Government certifies the Torres Route
The Torres Route has joined the list of Camino de Santiago routes certified by the Portuguese government, following the ordinance published in the Diário da República (Portuguese official gazette) on June 12, 2026. Covering 180.49 kilometers between Sernancelhe and Valença, the route connects, within Portugal, to the Central, Coastal and Interior Routes, which have already been officially recognized, and continues on to Santiago de Compostela.
In Portugal, the route crosses 15 municipalities: Sernancelhe, Moimenta da Beira, Tarouca, Lamego, Peso da Régua, Mesão Frio, Baião, Amarante, Felgueiras, Guimarães, Braga, Vila Verde, Ponte de Lima, Paredes de Coura and Valença. The last two had already been part of the Portuguese Central Route – Porto and North since late 2023.
This certification, which is intended to recognize and protect the cultural and natural heritage of the Camino de Santiago and ensure proper support services for pilgrims, confirms that the route meets safety and accessibility requirements and has support and information facilities. During the opening session of “Jornadas Europeias da Cultura” (European cultural event), in Barcelos, Secretary of State for Culture Alberto Santos highlighted the importance of this certification for the tourism and cultural development of northern Portugal.
The Torres Route crosses two areas listed as UNESCO World Heritage: the Alto Douro Wine Region and the Historic Centre of Guimarães. It also passes through areas of significant historical, cultural and landscape value. The ordinance also highlights the religious, cultural and literary dimension of the route, with references to intangible heritage, religious practices and places associated with the authors Raul Brandão, Teixeira de Pascoaes, Miguel Torga, José Leite Vasconcelos, Camilo Castelo Branco and Aquilino Ribeiro.
The use of the route over the centuries is documented by academic research that brought together written records, archaeological remains and other heritage assets. Among the historical references cited in the ordinance are Torres Villarroel, the pilgrim after whom the route is named; the paths associated with São Gonçalo in the 12th and 13th centuries; the reference to an English pilgrim at Lamego Cathedral in 1683; and the pilgrimage of João Valente in 1723.
The ordinance also highlights heritage sites such as Lamego Cathedral and the Chapel of São Sebastião, in Lamego; the tomb of São Gonçalo and the bridge over the Tâmega River, in Amarante; the Monastery of Pombeiro, in Felgueiras; the image of Santa Maria de Guimarães, the Collegiate Church of Nossa Senhora da Oliveira and the Convents of São Francisco and São Domingos, the final resting places of São Gualter and Blessed Frei Lourenço Mendes, also in Guimarães; Braga Cathedral; and Ponte de Lima Bridge, one of the most widely recognized landmarks of Jacobean pilgrimage in Portugal.
