Portugal in Camping-Car: advice, areas, routes

How do I visit Portugal in camper or van?

Going on a road trip to Portugal camping-car Are you in a van or a van? Sleeping in his vehicle, a motorhome, a van or a furnished van is a way to visit a country freely, without being forced to sit in a hotel room every night.

Portugal, the most western state of continental Europe is a major tourist destination, full of wonders to visit. You would like to visit Portugal by camping-car or in furnished van and drive at your pace Porto to the Algarve and natural parks, Lisbon and the beautiful beaches of the coast? We explain how to do it!

Idea of itinerary in Portugal by motorhome

From France and through the Spain , several itineraries are obviously possible to visit Portugal by motorhome, fitted van or fitted van. Arriving north, from Zamora, Salamanca, Orense or Vigo, several must-see sites will mark your way: the Peneda-Gerês National Park , Montesinho Natural Park and Arribes del Duero Natural Park.

During your journey, visit the Douro valley and the city Porto . If you enter Portugal by Extremadura or Andalusia, you will have the immanquable sites of southern Portugal within your reach: the Serra da Estrela Natural Park, the Serras Nature Park of Aire e Candeeiros, Lisbon , the charms of Alentejo and Algarve .

Of course, the route to be determined depends on the duration of your trip. If you come to visit Portugal by camping-car or van for a week, it is better to restrict your itinerary (to avoid spending your time on the road and looking for "spots" where to sleep).

Go to one region, for example in Algarve:

• 1. Faro, Vila Real de Santo António, Portimão and Sagres, the road from Cape Saint Vincent to the nature park of the Côte Vicentine (not to miss the cliffs of Ponta da Piedade)

• 2. In Alentejo and in the center, start by visiting Lisbon, Sintrathe beaches of Figueira da Foz, Coïmbre, Marvão and the natural park of Serra de São Mamede, then Évora and its historical heritage

• 3. North of the country, for example, make Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia, and the Douro valley to Lamego or Pinhão

Starting to visit Portugal by camping-car longer, 15 days or a month, you can give more time by making the typical Portuguese villages and the breathtaking beaches of the coastline, for example:

• 1. Castelo de Vide, Marvão, Elvas, Vila Viçosa, the pretty village of Terena, Monsaraz, Évora, Viana do Alentejo, Vila Nova de Milfontes
• 2. The beach of Arrifana, praia do Amado, the lighthouse of Cape Saint Vincent, the famous caves of Benagil, the beach of Ria Formosa, the cliffs of Ponta da Piedade, Praia da Marinha (Algarve)

Of course, all these steps are only indicative and will vary according to your wishes, budget and availability!

How and where to rent a motorhome in France?

Would you like to leave France to visit Portugal in a fitted van? It is now easy to rent a motorhome in France. How? By passing through interrelationship platforms between tenants ( yourself) and particular camper owners as Yescapa For example.

How does it work?

• Start by choose the motorhome in your city (For example Bordeaux, Nantes, Toulouse, Paris, Montpellier or Marseille).

• Careful choose unlimited mileage, to check the number of beds available and if it is possible to travel abroad.

• Perform one online rental request and share your travel information (dates, rental options, mileage, etc.) to the owner.

• If your application is accepted, you will have after payment access to the owner's contact information to set up a First meeting.

• On the day of departure, present your driver's license and pour the bail.

• L’status of premises is executed and a lease is signed between the two parties. On return, after having made an unforgettable road trip through the Iberian Peninsula, sign the state of the places of return and the tour is played!

How and where to rent a motorhome in Portugal?

Before landing to visit Portugal in motorhome, it is recommended to make an online reservation. And yes, it would be a shame to arrive in Faro, Porto or Lisbon and to discover that there is no vehicle available in any agency, or worse, that the rates have climbed up.

To have a camping-car, we recommend you go through a rental platform for motorhomes and vans arranged online. These sites are now numerous on the road-trip and wild camping market. The principle is simple: you choose the desired vehicle – depending on the daily price, the type of camper/van/van fitted, the equipment of the vehicle -, you send an inquiry to the owner.

Last step: after payment online, you receive a confirmation email and here you are going to visit Portugal by camping-car !

Drive to Portugal by motorhome: traffic rules to know

In Portugal and France, driving is on the right track. In order not to apprehend your trip, you were listed some basic rules on the conduct in Portugal .

It will be noted that even if you feel a rather mild living climate in the interior of the land, the Portuguese like to ride quickly in general: be careful on the roads because the number of accidents in Portugal is higher than the European average. The road and highway network is of good quality throughout the country, and traffic is fluid.

Drive to Portugal is almost similar to driving in France (even road code, closed safety belts at the front and rear), a few details. It should be noted that it is prohibited for children under 12 years of age to travel to the camper’s seat. Children must be attached to a child ' s seat or a booster.

The ignition of the passing beam headlamps is mandatory even on the day in places (on the A25, between Aveiro and Vilar Formoso) under penalty of fine (between 60 € and 300 €). As in France, it is mandatory to have a yellow vest in the cabin – but perhaps you have it on your back every Saturday... – and a signposting triangle.

Of course, it is necessary to have your driver’s license, insurance certificate and the gray card of the motorhome. The maximum alcohol level is 0.5 g/l, as in France.

However, speed limits are different than in the Hexagon: in Portugal, speed limits for motorhomes are:

• 50 km/h in agglomeration
• 70 km/h on secondary national roads (IP and IC)
• 80 km/h on separate roads
• 100 km/h on highways

See, driving to visit Portugal in camping-car is not very different than driving in France!

Motorway to Portugal: what price for your motorhome category?

