Seixas

How long to stay?

An afternoon is enough. Seixas is a village for one night. If you don't want to sleep in Caminha, you will find a good private albergue here and a quieter evening. An hour is enough for the sanctuary and a walk to the riverbank. The next morning a climb awaits, so go to bed early.

Seixas in Ninja numbers

• 4.2 kilometres from Caminha on the Caminho Português da Costa, almost flat.
• 147.5 kilometres are still ahead of you to Santiago.
• 398 metres of ascent on the next stage to Vila Nova de Cerveira, over only 11.8 kilometres.
• 1908 is when building began on the Villa Idalina, which stands by the route with its tower.
• Around 1,400 people live in Seixas.

Arriving: along the river

From Caminha you follow the Minho upstream. Seixas stretches along the road; the albergue is central on Avenida de São Bento, right on the route. On the other side of the river lies Galicia, so close that you can make out the houses over there.

In brief: a small place of pilgrimage

Seixas is a parish of the municipality of Caminha and even has its own station on the Linha do Minho. Its most important building is the sanctuary of São Bento, which pilgrims already visited in the Middle Ages; the present church was rebuilt in the 19th century. In the early 20th century, people returning from Brazil brought money and taste with them, as the Villa Idalina shows. And the land by the river is protected: the estuaries of the Minho and the Coura together form a protected landscape of around 3,400 hectares.

On the bank of the Minho: what to see

• Santuário de São Bento: The sanctuary of Saint Benedict has been a place of pilgrimage since the Middle Ages and was rebuilt in the 19th century. A nice thought for you as a pilgrim: you sleep in a place where other pilgrims were arriving centuries ago. We found no verified opening times.
• Villa Idalina: An eclectic building in Indo-Brazilian style, built from 1908, with a striking lookout tower, right on the route. Today it is a guesthouse.
• Igreja Matriz de São Pedro: the village's large parish church.
• Chapel of São Sebastião: a small chapel in the village.

Eating and drinking

Seixas has cafés and small restaurants, but we found no verified places with a pilgrim menu. The albergue has a kitchen. It is best to do larger shopping in Caminha before you set off.

Honestly

• The climb comes tomorrow. To Vila Nova de Cerveira it is almost 400 metres up and down again, more than you would expect along a river.
• Not much to see. Seixas is a residential village, not a destination.
• No public albergue. The Albergue São Bento is private.

Where pilgrims sleep

The Albergue São Bento is a private albergue, opened in 2019, central on Avenida de São Bento and right on the route. It has 24 beds in four dorms and six private rooms, is open all year, check-in from 14:00 to 20:00. A dorm bed costs €20 to €25, a double room from €57 (as of October 2026). There is a kitchen, washing machine and dryer, bed linen and towels; you can reserve. A second option with dorms is Donna Nega Alojamento Local, about 80 metres from the route on the national road. If you want to treat yourself, sleep at the Villa Idalina.

Ninja tips

• Sleep in Seixas instead of Caminha if you want a quieter evening. The 4.2 kilometres are manageable even after a long stage.
• Think about your route to Cerveira. The official route goes through the villages and over the hills; along the Minho there is also the Ecopista for walkers and cyclists, flatter and by the water.
• Shop in Caminha. The choice in Seixas is small.

Practical tips for pilgrims

• Train: Seixas has a stop on the Linha do Minho.
• Stamp: at the albergue.

Onward: over the hills to Cerveira

It is 11.8 kilometres to Vila Nova de Cerveira, with 398 metres of ascent and 396 metres of descent. The route goes via Esqueiro (Lanhelas) and Gondarém, through villages with churches and chapels, and reaches its highest point of 95 metres at kilometre 113.5. If you want to go further, it is 26.3 kilometres in total to Valença.

What awaits you tomorrow

Vila Nova de Cerveira, a small town on the Minho with a castle and an art biennial, and after that the last kilometres of Portugal to the fortress of Valença.

Deep dive: Benedict on the Minho

A short read, in case you want to learn more about Seixas. About two minutes' reading.

A saint for travellers

Saint Benedict is the father of Western monasticism. In Seixas a sanctuary bears his name, and people already came here to pray in the Middle Ages. The church that stands today dates from the nineteenth century, but the place is older. When you walk through the village in the evening, you are not the first pilgrim to arrive here.

Money from Brazil

In the early twentieth century many people from the north of Portugal went to Brazil. Some came back rich and built houses meant to show their success. The Villa Idalina is such a house, built from 1908, colourful in style, with a tower from which you can look across the river. Today guests sleep there, and the route takes you right past it.

What Seixas gives you

Seixas is a place on a river that is a border. Over there lies Galicia; here you are still in Portugal. When this text was written, in autumn 2026, pilgrims slept every night in the albergue on Avenida de São Bento and climbed into the hills the next morning. Perhaps you will go down to the bank once more beforehand and look across.