Rota Vicentina Historical Way
Rota Vicentina - Caminho Histórico
A 263 km walk in 13 one-day stages through the rural interior of south-west Portugal, from Santiago do Cacém to Cape St Vincent.
At a glance
- Starts in
- Santiago do Cacém
- Ends in
- Cape St Vincent (Cabo de São Vicente)
- Length
- 263 km
- On foot
- 13 days
- Countries
Portugal- Best months
- September–June
About the trail
The Historical Way is the inland, rural route of the Rota Vicentina, the walking network of south-west Portugal. It runs from Santiago do Cacém in the Alentejo, a hill town crowned by a medieval castle, to Cape St Vincent, the south-western tip of mainland Europe, linking small towns and villages on the way.
Most of the walking is on country tracks through montado, the open cork-oak woodland of southern Portugal, and over hills and valleys crossed by rivers and streams. The longest stage, of 33 km, links Odemira and Sabóia, and the trail ends on the cliffs of the cape.
Rota Vicentina divides the route into 13 one-day stages totalling 263 km, none longer than 25 km apart from that link, and rates it as easy. It is waymarked with a windmill symbol for walking independently in either direction, GPX and KML tracks can be downloaded, and the stages can be walked from September to June.