Central Portuguese Way— Stage 6: Tomar to Alvaiázere

Leaving Tomar from the Largo da Várzea Grande, the Camino crosses a bridge over the Rio Nabão and, after a short stretch of dirt track, reaches the medieval Ponte de Peniche around km 3. From here the route begins its real climb — the first sustained ascent of the whole Camino — toward the Alto da Chocalheira, passing through Casais and Soianda on asphalt lanes.

Calvinos, a small village with a bar-shop that makes for a natural coffee stop, comes next, followed by Chãos de Eiras. From here on the landscape shifts character: the Romanesque churches of the Ribatejo give way to Roman-era traces as the Camino enters the limestone country of the Terras de Sicó. The route crosses the Rio Ceras around km 14, then continues through long rural stretches with few services — the Tojal service station near the end of the stage is the last reliable stop before Alvaiázere.

The final approach into Alvaiázere runs about a kilometre on pavement from the edge of town to its centre. After six days of flat Ribatejo walking, this is the stage where pilgrims first feel the terrain change — nothing severe, but a genuine workout. Alvaiázere itself is Portugal's self-declared "capital of the chícharo" (a local pea), with an October food festival built around it.

Historic sights en route

Official pilgrim albergue

Alvaiázere has no public donation-based albergue. The long-standing pilgrim stop, right beside the church, is Albergaria dos Pinheiros — well known on this stage for its warm welcome.

Soianda

Soianda is a small hamlet reached partway up the long climb out of Tomar, little more than a scatter of farmhouses along the asphalt lane. There's nothing to stop for here, but it marks a useful halfway point on the day's hardest ascent — a good spot to catch your breath before pushing on to Calvinos.

Calvinos

Calvinos is a tiny village known on this stage for one thing: a bar-shop that's usually the first realistic coffee stop after leaving Tomar. With the steepest part of the climb behind you by this point, it's the natural place for pilgrims to regroup before the long, service-light stretch toward Chãos de Eiras and the Rio Ceras.

Tojal

Tojal sits near the end of the stage, where a roadside service station gives tired pilgrims their last realistic chance to refuel before the final push into Alvaiázere. From here the Camino continues through Cortiça — home to the rural tourism estate Quinta da Cortiça — before the last kilometre of pavement into town.

Alvaiázere (end of Stage 6)

Alvaiázere, whose name derives from the Arabic word for falconer, is a small inland town of around 7,000 people known across Portugal as the "capital of the chícharo" — a local pea celebrated every October at the FAFIPA food festival. The compact centre holds the Igreja Matriz, the Museu Municipal with exhibits on the area's archaeology, and the 18th-century Capela de Nossa Senhora dos Covões in the hills above town. It's a welcome, well-equipped stop after the day's climbing.