4 Things you need to know before renting a car and driving in Portugal

Going on a road trip in an excellent way to know Portugal. This country has beautiful landscapes, lovely towns, and delightful beaches along all its coastline. If you are planning a self-drive tour, there are a few things you should know before renting a car and driving in Portugal:

1. Road-tripping in Portugal can be budget savvy

One of the advantages of road tripping is that you can choose where to go and how much time you want to spend in one place. Besides, you can avoid touristic and expensive destinations an find better and affordable sites to visit. If you are on a budget, but you still want to get to know Portugal, you can choose to rent an economic car, it would cost you around 20 EUR per day plus gas, if you rent a car for a week you could get a better price, and don’t forget to book your car with time! It could save you a lot of money!   

2. Driving in Portugal could be two completely different experiences

Portuguese drivers have a reputation of being impatient, but that doesn’t have to deterred you from driving in Portugal. While driving in some cities, like Lisbon, can be difficult because of its narrow streets, precipitous hills and heavy traffic, driving in countryside roads in Portugal is a pleasing experience, the roads are great, landscape is beautiful, and traffic is unusual. Just be aware that Portuguese drive on the right hand of the road (as most European countries), and cars are usually manual (automatic cars are more expensive to rent). You can find more information here: autoportugal.co.uk.

3. Plan your Route ahead

Portugal has probably one of the best coastlines in the world. Particularly in the region of Algarve, Portugal beaches are beautiful, with its multi-colored cliffs, breathtaking sunrises and sunsets, clear aquamarine waters and beautiful landscapes that you would never forget. So, plan your route ahead and make sure to pinpoint all GPS coordinates for places of interest, plus accommodations for each day of travel. Take into account that some rent-a-car companies offer to do this for you when renting a car.

4. Be prepared for the tolls

Most motorways, such as the A1 between Lisbon and Porto, the are now toll roads. You could drive around Portugal avoiding all tolls, visiting beautiful towns and beaches, but if you miss an exit, you could end up in one of those. Be prepared, in Portugal there is two types of tolls: entirely electronic tolls and those that allow other types of payment such as cash. Your car rental company should offer an electronic device that register all toll fees, it is not expensive, or you could prepay your toll fees. There are plenty of options to pay tolls and have a relaxed road trip in Portugal.