to reduce the burden of planning.

11. Try Hiking Poles

Walking poles offer a lot of benefits for pilgrims of all ages: they reduce the demand on your knees, provide stability and improve balance. Many distance walkers swear by them, but they’re only effective if you use them correctly. Below is a great tutorial from an over-fifties physical therapist.

Important note: You can’t take trekking poles through airport security. If you’re flying, you’ll need to include them in a checked bag.

12. Opt For Proactive Training

When should you start training? As soon as possible — there’s no downside!

You can take your (literal) first step towards pilgrimage today from your own front door. You can begin your training today for free, using the shoes and clothes that you already have. Just start walking now! How exciting is that?!

13. Neck Pain? Consider A Travel Pillow

Pilgrims with neck pain should consider bringing a travel pillow on their Camino. A travel pillow won’t necessarily be higher quality than the pillows at hotels and albergues, but the benefit is consistent angle every night.

I don’t personally use a travel pillow but these 3 are highly reviewed:

• AEROMAX Memory Foam Travel Pillow
• Tempur-Pedic Memory Foam Travel Pillow
• Compressible Memory Foam Camping Pillow

14. Get Your Backpack Fitted

Skip ordering a backpack online and instead buy your backpack at an outdoor store (like REI or Decathlon). Speak to someone who works there and tell them about your trip and any pain or sensitivities that you have. They can help you pick out a bag that’s specific to your needs and then size it to fit your torso.

For example, I did a Camino with a retired friend who was worried about her bag pulling on her neck. She shared this with a saleswoman at an outdoor store, and the saleswoman suggested a bag that sat high on her hips and kept the straps off her shoulders completely.

This is so helpful that it’s a step I recommend for every pilgrim, no matter their age.

15. Consider A Support Vehicle

For people with medical complexities, a support vehicle may be the missing piece of the puzzle that makes the Camino possible. Support vehicles are driven from A to B every day by friends or family.

They can be used to transport expensive medical equipment that you don’t feel comfortable leaving the hands of a luggage transfer service, such as a CPAP machine.

Inspiration For Senior Pilgrims

While you’re scouring all the details for Camino planning and preparation, don’t forget the inspiration, too. These books and movies are great sources of inspiration for older pilgrims.

Books

Walk by My Side: A Solo Journey to Santiago on the Portuguese Camino. Walk alongside 71-year-old author John Comando as he walks from Tui to Santiago de Compostela the year after he had a hip replacement. The book has a heavy focus on the physical pain he experienced and is more a self-published journal than a typical travel memoir, but it’s the only published narrative about a senior experience on the Camino Portugués.

Pilgrim: Finding A New Way On The Camino De Santiago. This book, while detailing the Camino Frances and not the Portuguese Way, was inspiring to me because the author Carolyn Gillespie doesn’t consider herself to be an athletic or sporty person. Her trip is a reckoning of “what’s next?” in life after her children have become independent. You get to follow the journey of an average pilgrim and you feel yourself transform along with her as she gets closer and closer to Santiago.

Movies

The Way, starring a 60-something Martin Sheen, follows his unexpected journey on the Camino Frances after his son unexpectedly dies on The Way. While this movie follows the French Way, not the Portuguese, it’s a fun look at the different motives for pursuing a pilgrimage and how it looks at different stages in life.

Everyone Has Their Own Camino

While walking the Camino de Santiago, you’ll hear this saying over and over again: “Everyone has their own Camino.”

It’s almost an unofficial slogan, and it means that everyone’s trip is going to be different and that’s perfectly okay. For some, it’s a spiritual journey. For other pilgrims, it’s an experience built on self-discovery.

Whatever your journey is to you, a Camino isn’t a vacation — it’s a voyage like none other, and everyone’s will be different. Be a light packer and leave your ego at home so you can experience whatever your Camino journey has in store for you without trying to break records or impress others.

Buen camino, pilgrim!