How to Train for the Camino Português (Even If You're Not Fit)

Good news first: the Camino Português is one of the gentler long-distance walks, and ordinary people of all ages and fitness levels finish it every week. You do not need to be an athlete. But the difference between a walker who trained a little and one who didn't isn't fitness — it's suffering. A few weeks of easy preparation turns a painful slog into a genuine pleasure. Here's the honest, doable version.

The only thing you really need to train: walking, in your shoes

Forget the gym. The Camino is walking, so you train by walking — in the exact shoes and socks you'll wear on the trail. This does two things: it builds the right endurance, and (more importantly) it breaks in your feet and footwear together, which is what actually prevents the blisters that ruin Caminos.

A simple 6–8 week build-up

If you have a couple of months, this is plenty:

• Weeks 1–2: Two or three walks a week, 30–60 minutes, comfortable pace. Just get moving in your shoes.
• Weeks 3–4: Stretch one walk to 1.5–2 hours. Add a small daypack with a bit of weight so your shoulders adapt.
• Weeks 5–6: One longer walk of 3–4 hours (roughly a Camino day). Notice how your feet feel at hour three — that's the real test.
• Weeks 7–8: A back-to-back: a long walk one day, another the next. The Camino is consecutive days, and this is the bit people under-prepare for.

Short on time? Even 3–4 weeks of regular walking beats nothing enormously.

Train your feet, not just your legs

The legs cope. It's the feet that quit. So:

• Walk in the real shoes until they feel like part of you.
• Wear the real socks (merino/synthetic, never cotton).
• The moment you feel a hotspot on a training walk, that's a sign to fix the sock/lacing/shoe now — better to learn it at home than on day two.

Don't overthink the rest

• Hills: the Português has some, but it's not mountainous. Walk a few inclines if you can; don't stress.
• Weight: the lighter your pack, the easier everything — train light, walk light (or use a bag-transfer service and carry almost nothing).
• Age/fitness: people in their 60s and 70s walk it constantly. Pace, not power, is what gets you to Santiago.

The honest bottom line

You're not training to be fit enough to survive the Camino — almost anyone can finish it. You're training so you enjoy it: so your feet are happy, your shoes are broken in, and your body knows what consecutive walking days feel like. A few weeks of easy walks in the right shoes is the whole secret.

Walk lighter and the training matters even less — with your bags carried ahead and beds booked, the Camino asks far less of your body. See how it works →