The Raufer Reunion Walk on the Portuguese Camino
from Porto, Portugal, to Tui and Santiago, Spain - October 5 to 13, 2027
Join us for a guided journey through northern Portugal
October 5 to 13, 2027
Join UVM’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) for a guided walking journey along the Portuguese Camino, from Porto, Portugal, to Tui, Spain.
Enjoy the Portuguese coastline as we walk along dunes, footpaths, and boardwalks from Porto toward the Spanish border. Along the way, we'll visit historic towns located at the mouths of major rivers flowing into the Atlantic. Once we reach Spain, we'll follow the river inland that separates the two countries, concluding our journey in Tui.
We will soak in the Atlantic coastline as we walk along the dunes on footpaths and boardwalks. We’ll stop in the historic towns found at the mouth of each major river that empties into the ocean.
It’s wonderful to spend so much time along the water, and once we reach Spain, we’ll follow the river inland that separates the two countries. Our walk will conclude in Tui, Spain, before we return to Porto for one night.
The food in Portugal is wonderful, including fresh seafood and excellent wine, We are sure you’ll come to love Portugal as much as we do.
This trip is run together with the OLLI chapter at the University of Vermont. The trip is open to UVM OLLI members. Read More about UVM OLLI including information on how to join.
Trip highlights
Two nights in Porto along the Douro River
Stay in a former convent and other historic buildings
Daily guided walks with experienced tour guides
Baggage transportation from hotel to hotel
Airport transfers
Support van available throughout the walk
All meals included
Special guided walking tour of Porto
Delicious Portuguese food and wine
A more detailed itinerary will be provided after you register.
From Porto, Portugal, to Tui, Spain
This walking journey will introduce you to the Portuguese Camino as we travel north from Porto, Portugal’s second-largest city, toward the Spanish border. After arriving in Porto, we’ll spend a full day exploring the historic old city and settling into the rhythm of Portugal. We’ll wander through cobblestoned streets lined with colorful buildings, many decorated with Portugal’s distinctive hand-painted tiles, and enjoy views of the Douro River as it meets the Atlantic.
On the third day, we’ll begin our walk along the coast. Much of the route follows well-maintained boardwalks and footpaths beside the Atlantic, while other sections take us inland through lush forests, quiet villages, and the countryside of northern Portugal. As we cross the Spanish border, we’ll leave the coast behind and follow the Minho River upriver for the final portion of our journey, finishing in the historic fortified town of Valença, Portugal, and staying across the river in the Spanish town of Tui.
One of the best parts of walking with us is that you can walk as much or as little as you would like. Each day, we can help you select a beautiful section of approximately five miles, or you can continue on to the day’s endpoint, which will typically be 10–15 miles. You can even make that decision along the way, based on how you are feeling that day. Our support van will be available throughout the journey to provide snacks and lunch and to pick up walkers who have decided they have walked far enough for the day.
To allow you to focus on the walking, scenery, and experience, we take care of the details. Your lodging and meals are arranged in advance, and we’ll transport your luggage each day so you can walk with a light load. We’ll also provide airport transfers at the beginning and end of the trip, making the journey as comfortable and easy as possible.
Dates: October 5 to 13, 2027
Cost: $4350
Maximum group size: 15
More:
Receive a $350 credit on a future trip when you refer a friend. Learn More.
Scroll down for more information about this trip.
Trip Details
(Click + to expand)
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October 5 to 13, 2027 (8 nights - 9 Days)
Total cost of the tour: $4350
Supplement for single occupancy: $550
Deposit required to reserve a place on the tour: $600
(Places in the tour are limited to 14 and are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. We recommend that you reserve your place early!)Payment schedule
$600 deposit is due when you make your reservation.
The remainder of the cost will be due in 5 installments on:
October 1, 2026
January 1, 2026
March 1, 2027
May 1, 2027
July 1, 2027
Each installment payment will be $750. The cost of a single room is additional and will be due January 1, 2027. You can pay in fewer installments if more convenient for you.
