Barcobird Posted July 22, 2021 Share Posted July 22, 2021 As if Brexit and covid haven't dramatically reduced the number of motorhome tourists to Portugal along with the new rules introduced in January, they have from Monday this week stipulated further sanctions. Briefly you can only spend up to 48 hours in one town (I don't know how that will be policed, maybe a ticket from town hall). They are also considering digital registration. You won´t be able to park a motorhome in a car park if its less than 500 meters from a beach. The full story can be found on this link which may be of help for anyone with a trip planned. https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/2021-07-21/harsh-new-laws-for-motorhomes-in-portugal-in-the-works/61191 Apparently there are 250,000 to 300,000 motorhomes that visit Portugal every year, perhaps they want the campsites used more or maybe they just don't want them anymore ? *-) Peter B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverback Posted July 22, 2021 Share Posted July 22, 2021 won't bother going there again then, will stick to Spain Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtravel Posted July 22, 2021 Share Posted July 22, 2021 Of course it's curious. You live in a 99% motorhome unfriendly country, no-overnight or no-sleeping almost everywhere but you complain if some other place restrictions that I think are entirely legitimate. It is also curious that many tourists have left your island. In the past few years motorhomers' sites were full of inquiries about your island, all destinations, from Land's End to John O'Groats, Orkney Islands and Inner or Outer Hebrides included. Can you believe that for two years on a site like camperonline.it (many more than one hundred thousand subscribers) there have been no posts about the United Kingdom ? I meant zero. Max Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weldted Posted July 22, 2021 Share Posted July 22, 2021 Having been to Portugal many times over the years, we have seen first hand how some campers from many different countries abuse the privilege. We were at an old factory where it was free to stay had water, waste disposal and electric. There were vans there (not Portuguese) that had been there for in some cases months, a large Hymer had a domestic washing machine in the garage, where vans had air con this was running all day even when no one was in the van. A small van done out like a travelling shop used to call twice a day, he was from the village just down the road. We stayed there for two nights and made a point of buying some products from him. Out of around fifteen vans we were the only ones that did. Some of the vans looked like travelling shops the amount of stuff in them, one chap said you wont catch me buying from here its much cheaper in the major town. That may well be the case but staying somewhere for free with power and water an effort to support the local economy would have been nice. Then you wonder why they are tightening up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barcobird Posted July 22, 2021 Author Share Posted July 22, 2021 mtravel - 2021-07-22 3:38 PM Of course it's curious. You live in a 99% motorhome unfriendly country, no-overnight or no-sleeping almost everywhere but you complain if some other place restrictions that I think are entirely legitimate. It is also curious that many tourists have left your island. In the past few years motorhomers' sites were full of inquiries about your island, all destinations, from Land's End to John O'Groats, Orkney Islands and Inner or Outer Hebrides included. Can you believe that for two years on a site like camperonline.it (many more than one hundred thousand subscribers) there have been no posts about the United Kingdom ? I meant zero. Max Hi Max, Don’t know where you are from it seems to have been omitted from your details. I’m not sure if your comments were directed at me or English in general. I am a legal resident of Portugal and agree the UK does nothing to help motorhomers other than to herd them into overpriced campsites, however my post was of an informative nature about Portugal for anyone wishing to visit. Possibly their actions are due to not only to foreigners but Portuguese taking advantage of overnight stops and carrying out improper actions. Unfortunately the authorities here have gone from leniency to almost no parking outside of official aires and campsites within 8 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barcobird Posted July 22, 2021 Author Share Posted July 22, 2021 silverback - 2021-07-22 10:58 AM won't bother going there again then, will stick to Spain Jonathan Unfortunately that will be the attitude of many and not really what the Portuguese need right now, tourism has been totally desolated in the Algarve with many businesses going under :-| Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barcobird Posted July 22, 2021 Author Share Posted July 22, 2021 weldted - 2021-07-22 4:29 PM Having been to Portugal many times over the years, we have seen first hand how some campers from many different countries abuse the privilege. We were at an old factory where it was free to stay had water, waste disposal and electric. There were vans there (not Portuguese) that had been there for in some cases months, a large Hymer had a domestic washing machine in the garage, where vans had air con this was running all day even when no one was in the van. A small van done out like a travelling shop used to call twice a day, he was from the village just down the road. We stayed there for two nights and made a point of buying some products from him. Out of around fifteen vans we were the only ones that did. Some of the vans looked like travelling shops the amount of stuff in them, one chap said you wont catch me buying from here its much cheaper in the major town. That may well be the case but staying somewhere for free with power and water an effort to support the local economy would have been nice. Then you wonder why they are tightening up. This has been the case over many years and with the influx of ever increasing numbers the situation has got worse. However this does not apply just to foreigners, the Portuguese are no saints. Motorhomes aside If you look in the