rota vicentina

the fisherman's trail

I had the opportunity to hike the fisherman's trail between january 9th and january 18th, 2025. I had an incredible experience over the 10 days I spent hiking. I averaged 16 miles per day, so it was a pretty casual hike most days. I stayed in hostels or hotels every night, and while I could have camped, I chose to take the opportunity to meet people in hostels over camping alone. 

basic info:

The trail is measured at ~140 miles/220km. However, I tracked myself hiking closer to 160 miles/255km. My longest day was just over 24 miles, and shortest just over 8. I flew into Lisbon, and took a Flixbus to Sines. I then took an Uber to Sao Torpes beach, after walking a bit around Sines and stocking up at a grocery store. I resupplied every day with new food from local markets. There were many cafes along the route for a quick bite to eat as well as more formal restaurants. I finished my hike in Lagos, and again took a bus back to Lisbon. There are also flights from Faro, nearby Lagos, as well as trains back to Lisbon. I spent just under $1500 including my flight on this trip. Excluding my flight and airport costs, I spent about $80/day for food and lodging. This definitely is on the higher end of costs, as I dined out frequently and occasionally had to pay for more expensive lodging. I booked each room the day before, combined with many places being closed for the season, my costs were higher than they could be. 

travel day/day 1 (jan 8/9)

Traveling to Portugal was a pretty straightforward. I flew from Milwaukee to JFK, where I had a looong layover. Finally after boarding, we took off for Lisbon. A fitful night of half-sleep ensued, and a bumpy flight did nothing to soothe my nerves. We landed on schedule, giving me about 2 hours to get through customs, and over to the bus terminal to catch my Flixbus to Sines. Customs went quickly, and I made it to the Lisbon metro. I rode just a few stops to Oriente station, where I had breakfast at a cafe, including the first of many espressos. I meandered my way down to the bus about a half hour early, and in the chaos and half-asleep state I was in, I'm amazed that I successfully navigated to the correct bus. It was very nice to just have my small backpack with me. Finally, the bus left, and once again I got a bit of fitful sleep on the way to Sines. I got off the bus, finally ready to stretch my legs and start walking. I made it to a grocery store where I bought some food, used the bathroom (would not recommend the bathroom at the Minipreço), and began walking towards the ocean. The weather was clear, about 65 degrees F, and felt amazing. I made it down to the ocean, and was thinking I would walk to the trailhead.. After evaluating my options, I called an uber instead, and that was definitely the right call. Finally, I had made it to my starting point of the 140ish mile hike. I took my time that day, only walking about 10 miles total over the course of the day, from Sao Torpes to Porto Covo only 6.5 or so. The trail was nice, mostly well marked, and easy hiking. After arriving into my hostel for the night, I met Hannah and Guus, who I would stay in touch with for the rest of my hike. We went out for some dinner, and as soon as we got back, I crashed in bed. However, an alcoholic, smelly dormmate was.. interesting to say the least. But I made it through my first day!