A quiet route across two countries: about 421 kilometers from Salamanca over Ciudad Rodrigo and the Beira Alta to Braga in Portugal – following the scholar Diego de Torres Villarroel, who made this pilgrimage in 1737.
The Camino Torres is a young, still little-walked Way of St. James that reopens an old journey: in 1737 Diego de Torres Villarroel (1694–1770), professor of mathematics at the University of Salamanca, walked from Salamanca to Santiago de Compostela – choosing not the obvious Vía de la Plata but a detour through Portugal. He recorded his trip in a playful verse poem, the "Peregrinación al Glorioso Apóstol Santiago de Galicia."
Almost three centuries later, from 2008, the University of Salamanca alumni association designed a modern route that recreates his journey as faithfully as possible; the official website went live in 2011. The full route runs about 570 to 580 kilometers over 23 stages to Santiago.
This section covers the 421 kilometers from Salamanca to Braga: through the Salamanca dehesa, over Ciudad Rodrigo and the Portuguese border into the Beira Alta, through the river country of the Douro and Tâmega, to Braga in northern Portugal, where the Caminho Português Central takes over toward Santiago.
The name comes from Diego de Torres Villarroel, whose 1737 pilgrimage the modern route recreates.
Ideal if you want a quiet, solitary route far from the big pilgrim crowds, enjoy navigating for yourself, and like a literary, historical journey across two countries. If you love calm, dehesa, the Portuguese hinterland and the link between Spain and Portugal, this is for you.
Less suitable if you expect a dense network of hostels, perfect waymarking throughout, and the company of other pilgrims. The Camino Torres is demanding: long, lonely stages, significant climbs, and sections where GPS remains useful.
From Salamanca the route first heads west across the wide Salamanca dehesa – over old drove roads such as the Cañada Real de Extremadura – to Ciudad Rodrigo. Via Aldea del Obispo you reach the Portuguese border and the fortress town of Almeida.
In Portugal it crosses the Beira Alta over Pinhel, Trancoso and Sernancelhe into the hill and river country of the Douro and Tâmega – past Lamego and Amarante – to Guimarães and finally Braga.
At about 421 kilometers to Braga and with substantial elevation (↗ 6,646 m / ↘ 7,398 m, highest point around 918 m), the route is genuinely demanding over an estimated 17–19 days. The terrain alternates between open high plains, hill country and river valleys. It follows traditional, public paths; stages are sometimes long and pass through sparsely populated areas. Good preparation and carrying the GPS tracks are recommended.
When the Camino Torres was published in 2011 it was fully georeferenced: there is a GPS track for each of the 23 stages, so you can't get lost. Physical waymarking came later. Members of the Vía de la Plata association ACASAN marked the route with yellow arrows from 2013 and refreshed them in 2019; today the arrow waymarking is nearly continuous, though still in need of improvement in places.
In Portugal, dedicated signage was added: the town of Amarante marked its section (completed in 2020), and the "Valorização do Caminho de Torres" project run by several northern Portuguese municipal associations (2018–2021) installed continuous vertical signage from Ponte do Abade onward.
At Braga the Camino Torres joins the Portuguese network of routes to Santiago. Here the Caminho Português Central takes over, crossing the border at Tui via Ponte de Lima and running through Galicia – over Redondela, Pontevedra, Caldas de Reis and Padrón – to Santiago de Compostela. To follow Torres Villarroel's full historic journey, you continue from Braga on the Caminho Português Central.
The best time is spring to autumn. The Camino Torres is a quiet route with thinner infrastructure than the big Caminos: plan accommodation (guesthouses, simple lodgings, and in Spain some albergues) in advance and reckon with long stretches with few services. Download the official GPS tracks and bring a pilgrim credential for stamps and the Compostela. Detailed stage descriptions and tracks are provided on the official website caminotorres.com.
In Spain and Portugal, budget roughly €35–55 per day for lodging and food. Simple lodgings, albergues and self-catering lower the cost; in areas with little on offer or in larger cities it can be higher.
The starting point is Salamanca, and the finish of this section is Braga.
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44House - Quinta do Casal
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5ª d'azenha - Refúgio à Beira do Rio Tâmega
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A Casa da Sara
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