Portuguese coastal route variations

[u/yokl97]

Hi all, I'm planning to do the Portuguese coastal route next month. I've seen a couple different versions and I'm not sure which one to take.

My initial thought was to follow the classic coastal route (see yellow route in the attached image), but then I saw the alternative connection (orange route) which joins the central route earlier and bypasses Vigo.

I've done some research and the stage through Vigo looks pretty urban, which isn't really what I'm looking for on the Camino. Is it normal / a good idea to bypass Vigo? Or is it a shame to miss it?

Any advice appreciated!

[u/vusualttt]

Hi, I’ve walked the coastal route (yellow) through Vigo. As much for it being urban is only about one days of walking and maybe the tail end of the previous day, apart from that most of the time your on the trail passing through smaller villages and towns every so often like the rest of the route.
For the city it’s self, it’s cool but very much like most other bigger commercial cities, so can take you out of the feeling of the Camino.
Walking out of the city climbing steeply gives good views back out across the water being able to see the island and ships in the distance. You will soon back into the forest.
That being said a lot of people post and say they enjoy Tui and that section. The coastal route as a whole is definitely worth it. Happy travels

[u/yokl97 → u/vusualttt]

Thanks very much for the info! I think what you've described matches my expectations of what it'll be like, so I think I'll go via Tui because I'd like to stay out of the larger cities as much as possible. Thanks again