I am trying to decide if we should rent a car
We will be going from Lisbon to a Santiago Do Cacem, a small town in Alentejo, and then to Porto Covo , on the coast and then down to Faro. We will need to take the A2 and N 121. There are only a few buses that go this route and no bus route from Porto Covo so we would need to take a bus from Sines to Lagos and then the train to Faro.
How safe is driving? I've been reading about a lot of accidents and how drivers tailgate you and cut you off.
We prefer to use pubic transit whenever possible but have rented cars on occasion.
If you rent a car get the Via Verde transponder for the highway which can also be set up to pay for parking at some locations.
I also get the car rental ( not a third party ) extended CDW (Collision, Damage Waiver) insurance that covers everything including the tires – yes , that’s a new way for rental companies to get more money ( damage / wear on tires).
Familiarize yourself with driving in Portugal, items that stand out for me:
-entering and exiting a multi-lane roundabout – not as simple as it looks
-pedestrian crossings that aren’t controlled by lights – scary how pedestrians just cross in front of cars traveling at full speed
-disrespect of stop signs – more of a suggestion for Portuguese drivers
-bikes between cars
-driving a manual transmission car on the hills and NOT rolling back into car the behind me
-very slippery cobble stone roads when wet
-very narrow spaces to drive in some areas
-can’t find parking
-know the words for fuel – Gasoleo is Diesel – Gasolina is Gasoline
If you rent a diesel fueled car be aware that pollution reducing additives are required to run the engine - Adblue additive is one example -
make sure the rental agency fills the car with the additive before you take possession of the car.
We found that driving on the highways outside of cities was good, inside the cities was stressful.
I have driven in Portugal many times but only just found out that you should stay on the inside lane on roundabouts until ready to exit. So take the inside lane if going straight on until you reach the exit then move across. In other countries you would take the outside lane for this manoeuvre.
To be honest, many people do drive like that here even though you’re not supposed to so no wonder I didn’t notice.
As it sounds like you have no intention of driving in Lisbon or Porto, you should be fine. I don’t notice much difference in driving in Portugal than in Italy. Both countries have some wild drivers at times, so you have to be aware. But, I’ve driven in a number of areas and across the country with no problems.
As stated above, get a transponder from the rental company but most rental cars already have them. Also, don’t be tempted to get a larger car. Many of the streets in the smaller towns are very narrow and parking spaces weren’t designed for large cars.
