In October I walked the Portuguese hiking trail Rota Vincentina for about 200 kilometers from Porto Covo to Cabo de San Vincente (see pictures on my Instagram). Because I have looked online whether budget accommodation is available on this route and was not satisfied with the amount of information I found I am listing below one hostel per village/town according to the stages the Portuguese planned for this trip walking the fisherman’s trail for most part (see here). The good news is: The Rota Vincentina can be done on a budget!
Historic trail Santiago do Cacem to Porto Covo:
Since I did not walk this stage I cannot say much about accommodation. Santiago do Cacem seems to have cheap bed and breakfasts and I was told there is accommodation in Sines, Vale Seco and Cercal de Alentejo.
However, hikers I met who did walk that part all said it isn’t really worth it and that they had issues with dogs on this part of the trail. So if you do not have 12 days of hiking, I would recommend to start hiking in Porto Covo.
Fisherman’s Trail and from Odeceixe Historic Trail to Cabo de San Vincente:
Porto Covo: Ahoy Hostel, Link
Vila Nova de Milfontes: Hike and Surf Lodge, Link
Almograve: Pousada de Juventud, Link
Zambujera do Mar: Hakuna Matata Hostel, Link
Odeceixe: Odeceixe Hostel, Link
Aljezur: Amazigh Hostel, Link
Arrifana: HI destination Hostel, Link
Carrapateira: Hostel do Mar, Link
Vila do Bispo: Feel Good Hostel, Link
Cabo do San Vincente: There is no accomodation in Cabo de San Vincente. Take the bus (15 min) or walk the 6 kilometers along the road of Sagres, where there is plenty of accomodation (e.g. the Funky Monkey Hostel Link).
Most of the hostels can be booked via booking.com and some you can also book via the official Rota Vincentina homepage. Dorm beds in the above listed places seem to be always under 20 Euro in the low season (often 12,13 Euro) and around 20-25 in high season (June-September). Most of these hostels are quite small, so I would definitely book ahead in the high season, if you are hiking on a tight budget. In the low season, some of the hostels might be closed so check ahead. As a couple it might sometimes be cheaper and/or much more comfortable to book a room in one of the small bed and breakfasts, which often do not cost more than two bunk beds combined. Some hostels also have double rooms. All hostels have good kitchens, often the bed and breakfasts or apartments do, too (i.e. Casa de mestre in Vila do Bispo). So you don’t have to go out for dinner necessarily. When going out mostly 10-15 Euro per person including (alcoholic drinks) is enough, it can be a lot cheaper, too.
In general, the area of the Rota Vincentina is a very touristic area, so most villages and towns have plenty of little bed and breakfasts. In particular the costal towns are used to many tourists exploring this area by car or bike and many come to surf the Portugese coast. As a result, sometimes there are accommodations in between hiking stages. For example between Carrapateira and Vila do Bispo I saw a hostel, too. In the more secluded places I would recommend to call ahead. Almograve seems to have the least accomodation options, but the hostel there is quite big.
I hope this helps you plan your next hiking trip. For further tips and tricks for hiking on the Rota Vincentina, see my blog post here. I will also soon post a description of my journey (German only), here (coming soon).
If you have questions or want to recommend a particular place in the comment section I would be very grateful!
Buon Camino!
Teresa
DreamTravelStories 
Thanks, this is excellent. Can I ask a question. We are travelling to Portugal to do this route on 1 March. Are the regular shops for food and water along the route? Can you buy packed lunch at the hostels? Thanks, Neal.
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Thanks a lot! There a shops in all the villages where you stop for the night except in Arrifana (at least I didn’t find one there). However it is hard to predict what they might have, some shops are really small. Some villages on the other hand have huge supermarkets, i.e. Vila Nova and Vila do Bispo. You need to stock up for the day though, as there are seldom places to eat and drink on the way. No water fountains either. In particular between Porto Covo and Vila Nova de Milfontes and Almograve (the first two days on the fisherman’s trail) there is virtually no place to stop and get food or drinks except if you make big detours away from the coast (and there is one cafe about five km from Porto Covo where you can have a coffee). So make sure to take along enough water. I would recommend at least 2 l per person per day. I actually drank 3 l each day there. It gets hot and there is no shadow. As for lunch meals I am not sure, haven’t seen any advertising for that. I hard-boiled eggs and took local cheese, some bread and fruits with me. The surfer shops might offer day lunches as the area is more famous and more frequented by surfers. Check out my blog post on tips, too https://dreamtravelstories.com/2017/11/27/tips-and-tricks-for-hiking-the-rota-vincentina/. I have recently also published the story of the walk. It is in German, but you can check out the pictures https://dreamtravelstories.com/2018/02/16/wandern-auf-der-rota-vincentina/ . 🙂
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Thanks so much, Tess. That’s really kind of you to reply so quickly and with so much details. I’ll read your article on tips also. Thank you! 🙂
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Great blog. I am planning to hike the Rota Vincentina in March 2019. Your blog is very helpful.
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Thanks a lot! That’s what I hoped to do with this blog.
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