** Receive a $350 discount when you bring or refer a friend. Read More.
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Pickup and drop- off at designated airport at designated dates and times.
Guided walking along the Camino with experienced guides
8 nights lodging
8 dinners, lunches and breakfasts, with appropriate amounts of beer or local wine
Local transportation by van and driver
Admission and misc. fees related to tour activities
Tips at restaurants, hotels, and for drivers
What’s not included:
Airfare & Travel Insurance
Admission to museums and local sites not part of the tour
Tip for your guide
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Lodging will be at small hotels along the route. Unlike other tours that ferry you back and forth from central hotels, we stay directly on the route in a new and interesting town each night. Each room, either single or double, is quite comfortable and has its own private bathroom.
Some hotels include:
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Traditional Portuguese breakfasts to be taken at your hotels each morning.
Lunch will normally be a picnic along the route.
Dinner will be at restaurants found in the towns where we stay each evening.
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At the start or end of the trip, participants may opt to visit Lisbon, or even stop in the Azores on your way across the Atlantic.
Following the walk, it is easy to take a train north to Santiago, if you would like to visit there. And it is possible, depending on the airline, to fly into Porto and back out of Lisbon (or any other major European city).
We are happy to offer advice on how best to extend your trip, if you like.
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If you cancel:
If you cancel 90 days or more before the trip’s start date, payments you have already made will be held as a credit that can be applied to a future Travel Fever Tours trip. Credits are valid for three years.
Contact Travel Fever Tours as soon as you know you must cancel and going forward, let us know what future trip you’d like to join and we’ll set it up for you. Any credit you have with Travel Fever Tours may be applied to a different person’s account, if you like.
If you cancel within 90 days of the trip’s start date, payments already made are nonrefundable and cannot be applied as a future-trip credit. You may instead file a claim through your travel insurance. You will not be responsible for any payments that have not yet been made.
If Travel Fever Tours needs to cancel:
If Travel Fever Tours cancels this trip because of under-enrollment, all payments you have made will be refunded.
If Travel Fever Tours needs to cancel the trip for another reason, such as a natural disaster at the destination, the trip will be rescheduled. If the trip cannot be rescheduled within two years, all payments you have made will be refunded.
You may also choose to apply your payments to another Travel Fever Tours trip within three years.
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WeTravel is the reservation system that Travel Fever Tours uses to process reservations and collect payments. You will be asked to make a deposit when you make your reservation. Payment of the remainder of the trip cost will be made in installments. The dates and amounts can be found on the Travel Fever website and will also be shown as part of the reservation process. The installment payments will be made automatically from your checking account or credit card according to this schedule.
Adjustments to the payment schedule can be made, within reason, by contacting Travel Fever.
Payments can be made by credit card, ACH Bank Transfer, or by personal check.
WeTravel charges a service fee on credit card payments to cover their high Merchant Credit Card fees. There is no harm in paying by credit card, but many people prefer payments to be made by ACH Bank Transfer where there is NO service fee. An ACH Bank Transfer is when you provide your bank routing number and account number and the payment comes directly out of your checking account.
If you ever wish to change your payment method, you can do so by logging into your account. There are directions for doing this in the Travel Fever FAQ.
On request, Travel Fever can also set up your account so that you pay by check.
A day-by-day guide to our route
Day 1
Participants are met at the Porto airport
Walking tour of Porto with guide
Trip Orientation
Day 2
Walk to Vila do Conde
Picnic en route
Dinner
Day 3
Walk to Esposende
Picnic en route
Dinner
Spend night in sea-front hotel
Day 4
Walk to Viana do Castelo
Picnic en route
Dinner
Spend night in historic hotel
Day 5
Walk to A Guarda, Spain
Picnic en route
Dinner
Spend night in historic convent
Day 6
Walk to Vila Nova de Cerveira, Portugal
Picnic en route
Dinner
Day 7
Walk to Tui, Spain
Picnic en route
Visit walled city of Valença, Portugal
Dinner
Day 8
Transport to Santiago de Compostela
Day 9
Pilgrim’s Mass
Tour of Cathedral Roof
Day 10
Transport to Porto Airport
What it is like to walk on the Camino?
