portugal car rental

Have you checked prices and availability with Autoeuropes website? We usually use them for all of our auto rentals in the EU, and have never had a problem. They are a broker, based in Maine, that uses many of the "major" rental companies. Europecar, Hertz, etc. When we rented in Portugal a couple of years ago, we got our best rate thru an agency called "Guerin", but we had some problems with them honoring their quote (luckily I had a copy with me.) I have also seen other people complain about them. Sometimes the cheapest is NOT the best.

Both Spain and Portugal have loads of independent car rental places - - you need to be wary of most of them since they have all kinds of rules you wouldn't normally expect (ex: no cross-border operations). Additionally, they only have one office so you can't elsewhere nor can you trade it in at a different place if it poops out. I've used a couple in Spain, but I know there rules (and had to have a break-down fixed at my expense - - it was later reimbursed, but it burned a day and a half. I'd steer clear of them and stick with the majors. Also, be aware that all autoeurope does is get you a car - - subsequent problems have to be worked out with everwho they foist you off on - - been there as well following a demolition derby is Australia a few months ago.

Several years ago we rented a car from Eurocar in Porto (not at the airport) and drove about 5 blocks to the highway to the Douro. A week later we dropped off the car at the airport in Lisbon, and took a cab to our hotel in Lisbon. Everything went very smooth.