Walking in Portugal Travel Diary
I love walking in Portugal, and while spending a week in Porto, I went on a long walk from Praia da Aguda to Madalena one afternoon, hoping to shake off the beginnings of a cold. I ended up loving it so much that I went back the next day, this time starting out a little farther south. I took the same train from the São Bento station toward Ovar, and got off the train in Espinho.
I walked down to the oceanfront, it was a quick walk, only a couple of minutes. It had been hot in Porto when I left, but here, the air felt fresh and cool. And just as I reached the beach, the most magical fog rolled in and dropped the temperature even more.
I stopped to look at a pretty church and a traditional fishing boat, then turned back and strolled along the promenade that that hugs the edge of Espinho’s long beach.
Lots of people were out despite the fog, and then I came across what became the highlight of this walk: Striped beach cabanas in beautiful, muted, beachy colors. A lot of them!
The dreamy fog that kept coming and going, the cabanas with their stripes, and the repeating patterns of the rows of tents – it was absolute perfection! I knew immediately that I wanted to turn this into a print series and started shooting. I don’t even know how much time I spent photographing there, I just couldn’t stop. 🙂
Eventually I tore myself away, and headed north. The fog lifted just as I got to the beginning of the wooden boardwalk, and I started out toward Praia da Aguda. Just like the stretch I walked the day before, there were dunes on one side, and beaches and the ocean on the other.
I walked by beach after beach, and passed through the town of Granja where I managed to get semi-drenched by a crashing wave 🙂 but the camera was fine, the sun was out, and it was warm again, so it didn’t matter.
I stopped often along the way to shoot, watch the waves, and just gaze out over the ocean. After a couple of hours, I was in Praia da Aguda again, decided that was enough for the day, and took the train back to Porto.
A FEW TRAVEL TIPS
The train from Porto to Espinho takes around 40 minutes and a roundtrip ticket was €3.90 when I went. The trains run pretty often – here is the Porto – Aveiro train timetable.
The ticket lines at the São Bento station can be very long – arrive way ahead of time, or stop by the day before to get your ticket if you know you tend to arrive at the last minute (like me 🙂 ). There are ticket machines as well, but I was never able to figure them out, especially when rushing to try to catch a train.
For the trip back, remember to validate your ticket on the little machine at the train station before getting on the train.
More Portugal on the blog
Looking for a great pair of walking shoes? My favorites are from Xero – the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn!
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