The Historical Way is a 6-day inland route of the Rota Vicentina. It’s one of the two long-distance routes of the Vicentina networks. The route takes hikers through non-touristy areas of the Alentejo region in the south of Portugal. The Historical Way can be walked as a separate route or combined with the Fisherman’s Trail.
The Historical Way route overview
- Distance – 120 km/74 mi
- The required time – 6 days
- Starting point – Santiago do Cacém, Alentejo
- Finishing point – Odeceixe, Algarve
- Total ascent (over 6 days) – 2505 m
- Total descent (over 6 days) – 2629 m
- Walking ground – gravel road, footpath
- Route marking – white and red markers
- Average cost – 30-40 Euro per person per day (including transport, accommodation, food, etc.)
- Accommodation – hotels, guesthouses
To make your planning easier we’ve created a downloadable PDF file that contains walking stages and places to stay on the Historical Way of the Rota Vicentina.
Walking the Historical Way vs the Coastal Route
The Historical Way is a 100% inland route. The closest it gets to the sea is Odeceixe, which is about 2 km from the beach. The Fishermen’s Trail follows the coastline most of the time. We’ve walked both multi-day routes of the Rota Vicentina and personally prefer the Fishermen’s Trail over the Historical Way.
Advantages of the Fishermen’s Trail
- First of all, because we enjoy walking along the coast.
- The scenery on the coastal route was more impressive than on the inland route.
- There are more places to stay on the Fishermen’s Trail including campsites and hostels.
Advantages of the Historical Way
- The route is less-crowded even in the peak summer season there are very few people on the trail.
- It might be a good option to walk if walking close to the edge of steep cliffs give you vertigo.
Both routes are beautiful it all depends on what scenery you prefer the coast or fields/forest. If you want you can combine both routes.
Option 1. Start walking on the Historical Way from Santiago do Cacém to Odeceixe and from there continue south following the Fishermen’s Trail all the way to Lagos or stop earlier. The route from Santiago do Cacém to Lagos is 274 km/170 mi. It takes 13 days to complete.
Option 2. Start in Santiago do Cacém walk to Odeceixe and from there continue north on the Fishermen’s Trail towards Porto Covo. The total distance of this route is 196 km/121 mi. You need 10 days to complete it.
The best time for hiking
Spring months between mid-March to May is the best time for walking the Historical Way of the Rota Vicentina. It’s our favorite time for hiking in Portugal. We’ve done several routes including the Portuguese Camino in the spring. The weather is nice, it’s warm and sunny but not as hot as it gets during the summer. There are not too many people. It doesn’t matter if you walk only the inland route but if you decide to combine it with the coastal route it’s quite important. In June it starts getting hot and busy but it’s still a good month for walking.
The peak summer season July to mid-September is the hottest time in the Alentejo region. It’s not the best time for hiking especially the inland route without a fresh sea breeze it gets even hotter here than by the coast. These months are the peak touristy season you have to book accommodation and plan your trip in advance.
From mid-September to mid-November is a good time for hiking. It’s still warm and usually sunny though in November you might get some rain and there are not many tourists.
Winter months December to February are fine for walking you just have to be prepared that it might rain especially in December. It gets quite chilly, especially in the mornings and at night it’s better to bring warmer clothes not just for hiking but for wearing indoors as houses in Portugal are not well insulated sometimes it’s colder inside than outside.
The cost of walking the Historical Way
Here is the complete breakdown of our spending on the Historical Way, 6 days, 2 people. We didn’t camp or stay in hostels (there is only one campsite and one hostel on the route in Odeceixe) accommodation was our main expense. Half of the time we went out for lunch or dinner half of the time bought food in shops and supermarkets. We were not on a very strict budget but tried not to spend a lot.
Here are our spending;
- Accommodation – 230 Euro
- Eating out – 82 Euro
- Shopping – 50 Euro
- Coffee, beer, cakes – 18 Euro
- Transport – 65 Euro; bus Lisbon – Santiago do Cacém, 14 Euro per person, bus Odeceixe – Lisbon, 18,5 Euro pp.
