Caminha → A Guarda (the Minho crossing)

The Minho river crossing is made by licensed water taxi (~10 minutes), followed by roughly 1.5 km on foot from the Camposancos / A Pasaxe landing on the Spanish bank to the centre of A Guarda.

Stage map & GPX track

How the crossing works in 2026

Several licensed operators run the crossing daily; the two with fixed published timetables are these. Taxi Boat Peregrinos departs roughly every 30 minutes between 07:00 and 17:00 (€6 per person, €7 with a bicycle; bookings on +351 913 254 110 or at the dock). Xacobeo Transfer — the service backed by the Xunta de Galicia and both border municipalities — runs about hourly between 07:30 and 15:30 (€6, €8 with a bike) and sells tickets online. The ride itself takes about 10 minutes. The old Santa Rita de Cássia ferry stopped in 2020 because of river-mouth siltation and will be dismantled; a new shallow-draught municipal ferry carrying 50–60 passengers is announced for summer 2026 but is not yet operating.

Where you board in Caminha

Boats leave from the Cais de Caminha on the northern edge of the old town, about 400 metres from the main square (Praça do Conselho) — walk north toward the river and the dock is signposted. There is no large terminal: boarding is informal, from the dock steps or a pontoon depending on the tide. Arrive 10–15 minutes early in high season, because some of the boats are small speedboats with space for only around six passengers, and a full boat means waiting for the next departure.

Booking, bikes and payment

Booking is not mandatory but is sensible from April to October, when pilgrim traffic peaks. Xacobeo Transfer's online ticketing is the easiest guarantee of a seat; Taxi Boat Peregrinos and Taxi Mar Caminha also take bookings (phone or online). The operators carry bicycles for a small surcharge (about €7–8; electric bikes can cost more). Bring small euro notes — dock payment is usually cash, and operators rarely have change for €50.

The time-zone trap

Boats run on Portuguese time, but Spain is one hour ahead. A 10:00 departure from Caminha lands you in Spain at roughly 11:10 local time. This matters more than it sounds: if you are aiming for lunch in A Guarda or a specific albergue check-in, add the lost hour to your plan. Phones usually switch automatically mid-river.

The walk into A Guarda

Water taxis land at Camposancos / A Pasaxe on the Spanish side, roughly 1.5 km south of A Guarda town centre — about a 20-minute flat walk during which the yellow Camino arrows resume almost immediately. A Guarda is a working Galician fishing town with a full set of pilgrim services; the climb to the Monte de Santa Trega castro above town is the classic side trip if you have an afternoon to spare.

When is the crossing unreliable?

The dependable window is April to October. In the off-season departures are fewer and cancel more easily in bad weather, and even in summer individual crossings can be dropped when the estuary is rough or heavily silted — the same assoreamento that grounded the old ferry. The rule that never fails: confirm the day's boats the evening before, online, by phone, or at your albergue.

If no boat is running

When weather or siltation stops everything, the guaranteed alternative is the overland detour: train from Caminha to Valença on the CP Minho line (~35 minutes, ~€3.60), then cross the Tui–Valença international bridge on foot. This switches you from the Coastal Route to the Camino Portugués Interior — both reach Santiago. Full step-by-step in our overland detour guide.

Stage logistics at a glance

Distance on foot: about 2 km including the dock approach in Caminha and the walk in from the landing. Difficulty: easy — the only real variables are boat times and the time change. Many pilgrims pair the crossing with the next walking stage to Oia (about 13 km from A Guarda) on the same day; if you crossed in the afternoon, sleeping in A Guarda and starting fresh is the more comfortable plan.

Frequently asked questions