woods near the beaches there is excrement and toilet paper everywhere, just cars in the car park no motorhomes (they have there own toilet anyway ;-) ) Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weldted Posted July 22, 2021 Share Posted July 22, 2021 That’s true, we went to Pria Amondo, we left as the smell was unbelievable, as you motorhomes have toilets but get a lot of stick, at Boca de Ro we watched two vans take there cassettes dig a hole in the sand right on the beach, empty them then went into the sea to rinse them out, didn’t even fill the holes in. Vans have not been allowed to stay overnight for a number of years there now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJB Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 If there are too many Lemmings some have to fall off the cliff....it happens everywhere! ;-) *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John52 Posted August 1, 2021 Share Posted August 1, 2021 mtravel - 2021-07-22 3:38 PM no-overnight or no-sleeping almost everywhere I don't know how they would prove I was asleep ;-) Or what constitutes 'overnight' and how they would prove it unless there was cctv - certainly its routinely ignored. My understanding is those signs have no legal backing. One Guy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Strangeway has taken Councils to court to have them removed Last I heard one blogger was suing Scarborough Council for damages - apparently their 'residents only' parking signs were not enforceable, and he was claiming damages for his going to park somewhere else when he didn't need to. The police don't want to know. One copper told me flat out 'I couldn't care less where you park - parking enforcement is the council's job and they are not working tonight' (lol) Like when I was in Italy a local Guy told me 'In Italy Everything is Prohibited, but Everything is Possible' (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 1, 2021 Share Posted August 1, 2021 There is a ‘joke’ (sometimes attributed to Winston Chuchill) that goes as follows: “In England, everything is permitted except what is forbidden. In Germany, everything is forbidden except what is permitted. In France, everything is allowed, even what is prohibited. In Russia, everything is prohibited, even what is permitted.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vindiboy Posted August 2, 2021 Share Posted August 2, 2021 Barcobird - 2021-07-22 10:08 AM As if Brexit and covid haven't dramatically reduced the number of motorhome tourists to Portugal along with the new rules introduced in January, they have from Monday this week stipulated further sanctions. Briefly you can only spend up to 48 hours in one town (I don't know how that will be policed, maybe a ticket from town hall). They are also considering digital registration. You won´t be able to park a motorhome in a car park if its less than 500 meters from a beach. The full story can be found on this link which may be of help for anyone with a trip planned. https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/2021-07-21/harsh-new-laws-for-motorhomes-in-portugal-in-the-works/61191 Apparently there are 250,000 to 300,000 motorhomes that visit Portugal every year, perhaps they want the campsites used more or maybe they just don't want them anymore ? *-) Peter B-) On Monday, deputies approved amendments to the parking of motorhomes, deciding that outside protected areas, overnight stays are allowed "for a maximum period of 48 hours in the same municipality" and suggesting the creation of a registration platform, changes that still have to go to the final vote in the plenary of the Assembly of the Republic. I read that as not one town but one municipality ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barcobird Posted August 2, 2021 Author Share Posted August 2, 2021 vindiboy - 2021-08-02 3:07 PM Barcobird - 2021-07-22 10:08 AM Briefly you can only spend up to 48 hours in one town Peter B-) On Monday, deputies approved amendments to the parking of motorhomes, deciding that outside protected areas, overnight stays are allowed "for a maximum period of 48 hours in the same municipality" and suggesting the creation of a registration platform, changes that still have to go to the final vote in the plenary of the Assembly of the Republic. I read that as not one town but one municipality ?? I believe a town is a municipality there are 308 and a county is a concelho of which there are 18 There are then 5 sections, Algarve, Alentejo, Lisbon and Tagus Valley, Center and Porto and North. It is rather confusing because I don’t know what a village is and there are loads that come under the umbrella of a town. Nothing is straightforward here (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barcobird Posted August 13, 2021 Author Share Posted August 13, 2021 The President of the Republic has approved the controversial law regarding motorhome parking in Portugal. The new law states that, outside protected areas, overnight stays are allowed “for a maximum period of 48 hours in the same municipality”. According to the approved bills, regarding article 50-A, “the overnight stay and parking of motorhomes or similar are prohibited in areas of the Natura 2000 Network, protected areas and areas covered by the Coastal Waterfront Plans, except in places expressly authorised for this purpose”. “In the rest of the territory and in the absence of municipal regulation for the activity, motorhomes approved by IMT - Institute of Mobility and Transport, are allowed to stay overnight for a maximum period of 48 hours in the same municipality, except in places expressly authorised for this purpose, for which there is no limit on overnight stays”, the text reads. The bill maintains the fine for those who violate the rules for the prohibition of overnight stays and the parking of motorhomes or similar outside places expressly authorised for that purpose, which “is fined with an amount of between €60 and €300”, unless the fine is related to the Natura 2000 network areas, protected areas and zones covered by the Coastal Waterfront Planning, in which case “the fine is between €120 and €600”. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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