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Wise Pilgrim APPTui deserves at least an afternoon. If you're starting your Camino here, budget an extra night — the old town earns it, and you can always walk across the bridge to Valenca for a wander through the Portuguese fortress.
The Catedral de Santa Maria dominates the hilltop. Built between the 11th and 13th centuries, it's a fortress-cathedral — the crenellated walls and towers were designed for defence as much as worship. The Romanesque-Gothic interior is austere but the cloister and the views over the Rio Mino to Portugal from the grounds are worth the entrance fee. The Museo Diocesano in the cathedral has a small but focused collection.
The route through town passes the most significant monuments: the cathedral, the old Pilgrims Hospital, the Convento de las Clarisas, and the Monasterio de Santo Domingo. The Convento de San Francisco and the Iglesia de San Telmo are slightly off route but close enough to justify a detour.
Cross the bridge using the walkway on the right-hand side — the views of Tui from this angle are much better than from the left. The quaint building at the Portuguese end of the bridge is the original border checkpoint, long out of use.
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You are advised to get your credential stamped at least twice a day between here and Santiago.
The stretch of camino ahead of you is undergoing changes for the better and keep the camino on a more tranquil and safe path, but there are sections that have become slightly longer, and the directions are not fully set in stone.
This area is one of Galicia’s largest industrial centers, most of the industry centered around O Porriño. In years past this meant a grueling romp through town, just the way that the businesses (read bars) like it. Competing arrows and confusion may ensue; despite the best efforts of local activists.
As usual, a healthy dose of common sense and the use of your best judgment is in order.
In periods of high rain the stretch of road between here and O Porriño is often flooded. In these cases, the camino is temporarily re-routed. When it is, the signs are clear but not frequent and at times it will feel like you just keep walking on the road forever. Stick to the road; the signs will appear when they are needed most.
San Telmo is celebrated on the first Sunday of Easter.
Tui's position on a hilltop above one of Galicia's most important rivers made it strategic since prehistoric times. The Romans built a settlement on their gold road connecting Braga with Lugo. When the Visigoth King Wittiza left the family stronghold in Toledo in 700 AD, it was to Tui that he relocated — a sign of the town's importance in the late Visigothic kingdom.
San Telmo (Pedro Gonzalez Telmo), patron of sailors, fell ill and died near Tui during his pilgrimage in 1251. His feast day is celebrated on the first Sunday of Easter. There are two historical Saint Telmos — both patrons of sailors — but only one (not this one) has been formally canonised.
The camino leaves town just as quickly as it entered it, crosses the N551, and turns right onto the Camino Virgen del Camino at kilometer marker 111.499; a numbers whose significant digits inspires false confidence.
The Louro Valley lies ahead, and the massive granite mining industry situated along it lends a distinctly different feel to the way homes are built compared to only a few kilometers away in Portugal. It is not uncommon to find large slabs of rough granite used to build fences around even the most modest of family plots.
