São João da Madeira

Housed in a beautifully restored former hat factory, this museum traces the history of hat making in Sao Joao da Madeira and Portugal. The town was the centre of Portuguese hat manufacturing for over a century, and the museum displays original machinery, tools, and finished hats from across the eras. It is one of the few museums dedicated to hat making in Europe and is genuinely interesting, even if you have no particular interest in hats. A quirky and memorable Camino stop.

Sao Joao da Madeira is the capital of the Portuguese shoe industry. The town and surrounding area contain dozens of shoe factories, and Portugal's reputation for high-quality leather footwear is built substantially on this region. Some factories have outlet shops where you can buy Portuguese-made shoes at factory prices. If your walking shoes are falling apart after 340 km from Lisbon, this might be the most appropriate place on Earth to buy replacements.

Industrial towns in Portugal have excellent, inexpensive lunch spots that cater to factory workers. The restaurants in Sao Joao da Madeira serve large portions of traditional food at very fair prices: grilled chicken, bacalhau (salt cod), arroz de pato (duck rice), and hearty soups. These are not tourist restaurants, they are places where working people eat every day, and the food is honest, generous, and satisfying.

Tomorrow you walk to Porto. The final stage from Sao Joao da Madeira is approximately 34 km and takes you through the increasingly urban southern outskirts of the Porto metropolitan area. It is a long day, but it ends in one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. Check the weather, plan your route through the suburbs, and set your alarm. When you see the Douro river and the red roofs of the Ribeira district, you will know you have arrived.