Books to Prepare for the Portuguese Camino

I have done a lot of reading for my upcoming Camino Portugues. I had a brief visit to the country over 30 years ago and was impressed with its rugged landscapes, friendly people, and long history. Now, that I will be spending over a week in Northern Portugal, I want to arrive prepared and have a better understanding of the country.

Two books I read that provided alot of history about Portugal, general travel insights, and great pictures were Rick Steve's Portugal and Eyewitness Travel Portugal . Unfortunately, neither book spoke about the Camino. Rick Steve's had one paragraph in the entire book about the Portuguese Camino, Eyewitness had none. However, they both provided the most comprehensive history and travel tips for the major tourists destinations like Porto and Lisbon which is most people's starting points. Also Eyewitness Travel Portugal living up to its DK brand had amazing, gorgeous pictures and diagrams and backstories of places, buildings, and people.

The two books I read that are targeted specifically for the Camino Portugues are Village to Village's Camino Portugues and John Brierly's A Pilgrim's Guide To The Camino Portugues. These two books are great resources for pilgrim's. They both have maps of the Coastal, Central and Spiritual routes. Brierly also talks about the Senda Littoral. Both books have an introduction that includes Portugual's history and customs are broken up into stages. Each stage has an elevation map and lists of places to stay and eat. Village to Village's book is 96 pages, very thin and lightweight. Brierly's book is 272 pages. It's is filled with more detailed information about the routes, places, and stages, with his personal notes, pages for you personal reflection, inspirational quotes, and messages, and more. Looking at chat boards, this is the book most pilgrim's talk about. There is a reason it is the #1 best seller in Lisbon Travel Guides on Amazon. However, it does weigh 9 oz vs Village's 3.6 oz, so if you are a lightweight backpacker it might be something to consider. Of course, you could go 0 oz with the plethora of Camino apps out there, but there is something nice about having a book in your hands.

In conclusion, all the books have their uses. I really enjoyed the Eyewitness Travel Portugal book for its great pictures, stories, and descriptions providing me with solid background on Portugal, and Lisbon and Porto specifically. Brierly's book is insightful, a great planning tool, and really has me thinking about my introspective and spiritual journey. I will probably leave it at home as it is heavy, but have not decided yet. If I carry a book, it will probably be Village's as it has the essential information. I will remove the first half of the book that covers Lisbon to Porto to cut weight.

There are so many great books out there, but only so much time to read. I do encourage you to read at least one book about Portugal before you go, as I feel it will enhance your trip by understanding a little more about the country than what is on the surface.

Bom caminho!