DonB Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 We are off to Portugal in two weeks time. Have tried to get sense out of Portuguese Tourist Office, no luck. They just say look at website. Can anybody give me an update as to the situation regarding payment or what happens if you havent got their required electronic gismos. Also do the charges apply to scooters as I am taking one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 Hi Don B You'll really enjoy Portugal, fantastic country. We were not that keen on the Algarve but that is a personal choice. I would suggest you use the Portuguese method, don't use the motorways! The only cars you see on the motorways are hired, Spanish or other nationalities. The majority of Poruguese roads are adequate to drive a campervan on - we're using 6.5 metres and would think anything even larger would be okay. There are a couple of camping organisations that offer a discount which I can't bring to mind at present but will contact you later when I look them up. Please leave a PM. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnerontheroad Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 alan - 2013-01-05 5:02 PM There are a couple of camping organisations that offer a discount which I can't bring to mind at present but will contact you later when I look them up. Please leave a PM. Alan[/quote Alan, Would you like to share the discout with us all please :-D Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 yes Dave but i'm in the half way through a dinner party i.m in trouble as it is see u tommorow Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnerontheroad Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 alan - 2013-01-05 5:20 PM yes Dave but i'm in the half way through a dinner party i.m in trouble as it is see u tommorow Alan Enjoy :$ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randonneur Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 We were speaking to some Friends on Skype yesterday who are staying at Lagos, they told us that where the bridge is coming from Spain and going along the Algarve there is a special lane for the Tolls and you pay with your credit card, it takes a photograph of your registration number and then takes the Toll charge automatically from your card. This wasn't there last year when we were there only a machine where the customs post is. They said that the A22 was virtually empty and came off onto the N125 after Faro which wasn't too bad.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 johnnerontheroad - 2013-01-05 5:09 PM alan - 2013-01-05 5:02 PM There are a couple of camping organisations that offer a discount which I can't bring to mind at present but will contact you later when I look them up. Please leave a PM. Alan Alan, Would you like to share the discout with us all please :-D Dave Orbitur is one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 alan - 2013-01-05 5:20 PM yes Dave but i'm in the half way through a dinner party i.m in trouble as it is see u tommorow Alan will it be on C4 come dine with me? :-D we used Orbitur sites a lot when we went..pretty decent on average Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwyn Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 We toured Portugal in the spring and just systematically avoided any motorway, we also found that Orbitur sites were comparatively expensive compared to others we found in a portuguese site book, even with the ACSI card. Most other sites we were paying between 9 and 14 € a night, thats with electric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnerontheroad Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 gwyn - 2013-01-05 6:54 PM Most other sites we were paying between 9 and 14 € a night, thats with electric Gwyn, Any chance of a list of the cheap sites. Thanks Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallii Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 No need to pay tolls, we just avoid the motorways, tootle along and enjoy the scenery. There is so much you miss using the m/way, stick to the non m/way routes and see the real Portugal, stop at the markets, small villages, towns and buy fish and vegetables at the local markets. Spend a night in most seaside villages (FOC) and enjoy the hospitality of the local bar/resturant. H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 Hi Folks Sorry for the delay in replying, I made love to a bottle of scotch last night! Judgmental -the dinner has been recorded for Channel 4, I'll let you know whenit's on! Brian's right, it was Orbitur I was thinking about, I can't find the paperwork concerned just now but you can pay a little extra on the first site and get discount on that and all the other sites you use, or you can apply online for your membership card in advance. Working from memory it was about 10 euros but well worth the discount at the height of the season. Out of season, I would think the ACSI sites may be still cheaper. We went July/August. Going back to the original thread, much more satisfactory to use the secondary roads, rather than the motorways. A lot of the towns are not bypassed and it does entail going over some cobbled streets but, in my opinion, still much more fun than plodding along a motorway which could be anywhere in Europe! Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwyn Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Its a whole book of them . Its called Camping Portugal, I bought it at one of the Orbitur sites and it was only about £4, the writing is in portuguese but there are maps and its vewry easy to use Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwyn Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Sorry forgot to add that this was out of season (may and june) when most prices were lees than acsi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonB Posted January 8, 2013 Author Share Posted January 8, 2013 Thanks for the information on Portuguese motorway tolls. Circumstances dictate that I will probably have to use the toll roads and I just wanted a clarification on the current situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drako Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 Hi, I concur with everyone, Portugal is great in a motorhome. we were there for 6 weeks in oct / nov and loved it. Good places to stop overnight free on arrival are the aire in Braganca or further south in Almeda (just outside the walls of the town), depending where in Spain you are coming from. If you fancy something different, €5 will buy you the right to park overnight at the fire station in Vila Vicosa ! For the tolls, we spent a lot of time in the Alentejo and along the Spanish border and found a couple of times it made a lot more sense to use a motorway for a short journey. You can buy a pre-paid card from any post office and then link your registration to the card via a mobile phone with a simple text, this way you have the option to enter an electronic toll only motorway if you need to - we used ours a couple of times and were glad to have done it. Using your credit card on entry into Portugal is only possible at 3 or 4 specific entry points. Only some motorways have the electronic only system, the post office will give you a map identifying them when you get your prepay card, on others there will be toll booths so you don't need a Via Verde electronic box. One useful tip, if you need to empty waste / fill up fresh water - given that in some ares MH service points are few and far between - all Orbitur campsites offer this service for around €3.50 for passing motorhomes. Enjoy.... ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonB Posted January 13, 2013 Author Share Posted January 13, 2013 Thanks for the information, Drako, just the sort of thing I wanted, including about the post office. We are off on Saturday, not long to go now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peter James Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 You can download the toll maps here; http://www.portugaltolls.pt/en/web/portal-de-portagens/home AA is good for continental driving requirements; http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/overseas/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vindiboy Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 Hi we have been up and down the Algarve for the past 6 weeks and stayed off the toll roads all the time, still easy to get around as traffic very light, every Brit I have spoken to have said the same , keep off the toll roads, if you must use them , as you approach Portugal from Spain crossing the bridge over the Guardiano river, {Algarve } there is a lane you can take that takes you to a machine, clearly marked in all languages and there you register your Credit ?Debit Card., record you reg no and the tolls are taken automatically, NOT ON YOUR NELLY I say but you do what you like, in the local paper here there are pictures of local cars being crushed for refusing to pay the tolls but using the roads anyway so it seems the are serious about the tolls.As I say getting around off the toll roads is no problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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