Total: 445 Euro 2 people/6 days or 37 Euro per person per day.
How to get to Santiago do Cacém?
Santiago do Cacém, the starting point of the Historical Way can be reached by bus from Lisbon and many other cities and towns in Portugal. There are 7-8 daily buses from Lisbon Sete Rios Bus station to Santiago do Cacém. Buses leave throughout the day. The journey takes 2 hours. The ticket costs 14€.
After finishing the hike in Odeceixe you can get back to Lisbon by bus. There are 3-4 direct daily buses. The journey takes 3h30min. The ticket costs 18,5€. You can check the up-to-date itinerary and buy tickets online on the Rede Expressos website.
Accommodation on the Historical Way
Every town on the route has a couple of hotels/guesthouses. The trail goes through off-the-beaten-path areas of the Alentejo region as a result there are fewer accommodation options than on the Fishermen’s Trail (the coastal route). Some places can be booked online some only via e-mail or over the phone.
There is only one campsite and one hostel on the Historical Way both are in Odeceixe. If you’re planning to walk this route it’s not worth carrying a tent and camping gear unless you don’t mind wild camping.
The Historical Way walking itinerary
Day 1. Santiago de Cacém – Vale Seco, 18,5 km/11,4 mi
- Distance – 18,5 km/11,5 mi
- Time – 4h.
- Ascent – 496 m
- Descent – 434 m
- Difficulty level – 3 out of 5
Note! For this day we’d highly recommend booking accommodation beforehand.
The trail starts at the Parish Church (Igreja Matriz) of Santiago do Cacém at the top of the hill, next to the castle, it’s about 500 m uphill from the information office. At the church, you’ll see the distance signs and route markers – red and white stripes that are painted on small wooden poles, trees, and rocks all along the route. From the church, the route goes down to the valley and continues through the fields and hills with several ascents and descents in the first half of the walk, after about 7 km the route becomes flatter and easier.
Make sure to carry enough water with there will be no place along the way to get more water and with all the ups and downs you get quite thirsty.
Highlights
- Impressive castle and church of Santiago do Cacém crowning the top of the hill – the starting point of the route.
- Peaceful pastoral scenery on the second half of the route.
Challenges
- Several ascents and descents at the beginning of the day.
- No places to stop for food or water along the way.
- A couple of unfriendly dogs though they all were chained or behind the fence so they couldn’t do any harm to us.
Vale Seco
- Hotel – yes
- Hostel – no
- Campsite – no
- ATM – no
- Restaurant – yes
- Supermarket/shop – yes
- Pharmacy – no
- Beach – no
This place was our main concern we couldn’t find much information about the area and very few accommodation options. We went to the information office in Santiago do Cacém they phoned a couple of places but everything seemed fully booked. Luckily we got a phone number of a guest house from our friend from Porto Covo.
Vale Seco is not a town or village, it’s a couple of farms and a bar/shop in the middle. At the bar you can get coffee, sandwiches, snacks, beer, the bar shop is very small with limited options; bread, cheese, ham, drinks, some vegetables, and fruit. Bring cash with you can’t draw money here or pay by card.
Casinhas da Aldeia guest house
We were lucky to find this place, our friend Nicolau (the owner of Ahoy hostel in Porto Covo) gave us contact details of this place, we booked it over the phone. It is 600 m away from the bar right on the route, you won’t miss it there are a big gate and a banner with the phone number.
We loved this place, it’s a farm with a couple of small guest houses, very tranquil and cozy. We got a double room with a bathroom, the room is spacious, clean, comfortable and has all you need. Price 40 Euro for two people. The owners Fatima & Ludgero are very nice people, super friendly and welcome. If you’re looking for a peaceful place to stay for a day or two this is a perfect option. Phone +351-926-135-594, +351-962-284-363 Fatima.Krus@gmail.com
Facilities
- Kitchen – yes, a small kitchenette with a microwave, kettle, fridge, cups, and plates
- Hot shower – yes
- Wi-fi – yes
- Power sockets in the room – yes
- Washing machine – yes
- Extra – towels, TV, swimming pool, bottled water