We put this question to a group who has previously walked with Travel Fever Tours on the Camino. Here is a video of their thoughts from an online discussion we recently hosted. We hope this will give you an inside look at the Camino experience, as well as the nuts and bolts of walking the Camino in Spain and Portugal.
Watch our recent Camino discussion on YouTube.
The route through Portugal
After exploring the wonderful city of Porto, we will set off on the path north, covering between 10 and 15 miles a day (although you can do less or more, depending on your preferences).
Our experience has shown that 10 miles is a reasonable daily goal for most people. For anyone who decides they would like to do less, our van can easily pick you up and deliver you to the day’s endpoint. For those who would like to walk further, there are often side-routes and additional places to explore.
The route is mostly comprised of boardwalks, back roads, and paths. Rarely do we walk through larger urban areas. You’ll see an amazing array of wildflowers, stop and take pictures, meet other pilgrims from around the world, and consider life’s big questions.
Our driver and van will setup a picnic lunch for you each day. And the van will transport your bags, so all you’ll need to carry is a simple day pack.
We will head north along the coast from Porto and walk until we arrive in Spain, then walk along the border for a few days to the walled fortress town of Valença. From there we’ll cross back across the river into Tui, Spain.
There are many places online to learn more about walking the Camino (and don’t forget to check out the YouTube videos). A more detailed itinerary will be available after you register.
“Our second trip with Bob & Travel Fever Tours, this time with the bonus of Don. Like the first trip (birding trip in the south of Spain), this one was all around great; good hike along Portugal’s beautiful coast, great scenery, both in the towns and the countryside, and of course great food.”
“We had a great experience! Walking beside the ocean was truly memorable! Porto was lovely! Bob and Don were very well prepared and caring, seeing to all of our varied needs. The people, food, and accommodations were wonderful!”
Meet your guides
Your guides on this walking trip will be Bob Lawson, co-founder of Travel Fever Tours, from Putney, VT, and Don Lawson of Kent, CT. Bob and Don have led Camino trips more than seven times on three routes for Travel Fever Tours.
Bob has walked the full length of the Camino in Spain, as well as sections in France and several routes in Portugal. Don has led groups on two sections of the Camino in Spain and one in Portugal.
In addition to Camino tours, Bob has led groups for Travel Fever Tours in France, Italy, Portugal, Mexico, Spain, Germany, Ireland, Costa Rica, and Austria.
Bob Lawson
Don Lawson
Where we will stay
Lodging will be at small hotels along the route. Unlike other tours that ferry you back and forth from central hotels, we stay directly on the route in a new and interesting town each night. Each room, either single or double, is quite comfortable and has its own private bathroom.
Some our hotels include:
Is this trip for me?
You’ll be guided along the route while your baggage is transported each night. The route is primarily flat, following the coast on gravel paths, boardwalks, and paved, quiet country roads. Daily distances are generally 10–15 miles.
One of the benefits of traveling with this group is the flexibility to choose how much you walk each day. You might walk a shorter, particularly scenic section of approximately five miles, or continue to the day's endpoint. The support van will be available along the route for assistance, including pickups for those who decide they've walked enough for the day.
Please note: This is an active walking trip and will involve a significant amount of walking each day. Participants should be able to walk at least 5 miles at a time and should be prepared to train by walking three or more times per week in advance of the trip. The route includes a few hills, most of which are moderate, so participants should be comfortable managing reasonable ascents and descents.
Contact Us if you have any questions about the difficulty of this trip.
