Central Portuguese Way— Stage 9  Coimbra to Mealhada

Leaving Coimbra along the Avenida Fernão de Magalhães and past the city's old train station, the Camino settles into a steady run of small villages: Adémia de Baixo first, then a short climb into Trouxemil, where a statue of Santiago Peregrino stands by the church and cemetery. Adões and Sargento-Mor — the latter known for its immaculate whitewashed church — follow in quick succession.

Past Santa Luzia the string of villages finally breaks, and the Camino rewards the walker with a quieter, wooded stretch of dirt track before Lendiosa. This part of the route also runs over stretches of the old Roman road linking Lisbon and Braga, a detail easy to miss underfoot but worth knowing about.

The final approach into Mealhada crosses into the Bairrada wine region — vineyards start appearing well before the town itself. Mealhada, an old Roman crossroads, is famous today for one thing above all: leitão da Bairrada, spit-roasted suckling pig, with entire restaurants built around it on the edge of town. It also sits a short bus ride from the Buçaco National Forest and its fairy-tale Palace Hotel, if there's time for a detour.

Sights and food en route

Pilgrim lodging

Coimbra has no long-standing municipal albergue of its own (pilgrims use the Rainha Santa Isabel albergue there, covered on Stage 8). A small private albergue has operated just north of Mealhada, on the N1/IC2 road in Sernadelo — worth confirming it's still running before counting on it, and otherwise Mealhada's guesthouses fill the gap.

Trouxemil

Trouxemil is a parish of Coimbra reached after the stage's one real climb of the day. Its small Igreja de São Tiago, next to the village cemetery, carries a statue of Santiago Peregrino — a fitting, if modest, landmark for anyone walking his road.

Sargento-Mor

Sargento-Mor, reached just after neighbouring Adões, is best known along the Camino for its spotless white parish church — one of a run of small, closely spaced villages that make this stretch feel almost suburban after the open countryside of the previous few days.

Mealhada (end of Stage 9)

Mealhada, once an important Roman crossroads, is now best known across Portugal for one dish: leitão da Bairrada, roast suckling pig, served at a cluster of dedicated restaurants that draw visitors up from Lisbon just for lunch. It sits at the edge of the Bairrada wine region and within easy reach of the Buçaco forest and its landmark Palace Hotel, making it a worthwhile overnight stop beyond just being a waypoint.