Mikeandthewife Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 Hi Just retired and going to try a trip to Portugal for the first time in our Hymer beginning of May for a couple of months or so, north Portugal first then wind our way towards Gibralter, been to France regular but not Portugal or Spain. I would appreciate loads of varied advice from seasoned campers. I have loads of questions. However, a bit at a time. Does anyone have sound advice on best route (which includes the argument on ferries or road) I appriciate its timescale v cost, but some of you will have been there done that and have a good argument for why you go that route, thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Smart Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 Hi I travelled to Spain and Portugal for a month with my family in July 2015 in our 8 Metre Bailey Motorhome, with no problems. We took the Ferry from Portsmouth to Bilbao, then made our was across North Spain stopping for a couple of days in The Picos De Europa, Then 2 nights in Santaigo De Compostela at Camping As Cancelas, which I would recommend. After 3 nights on the coast in Galicia we ventured into North Portugal. As my Van is over 3.5 tons we completely avoided the Portuguese Motorways,( just dont go there). It was fairly easy. Our first and highly recommended site was Camping Penha, in Guimaraes, the old Historic capital a beautiful old City. The Campsite was truly unique, being about 2000 ft on top of a mountain above the City, quite a paradise. The way to get in to the City was via a cable car from near the site which takes you right into the city centre. Very cheap too. We then travelled south to Vila real, then Nazarre on the coast known for the biggest surf waves in the world (just check you tube) Our last stop in Portugal was in an old fortified town called elvas. I have heard Evora is highly recommended. We then crossed the border back into Spain stopping at Salamanca a UNESCO world heritage site and beautiful city staying at Camping Regio, which I would recommend. Our last stop in Spain was in the Stunning old City of San Sebastian in the North Basque region, famous for its food. We stayed at Camping Igueldo just outside the city, but with a great bus service. We then took the ferry from Bilbao to Portsmouth after staying overnight at Bilbao Ferry Port for the 1030 am sailing. Prices in general were very reasonable. We stayed away from the Costas and found the real Spain and Portugal. We plan to return again sometime soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solwaybuggier Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 We’ve been to Portugal 3 years in last 4, love it - overall very laid back and a lot calmer than Spain. We travel down through France - part of the journey for us - if you’re retired why not take your time over it? Campsites in Portugal are often a bit uneven in standard- just use your own facilities, and they’re often very cheap - some are below lowest ACSI rates. Some very good municipal sites inland. Best tip for sites is to buy the Guia Roteiro campsite guide - which Vicarious Leisure now stock. Almost every site in the country is included, and lots of them offer a discount if you have the guide, which is not expensive at £9.99, so it pays for itself in days. Starting to see a growth in private aires in Portugal - some of them are excellent - eg Casa Azul just outside Obidos, or Mikki’s Place at Pêra in the Algarve. The website http://www.campingcarportugal.com/areasServico?l=english is very useful for aires. Overall Portugal is very cheap, particularly in the inland areas - although the Algarve is noticeably dearer. I agree with previous poster about Salamanca, but not about Camping Regio - hotel staff are incredibly rude, and site is scruffy out of season, although washrooms are fine. There are alternatives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallii Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 I have been to Portugal many times but not in the last 3 years. I have used Bilbao ferry and the Santander ferry, I found them expensive. I have also driven through France and Spain by various routes. Going straight to Portugal I drive through France and use the Somport tunnel then across Spain and into Portugal. I never use toll motorways. From Calais Portugal takes about 5 or 6 days for me, I don't rush and I start driving around 10 am and finish about 4 or 5 pm. There are good roads through Spain and plenty of places to stay overnight. Use the Camperstop Europe book, it lists plenty. Portugal has lots of places to overnight, many free, but things are, I believe changing, new Aires are being built and you are expected to use them. Portugese people are friendly and the country is well organised, many speak excellent English but a few words of Portugese will be appreciated ( note Portugese, not Spanish ). I have been along the entire coast of Portugal and the Algarve is my favourite, warm and without the wind you can get on the Atlantic coast. Driving through Spain and Portugal is easy, just remember they do things a little differently :-) Buy fresh fish from the best fish markets in Europe, for the rest there are Lidl stores all over. PM me if you want to know anything specific, my wife will probably know the answer:-) H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikeandthewife Posted January 30, 2018 Author Share Posted January 30, 2018 Hi thanks for reply and good info. You mention steering clear of Portuguese motorways? We mainly use motorways for ease of getting a to b over long distances and now I'm worried, why steer clear?