The signage of the Portuguese Way to Santiago began ten years ago, using the conventional European system to identify very plainly the Jacobean routes - a yellow arrow painted on walls, pavements, trees, posts, etc. where pilgrims might hesitate, mainly at intersections and crossroads.

The signage of the Portuguese Way to Santiago began ten years ago, using the conventional European system to identify very plainly the Jacobean routes - a yellow arrow painted on walls, pavements, trees, posts, etc. where pilgrims might hesitate, mainly at intersections and crossroads.

In Portugal, we still maintain the periodically re-painted yellow arrows, a provisional solution that is relatively secure. However, the definitive settling of yellow metal arrows in the whole Oporto-Valença route is in progress, to avoid mistakes.

The signage of the Way back, mainly for the Pilgrims from Santiago de Compostela to Fátima will be found in the blue arrows that identify the Way to Fátima, from Valença to Oporto.

We call your attention to signs consisting of two red and white lines that can be found between Rates and Barcelos as well as Ponte de Lima and Valença, at least. They indicate the GR11-E9 route, with origin in S. Petersburg, Russia and crossing the whole Europe to end in Portugal, in Cape S. Vicente. It is a pedestrian route settled by the Portuguese Camping Federation. Also designated as “Caminho de Santiago”, it does not entirely correspond to the outline of the Portuguese Way as it includes occasional alternatives to the existing tracks, paved with tarmac. This signage works in the following way: two parallel lines designate the right direction, two in inverted commas designate the wrong direction and the red line with the shape on a right angle designates right or left turning.