Planning a rent a car in Lisbon and drive to Salema and to other towns in Algarve and then to possible Seville and to Ronda spain and coming back to Lisbon..
For anybody experienced driving in Portugal.. how's the driving there??
are there ZTL like in Italy, I need to worry about??
What are the parking situations in Algarve region - are there plentiful??
Which auto rental company do you recommend from Lisbon??
thank you for your help...
Roads in Portugal are very good and, other than being in cities, a pleasure to drive. I do not remember any ZTL type restrictions. The only stop I made in the Algarve was the small town of Salema where I found street parking next to my B & B. I rent cars through AutoEurope and the best deal at the time was from Hertz. I normally accept the lowest price offering based on car class and convenience of pickup location. Both Sevilla and Ronda have large underground public parking available that I found very convenient.
The roads are great in Portugal and in general I do not remember any problems from my road trip. There are toll roads, but no ZTL kind of situations like in Italy. Parking is always an issue anywhere in Europe. Do your research on Google maps and read parking lot reviews or ask your host/hotel for recommendations. I used Hertz in Lisbon based on comparing prices. I also chose to pick up my car in Lisbon and not the airport because the reviews at the airport locations were so terrible. It was not difficult driving out of Lisbon.
There are pedestrian only areas/streets in most towns, so be on the lookout for them. Most use bollards to keep vehicles out.
If driving the back roads the going can be slow because of all the small towns you’ll pass through. The roads themselves are fine. We didn’t go to the Algarve area, but were able to park in free lots (looked them up before the trip) everywhere we went. The highway type roads are almost all toll roads. We rented through Enterprise and picked up/dropped off in Madrid.
Thank you Phillip.. If I find street parking - how do I know it is a legal street parking?? Are there parking meters involved??
Bill, thank you for the tip.. I'll sure to use other pickup place other than the airport in Lisbon....Google map research is a great tip...
And jaimeelsabio - when you mention look up free lots before the trip... you mean via Google map?? what do i enter.. free parking lots?? I tried to enter that for Salema.. and nothing came up... hmm..
Thank you all for your wonderful tips.. it is helpful..
Yes, Google maps. The only public lot in Salema seems to be by the beach and it appears to be free. When looking at maps in street view I didn’t see any payment machines or signs indicating it was pay parking.
To find parking lots in PortugaI or Spain search on estacionamento, aparcamiento, or just parking. Free is gratuito.
We usually use AutoEurope ( an aggregator) to rent and buy the CDW insurance from the car rental agency .
Some of the issues I've encountered:
- multi lane roundabouts
- large speed bumps
- pedestrians crossing the road without warning, if there's a pedestrian on the sidewalk approaching the crosswalk the car must stop
- narrow roads in the small villages or old areas of the city
- parking is scarce
- poor signage in same areas, a good GPS is a must
- horrible traffic inside Lisbon and Porto, we use public transit inside the city
Most highways don't have physical toll booths, get the Via Verde transponder from the rental agency for the electronic tolls.
Don't leave any items visible in the car, theft is common.
Hi jaimeelsabio - finding parking via google map is a wonderful idea.. good tip.. I like it.. : )
HI aulopone - yes we have used autoeurope before, and we liked the platform.. - my CC has primary CDW insurance benefit.. is that sufficient for portugal car rental?? Last time I rented a car from Norway, I had my CC send me a document that I am full covered via the card benefit.. that seem to do the trick in Norway.. can that work in portugal too??
Is Via Verde extra with car rental?? do I need to register Via Verde with my CC so that my CC is being charged or is that charged to rental company and I just need to reimburse them on car return..
As far as theft.. I was thinking of carrying my back pack on the trunks of the car.. - how bad is the theft?? Is it like SF or is it more subtle?? Just curious how my laptop on my back pack will survive if left in the trunk...
So many questions.. thank you for your input..
Thieves don't usually break into cars if nothing is visible - that's the key , nothing visible.
Both tourists and locals have their cars broken into when items are visible.
Local friends of ours had their car broken into ( by smashing the window) and items stolen.
Everytime I rented a car the Via Verde transponder belonged to the rental agency, they charged me for the tolls after returning the car.
They usually charge a rental fee for the transponder additional to the toll fees.
If you're absolutely sure you're not driving on a toll road you won't need the transponder.
That means driving on the side roads.
I always buy the CDW from the rental agency for the peace of mind and to avoid the hassles if it's necessary to make a claim.
This is based on my experience:
The rental contract is between you and the rental agency not the Credit card company.
You are the renter and the driver, if there's a damage claim the rental agency will request payment from you , afterwards you will have to request to be reimbursed by the CC.
Contact both the rental agency and CC if that's their procedure or if it's different.