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikeandthewife Posted January 30, 2018 Author Share Posted January 30, 2018 Hi Thanks for info, will send for that campsite guide tonight. My wife needs to use a mobility scooter so getting into the towns can sometimes be tricky, some of the French Aires are perfect when in or very close to towns Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 We went to Portugal for the first time last September/October, out by ferry but drove back through France. We loved it, found ourselves going back inland rather than sticking to the coast, and found some really nice Aires - which we preferred to the campsites we used, which were not that good. The All the Aires Spain & Portugal worked well for us. We also have the ACSI book but as I said, the sites were not expensive but not that appealing - all fairly cramped pitches and variable facilities. Once we discovered that Intermarche supermarkets have laundry facilities, we stopped using sites. Cost of living is really cheap; Pingo Doce are very nice supermarkets - a bit like Waitrose but much cheaper. Try white port chilled in the fridge, it's lovely and only about 6€ per bottle. And of course Pastel de Nata tarts. I was averaging four or five per day! Pingo Doce supermarkets have cafes inside at the bakery and do a "menu 1" deal of coffee and a Pastel de Nata tarts for 1€ - heaven! The drive back was easy so we won't bother with the ferry again - we had to book way, way ahead to get a kennel and it didn't work well for our dog. Our top-grade cabin was nice and worth the extra money but it's not really a cruise (as promoted) and if the weather was rough, well I don't think we would have enjoyed it. My wife thought it was "rough" in the Bay of Biscay just from the ocean swell - when it was actually flat calm! We registered our credit card to use the toll motorways and used them fairly liberally. The total cost over 6 weeks was less than £50 and might have been less than £25 so don't get frightened off using them when it's convenient. The non-motorway roads in Portugal are not as good as in France. We stayed North of Lisbon (we'd been to Lisbon and the Algarve before) and didn't regret it. Lots of really nice places. We'll be going again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikeandthewife Posted January 30, 2018 Author Share Posted January 30, 2018 Thanks H Always used motorways in the past because of ease all though tolls make it very exspensive and they are a bit boring, would be interested in what route you take, do you plan it or does Sat nav do it for you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Smart Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 Hi Regarding the motorways, I have here a link to another forum, which pretty much sums up The Portuguese Motorways. https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/the-saga-of-the-portuguese-tolls-%E2%80%93-a-user%E2%80%99s-explanation.54894/ Also you can visit the official Motorway site; http://www.portugaltolls.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Smart Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 Hi I always plan our routes, I use a Sat nav and always add at least one Via point, usually a lunch stop so that the sat nav takes us the way I want to go. You can set the sat nav to avoid tolls, which I used in Portugal and in Austria. It worked very well. I meant to mention not all Motorways in Portugal are toll roads. Another handy link http://www.all-about-portugal.com/updated-portugal-electronic-tolls-with-map/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikeandthewife Posted January 30, 2018 Author Share Posted January 30, 2018 Hi Thanks for reply, we like using the Aires in France, never used to we always used campsites, we then realised a lot of Aires as well as being cheaper, where actually closer to towns centres which was great for us with the wife needing to use a mobility scooter. Glad you mention some of the Aires you stayed on where good, I purchased the Aires Spain/Portugal and a lot of the photos do appear to look a bit baron especially compared to those in France, so pleased about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikeandthewife Posted January 30, 2018 Author Share Posted January 30, 2018 Heard the tolls are a bit all over the place in Portugal, some pay by card others not and something about having to stop at first service station and get pre-paid card set up before you enter Portugal, is that correct or am I reading to far into it all. On the same subject, my wife finds it difficult to reach the toll booths for tickets and payments meaning I have to either stretch over or get out of the van to deal with it and was thinking of getting one of these toll readers believe they are called Sanef in France, have you used these and if yes do you know if you can you use these in France/Spain/Portugal, thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikeandthewife Posted January 30, 2018 Author Share Posted January 30, 2018 Hi Just read it thanks, says it all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solwaybuggier Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 MikeyPikey - 2018-01-30 5:40 PM Heard the tolls are a bit all over the place in Portugal, some pay by card others not and something about having to stop at first service station and get pre-paid card set up before you enter Portugal, is that correct or am I reading to far into it all. On the same subject, my wife finds it difficult to reach the toll booths for tickets and payments meaning I have to either stretch over or get out of the van to deal with it and was thinking of getting one of these toll readers believe they are called Sanef in France, have you used these and if yes do you know if you can you use these in France/Spain/Portugal, thanks. You can buy a Via Verde box for toll motorways in Portugal from www.tolltickets.com - I think there’s also somewhere you can buy 2 transponders, 1 to cover France & 1 for Spain & Portugal, but I can’t recall where I’m afraid. (We use ATMB for France.) The Guia Roteira May be worth hanging back on - the one in stock at Vicarious is showing as the 2017 edition , so no valid discount car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikeandthewife Posted January 30, 2018 Author Share Posted January 30, 2018 Hi Thanks for toll feedback. Good point about 2017 