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10 Oct 2024, 09:09 (Ref:4230213) | #1 | |
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To Drive or Not to Drive in Portugal?
I'm starting to plan a Portugal trip for next year, and I'm stuck on the whole transportation issue. Part of me wants to rent a car for the freedom, but I've heard some wild stories about driving there, such as a Reddit thread from a few years back where expats shared experiences and advice: https://www.reddit.com/r/PortugalExp...g_in_portugal/
The discussions left me questioning if road conditions and driver behavior are really as challenging as depicted. I'm quite torn, as renting would allow greater flexibility to explore coastal roads and secluded villages off the beaten path. However, relying on trains and buses could spare me potential hassles. For those who have personally traveled through Portugal by vehicle, I'd appreciate any insights or anecdotes you may care to share. In particular, perspectives on what the driving environment is truly like from a safety and navigational standpoint would be most helpful as I weigh my transportation options. Any tips for navigating Portuguese roads with ease would also be welcomed. |
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10 Oct 2024, 14:00 (Ref:4230251) | #2 | ||
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I love how they call themselves "expats" rather than what they are: "immigrants"
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10 Oct 2024, 16:36 (Ref:4230276) | #3 | ||
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I have holidayed in Portugal a few times in the past, and have always hired a car for the duration of the visits. I never found the local driving any worse, or better, than I did in France, Spain or Italy; you just have to be prepared and anticipate that the locals may do some thing that you didn't expect them to do.
And I was always able to return the hire cars in exactly the same condition as when originally picked up from the airport. |
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10 Oct 2024, 17:20 (Ref:4230281) | #4 | |||
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As to the experience of driving in Portugal as Mike reports I had absolutely no issue driving there, bike, personal car or car of rental and I did it quite a few times. I just appreciated that the police cars are really slow… My experience of cars of rental slightly differs though, Mikes stated: "And I was always able to return the hire cars in exactly the same condition as when originally picked up from the airport."When I can write "in exactly the same position! |
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Celui qui est parti de rien pour arriver nulle part,n'a de merci a dire a personne.Pour ceux qui vont chercher midi a quatorze heures, la minute de Vérité risque de se faire attendre longtemps. |
11 Oct 2024, 02:48 (Ref:4230345) | #5 | |
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I remember being called an 'expat' in the past, but I never really considered the distinction before, @Magneton. Now that I think about it, it can be a temporary status for work purposes.
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11 Oct 2024, 03:15 (Ref:4230346) | #6 | ||
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Part of being prepared is also reading articles about the destination. I found an informative piece about Sintra, which is around a half-hour drive from Lisbon. It provides some interesting insights into the town's tourism trends: https://gowithguide.com/blog/tourism...el-trends-5747 |
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11 Oct 2024, 03:30 (Ref:4230348) | #7 | ||
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I'm glad to hear more positive experiences about driving in Portugal. It's reassuring that both of you found it manageable. Just gotta keep my wits about me and maybe learn a few Portuguese phrases for the road, right? Thanks for sharing your experiences. |
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11 Oct 2024, 06:13 (Ref:4230362) | #8 | ||
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In most places of Portugal you'll find a warm welcome. They are wonderful mechanics too, they love cars (and soccer too…) and its in their DNA to properly fix cars rather than just changing parts or scrapping vehicles.
This country hosts two big tracks, Estoril (near Sintra/Lisbon) and Portimao located in Algarve county (south). |
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Celui qui est parti de rien pour arriver nulle part,n'a de merci a dire a personne.Pour ceux qui vont chercher midi a quatorze heures, la minute de Vérité risque de se faire attendre longtemps. |
11 Oct 2024, 08:39 (Ref:4230382) | #9 | ||||
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Sorry for the "derail" I was just amused recently seeing some muppet living in Spain going on about Brexit / Immigrants being "called out" on being an immigrant himself! |
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11 Oct 2024, 11:16 (Ref:4230400) | #10 | |
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Haven,t been there for a few years , but did the Algarve rally back in the 80s 90s .
That was mostly in the southern half of the country . Found normal drivers not to bad , but perhaps a bit erratic in the cities . Out of the big towns / cities , a lot of the roads are not well maintained , cobbled , even dirt / gravel surfaces on country roads . Going back through the Spanish border I did notice that they seemed to think the Portuguese drivers needed checking more than normal, perhaps because they took less notice of traffic laws and vehicle safety standards . |
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11 Oct 2024, 14:30 (Ref:4230416) | #11 | ||
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I've driven my own (RHD) cars in Portugal on several occasions (first time in 1966) and hire cars (LHD) on a couple of times. I didn't find it any different from driving anywhere else in Europe. And the Portugese are nice people with a great country.