Attention, there are tolls on the Portuguese highways, and the payment system can be confusing. The fares of the motorways in Portugal are rather high.

The toll system in most cases consists of stopping once to withdraw a ticket to the dedicated terminal, then paying the amount related to the mileage travelled to a second terminal (as in France). But another system has been growing in Portugal since 2011: electronic payment . There are more and more, but manual payment still prevails over most sections.

Roads on which toll is only electronic include the words " electronic toll only » . The vehicle is identified by a sensor passing through the payment point, which takes the registration plate in photo. This allows, according to the companies operating the service, to quickly calculate the amount due for each vehicle, avoiding queues behind the toll barrier.

The amount due appears on site, on a dedicated panel. Here are the concerned highways :

• A 4 (bragance and section Matosinhos-Águas Santas)
• A 8 (South trade of Leiria)
• A 13 (Atalaia – Tomar)
• A 17 (Estádio de Aveiro – Mira)
• A 19 (Contournement de Batalha)
• A 22 (Lagos – Castro Marim)
• A 23 (Torres Novas – Guarda)
• A 24 (Vila Verde de Raia – Viseu)
• A 25 (Albergaia a velha – Vilar Formoso)
• A 27 (Viana do Castelo-Ponte de Lima)
• A 28 (Viana do Castelo-Porto)
• A 29 (Miramar – Angeja), A33 (Belverde – Coina)
• A 41 (Perafita/Frexeiro – Sêroa ouest)
• A 42 (Sêroa ouest- Lousada)

If you rent the motorhome in France, the official website of the Portuguese electronic tolls indicates several solutions:

• The EasyToll system: your credit card is registered and displayed on the registration plate number of the motorhome. At the payment terminal, the bank card is debited directly through the registration plate,
• The Toll Card system: it is a valid prepaid card for a year, rechargeable from 5 €. Buy on the internet, the Post office and the service areas. The activation is done by sms. The toll price is charged on the available balance of the card,
• Via Verde: if you make frequent stays, rent an electronic badge (6 € per first week, then 1,50 € per week) (caution of 27.5 €).

That is why the Portuguese are increasingly using secondary roads, which is more accidental.

For the price side, here is what to expect in Class 2 for the motorhome (we present the total value on the entire section):

• Algarve: 15,45 €
• Baixo Tejo : 3,05 €
• Beira Interior : 21,45 €
• Beiras Litoral e Alta : 20,75 €
• Costa de Prata: 11,05 €
• Grande Porto: 6,85 €
• Interior Norte: 18,85 €
• Litoral Oeste: 3,20 €
• Litoral standard: 6,70 €
• Pinhal Interior : 15,45 €
• AE Transmontana: 2,05 €
• A23 – IP: 4,50 €
• Túnel do Marão: 3,60 €

Crossing Portugal can therefore cost expensive, especially if you take highways several times a day!

Campsites in Portugal: where to park?

Another question that can be asked by preparing a trip to visit Portugal by camper: where to park?

Officially, camping is prohibited in Portugal. However, you can park to sleep in many places, like camping and service areas. If you are going to visit Portugal in a fitted van or van, it will be easier to go unnoticed in nature. But if you park in a natural park, on the edge of a beach, out of a village, know that this parking is subject to a fine if ever the police patrol and decides to come see you...

There are, anyway, many service areas for campervans in Portugal. To find out where to park and sleep safely, several websites can be useful: Campercontact or Caramaps . Otherwise, for the travelling Bible, the Waze of the dream spot is Park4night , a mobile application for sharing ideal corners where to park in motorhome, van and van fitted in Europe.

Campsites, service areas, parking spaces, free or paid camper areas, pitches where park away from sights, dream beaches where to sleep, etc.: Now, thanks to interactive maps, there is no longer to devote several hours of the day to search for where to sleep in the middle of nature!

Prepare your trip to Portugal in Camping-Car

Preparing for a trip to Portugal on a motorhome, it is also to think of all that will have to be carried in the vehicle. It happens in our preparations that we are head in the air and that we forget essential things. Here is a list of things to take and do before leaving:

• Sunglasses, sun cream
• Bathroom bags
• Mobile Application Panel: Waze (GPS), Park4night, tourist maps and guides
• Cables and battery chargers telephone
• Rescue kit (pansements, antiseptic, Betadine, etc.)
• Anti-moustic pulse
• Toilet paper
• Cleaning wipes
• Liquids (dish, soap, shower, shampoo)
• Camping kitchen battery
• Gas refill and refill
• Bonbonnes d’eau
• Small board games, dice and card games (for rainy days)
• Duvets and blankets, etc.

Think about taking clothing adapted to the season, nights can sometimes be fresh even in summer in mountainous areas.

What is the best time to travel by motorhome in Portugal?

Last fundamental question: when to go to Portugal on motorhome?

Portuguese summer is hot and dry, or even torrid in the south. The north is more watered and tempered. Winter is also pleasant to visit Portugal in furnished van. In fact, we can travel to Portugal all year round.

The Atlantic coast is temperate even in the summer thanks to the ocean, autumns and winters can be very rainy. The best time to visit the Atlantic Coast is therefore spring : mild and dry climate, moderate tourist attendance.

In Algarve and Alentejo, summer is hot and it is mild in winter thanks to Mediterranean influences: even in winter, you can visit the Algarve. Maximum temperatures range from 16°C (January) to 29°C in August on average in Algarve. April, May, June and September are the best times : it's hot and there are few tourists.

Finally, the interior and the north of the country are much cooler: from 14°C to 26°C on average and nights can go down to 5°C (on average). The northern regions are also more watered. The best period is therefore the high season, summer .