guide was going to order it later as well so thanks will wait a while Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshortcircuit Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 We entered from the south at Castro Marim? As you enter Portugal there is a lay-by with CCTV cameras and register machines. Takes details of your credit card and registration number so tolls automatically taken. We had not intended using motorway but on advise registered which was a godsent as we found the minor road dreadful. Enjoy as we will be over sometime this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallii Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 MikeyPikey - 2018-01-30 5:06 PM Thanks H Always used motorways in the past because of ease all though tolls make it very exspensive and they are a bit boring, would be interested in what route you take, do you plan it or does Sat nav do it for you? Yes, I use the satnav, but always have a look at the map first. Stick with the main roads and you should be OK. As regards the route, I would need a bit of time to do it fully, but if you put "Calais France to Faro Portugal" and use the alternative route through the Somport tunnel (Pau to Jaca ) you will be fine. PS I don't use toll motorways usually, but if you stay on the m/way round Rouen and Potiers France it will be quicker, the non toll route through Spain is good fast roads, to travel any distance in Portugal it is best to use the m/ways the tolls are small. H H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikeandthewife Posted January 30, 2018 Author Share Posted January 30, 2018 Hi Wasn't aware about the minor roads being bad, from what your saying it makes sense using the motorways, after much reading by all who answered my call which has been great, we are now thinking of driving through France entering Portugal from the North so will have to watch out for signs to register van. You say you will be there around then you may see us, we will be in a Hymer, probably lost with a big smile on our faces showing we don't care, thanks for info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikeandthewife Posted January 30, 2018 Author Share Posted January 30, 2018 Hi H Info is great thanks I will use it, I've made note of your comments and soon as I get hold of a decent map, will plan a route, going on Google maps shortly also to get my head around your sugestions re tunnel etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshortcircuit Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 We were shaken to bits on the minor roads, full of potholes and not much maintenance, much like where this country is heading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laimeduck Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 sshortcircuit - 2018-01-31 8:13 AMWe were shaken to bits on the minor roads, full of potholes and not much maintenance, much like where this country is heading. Was there for 2 months last year - Yup I totally agree with this - and for minor roads read most non- motorway roads. (Spanish roads in comparison are like billiard tables) As far as maps are concerned the Michelin yellow atlas of Spain & Portugal is ideal. Lots of one year old ones on Ebay will do the job at a discount price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliffy Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 If I was going in May I would get the ferry to Santander, drive as far south as you intend to go as quick as possible and then enjoy working your way back north. The weather in north west Spain and Portugal can be cool and wet in May going to the south first means you get to good weather quickly and then in to warmer weather in June and July in the north. We went over two years ago to do the west coast route down to Gib, we spent two/three weeks working our way down and got as far as Porto and gave up and headed east to the Med. We had horrendous problems with tolls. My advice wound be to register at the first service area you come to on the motor way into Portugal even if you don't expect to use the toll roads. Once into the middle of Portugal there is no convenient to pay. You can buy loaded tickets at MAIN Post offices but you have to guess how much you need loading on and you have to activate and link it to your vehicle by phone. (They got one number plate digit wrong when we activated the card so it all went wrong). On most toll roads the toll is taken by ANP recognition as you drive along but when we were there in 2016 there were still some barrier tolls which we had to pay extra for. (The tolls from Porto to the eastern Portugal border added up t0 21 Euros in 2016) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikeandthewife Posted January 31, 2018 Author Share Posted January 31, 2018 Was looking in Waterstones today at maps, yes eBay would be cheaper option, thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikeandthewife Posted January 31, 2018 Author Share Posted January 31, 2018 Great info thanks, makes a lot of sense (re-weather and tolls), still not sure about the best option regards to ferry or drive yet need to think about that one a bit more. When you went to Gibraltar, where did you stay/camp, because Gib is definitely on our list of places to visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliffy Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 MikeyPikey - 2018-01-31 10:09 PM Great info thanks, makes a lot of sense (re-weather and tolls), still not sure about the best option regards to ferry or drive yet need to think about that one a bit more. When you went to Gibraltar, where did you stay/camp, because Gib is definitely on our list of places to visit. We did not get to Gibraltar we went east instead. The site we were going to stay at in Gib was actually just across the border in Spain near enough for us to ride our bikes in and thereby avoid the border crossing queues Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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