weldted Posted December 14, 2017 Share Posted December 14, 2017 Hi currently just south of Limoges looking to meander down to the Med then follow the coast down. No rush have a couple of months. Fairly self sufficient just need the odd hook up! Suggestions please. Two Adults, One Dog, 7.5 mtr coach built. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted December 14, 2017 Share Posted December 14, 2017 We toured in Portugal this Autumn for the first time and found it delightful - we'll certainly be going again. Preffered it to Spain for all sorts of reasons. We stayed in central and northern Portugal, North of Lisbon. Coast was interesting but tends to be foggy mornings/evenings, so we moved back inland. Delightful stay at Constancia, on the free Aire and also on the riverfront next to the Town. Braganca was good too, again on the Aire, again free and well located apart from the occassional whiff of the nearby sewerage plant! The Aire at Batalha was also well located for visiting the centre but avoid on Fri/Sat nights because of a really loud bar/cafe nearby. We used a few sites but tended to avoid them in favour of the much nicer and plentiful Aires. The Pingo Doce supermarkets are very nice and their bakeries do a "Menu 1" deal of a Pastel de Nata (custard tart) and a coffee for only 1€. I ate lots of those! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshortcircuit Posted December 14, 2017 Share Posted December 14, 2017 On the assumption you are following the Med down and entering Portugal at Castro Marim I would recommend you register for using the toll roads at the border as much of the toll roads do not have toll booths and rely on number plate recognition. As you cross the bridge at Castro Marim there is a lay-by with card readers and number plate recognition cameras. Pop card in and register and costs nothing. We had not intended using toll road but found the condition of the other roads dreadful as we were being shaken to bits. Reverted to the tolls and found absolutely wonderful scenery on a straighter road as the other roads twisted and turned doing twice the mileage. Nice stop at Castro Marim with free aires and hope you enjoy your trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weldted Posted December 15, 2017 Author Share Posted December 15, 2017 Many thanks for your helpful replies and info, all posts welcome. We have been many times to Portugal, but not for the last four years so look forward to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted December 15, 2017 Share Posted December 15, 2017 sshortcircuit - 2017-12-14 8:57 PM On the assumption you are following the Med down and entering Portugal at Castro Marim I would recommend you register for using the toll roads at the border as much of the toll roads do not have toll booths and rely on number plate recognition. As you cross the bridge at Castro Marim there is a lay-by with card readers and number plate recognition cameras. Pop card in and register and costs nothing. We had not intended using toll road but found the condition of the other roads dreadful as we were being shaken to bits. Reverted to the tolls and found absolutely wonderful scenery on a straighter road as the other roads twisted and turned doing twice the mileage. Nice stop at Castro Marim with free aires and hope you enjoy your trip. You say "pop card in" cost nothing. Do you mean credit /debit card? It costs nothing? I guess you got charged later? How much? We have not been to Portugal for many years, and then the roads where free, though personally , we prefered Spain, but maybe it has changed.Drove down the length of the coast and around the corner, then into Spain. Did not find them very friendly at that time. Personally do not like sardines , anyway!! What was the cost of the M ways? PJay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted December 15, 2017 Share Posted December 15, 2017 Portugese motorways are first class and very useful - but you do need to register your vehicle/credit card to use them and the easiest way to do this is at the roadside (on a Services) as you first encounter the system. There are other ways of registering but these registration machines at the Services are pretty straightforward. BUT there are only a few of these and only at the entry points onto the Portugese motorway system, so miss it at your peril! Shortly after entering the motorway you will see a big sign which mentions "Foreigners", inviting you to pull over at the upcoming Services to register. As you enter the Services there will be one or more drive through lanes with bollards; at the bollard an ANPR camera clocks your number plate and you insert your credit card to register it. Mine didn't work first time so I did it again and all went smoothly. The bollard prints an authorisation and you are on your way. Motrhomes are Category 2, same as France. Thereafter ANPR cameras on gantries will register your progress through the motorway system and charge tolls to your CC. There are notices by each camera gantry telling you what the charges are. The charges are modest and overall they are cheaper than the French equivalent, so don't be afraid! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshortcircuit Posted December 15, 2017 Share Posted December 15, 2017 Thanks Stuart for an excellent explanation.May go to Portugal later in the year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witzend Posted December 16, 2017 Share Posted December 16, 2017 Not all toll roads in Portugal are ANPR so beware some you need a go box for or take a ticket and pay when you leave if you drive in without taking a ticket you get charged maximun where ever you leave. I prefer to buy a prepay card at postoffice or service station for ANPR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean.clarke Posted December 18, 2017 Share Posted December 18, 2017 witzend - 2017-12-16 4:17 PM Not all toll roads in Portugal are ANPR so beware some you need a go box for or take a ticket and pay when you leave if you drive in without taking a ticket you get charged maximun where ever you leave. I prefer to buy a prepay card at postoffice or service station for ANPR Pay heed to this... it caught me out! We missed the turnoff to take a ticket (not really knowing what it was) and then got stung for the max amount when we turned off just a few miles down the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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