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13 Oct 2024, 19:06 (Ref:4230898) | #12 | ||
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There really isn’t a problem driving in Portugal …. motorways are well maintained, with auto payment systems & other roads are generally well maintained.
Drivers are like anywhere , could be any nationality, just in a Portuguese reg’d car ! Generally no more problems than in any EU country. Worst aspect , as anywhere are the rental companies; check the t&c’s concerning fueling policy & check the car for damage etc before you leave their premises… photo & report them …. again, just like in any other country. Portugal is a great country, enjoy exploring it ! |
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14 Oct 2024, 01:50 (Ref:4230914) | #13 | ||
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14 Oct 2024, 02:01 (Ref:4230916) | #14 | ||
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14 Oct 2024, 02:06 (Ref:4230917) | #15 | |
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It's reassuring to hear from someone who's driven there multiple times over the years. Your comment about the Portuguese being nice people is encouraging too. Thanks for sharing your experience, @morninggents!
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14 Oct 2024, 02:15 (Ref:4230921) | #16 | ||
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14 Oct 2024, 15:02 (Ref:4230970) | #17 | |
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If you know where you are going you could look it up on GOOGLE EARTH , and then street view . but it does look like only the main roads are on street view , and a lot of the country roads which are not on there are still unsurfaced .
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15 Oct 2024, 01:42 (Ref:4231014) | #18 | |
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Thanks for the tip on using Google Earth and Street View. That's a great idea to get a better sense of the road conditions, especially for the main roads. I also checked how often Google updates the street view, and it seems Google tries to update Street View images in major cities once a year and in less populated areas every three years.
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15 Oct 2024, 03:00 (Ref:4231019) | #19 | |||
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I moved house 5 years ago. My old house was demolished and a couple of new houses were built on the land. Those houses have despite Covid delays been built, sold, and moved into certainly over three years ago. Google Earth still shows my old house intact and my car from 6 years ago in the driveway. Oh I just saw the date. 2018 is the latest view available.. I checked my current house. Just one klm away. I have lived here for just shy of 5 years. The house was a new build for me. Google Earth has my current house being nothing but flat (cleared) land, albeit with foundations marked out and building ready. It is also dated 2018, albeit December 2018. I suspect Melbourne classifies as a major city, and with a population of over 5 million certainly the inner suburbs are well populated. Google seems to be well short of their claims, even the 3 year claim for less populated areas. 3 years shy of their 3 year target. Good luck with your trip, and I hope Google see rural Portugal as a higher priority than they do inner Melbourne. What Google Earth show may not bear much resemblance to reality. |
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16 Oct 2024, 01:56 (Ref:4231133) | #20 | ||
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16 Oct 2024, 19:49 (Ref:4231216) | #21 | ||
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Well may be a classified field but… I had to plan a trip to a very democratic country, which might be Tunisia or the like and very few reliable info if any was available. I mainly use a free version of Tomtom software with "some" improvements. What I did for me and our small group was to take as many as possible waypoints from Google Earth and implement them in the system. Worked beyond expectations. But I must say that we've a great habit of driving in the desert, some of us are plane pilot and we've a lot of curiosity for Middle Age civilizations…
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Celui qui est parti de rien pour arriver nulle part,n'a de merci a dire a personne.Pour ceux qui vont chercher midi a quatorze heures, la minute de Vérité risque de se faire attendre longtemps. |
17 Oct 2024, 02:42 (Ref:4231227) | #22 | ||
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17 Oct 2024, 09:23 (Ref:4231244) | #23 | |
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I used to deliver a few customer cars . A 4X4 with clamshell trailer has limited rear vision and not easy to reverse .
So I would look at Google Earth Streetview to see if where I was going had good access , room to unload and turn around . Not always easy but you do not want to be stuck in a narrow lane or somewhere which has very limited space . |
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17 Oct 2024, 19:51 (Ref:4231293) | #24 | ||
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The best route in Portugal is said to be EN 222, west of Porto, especially the section between Peso da Régua and Pinhão.
https://www.roadstotravel.net/portug...onal-road-222/ |
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18 Oct 2024, 12:34 (Ref:4231406) | #25 | ||
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I think you mean East of Porto. West may be a bit wet!
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