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Camping in Portugal: from beach holidays to cultural explorations

The Mediterranean climate, fascinating cities and a beautiful coastal landscape: Portugal is truly a dream destination for a camping holiday. Discover the country's traditional delicacies, enjoy the natural splendour of the Algarve or take a day trip to Lisbon or Porto. Portugal is mostly known for the beautiful coastal landscape of the Algarve, the rich culture and great food. During your camping holiday, you can explore the country to your heart's content.

Dream holiday at the beach

The Algarve is a true paradise for beach lovers. Wade in the turquoise water, discover pristine sandy beaches and fascinating rock formations. Or spend a day at Praia de Marinha beach, where you can relax, swim or snorkel. A boat trip to Ponta da Piedadel, a headland with impressive rock formations, is highly recommended. Hikers and nature enthusiasts can visit the Parque Natural da Ria Formosa and spot numerous rare species of birds.

Mosaic of coloured tiles

Portugal is also famous for its variety of cultural attractions. If you're visiting Lisbon, take some time out to admire the Torre de Bélem and stroll along the Praça do Comércio. Along the way, keep your eyes open for the azulejos, the colourful ceramic tiles that Portugal's capital is famous for. They adorn many façades of the homes in the city centre. At the Fado Museum you can learn more about Portugal's traditional Fado music style. The northern city of Porto is definitely worth visiting. Explore the historic old town, which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Savoury and sweet

The gastronomic tastes of Portugal are very diverse. Try the national dish called bacalhau. The word is that there are 365 different recipes for this salted and dried codfish, so the locals can eat it every day of the year. Sweet tooths will also love the Portuguese flavours. Taste the creamy pastel de nata and the bolo de arroz cake, two examples of typical Portuguese sweet delicacies.

Important information for your trip to Portugal:

Petrol (Gasolina 95/98) with 5 or 10 percent ethanol (E5 or E10) is readily available (if you want to fill up with E10, check on the filler hole, in the owner's manual or with your car dealer if your car can run on it; fill up with E5 if not). Diesel (Diesel/Gasóleo) and LPG (Autogás) are also available at most petrol stations. The Euronozzle connection is used for filling up with LPG.
Please note! ‘gasolina’ means petrol and ‘gasóleo’ means diesel! Petrol stations are open from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm. Along motorways and arterial roads near the cities, service stations are usually open day and night. There are also unmanned petrol stations with self-service pumps.

More and more charging stations are being installed in Portugal. Most of them are in and around Lisbon.

Low beam headlights are compulsory in poor visibility, after dark, in tunnels and in so-called tidal flow lanes. Traffic coming from the right has the right of way at equal intersections. Traffic driving on a roundabout has the right of way. On narrow mountain roads, traffic driving upwards has priority over descending traffic (or the vehicle that can move to the side or reverse the easiest). Drivers are only allowed to use mobile phones in hands-free mode. In addition, it is prohibited to wear earphones or headphones while driving. Please note! Children under the age of 12 or under 1.35 metres tall may not sit in the front seat; they must sit in the back in a child seat (baby seats can go on the front passenger seat facing forwards).

Rear-mounted loads, such as bicycle carriers with bicycles, may not protrude from the sides of the vehicle and may protrude by a maximum of 45 cm at the rear. All protruding cargo, such as a bicycle carrier, must have a reflective white plate measuring 50 x 50 cm with 3 red diagonal stripes. You are required to warn other road users with your hazard lights in the event of a traffic jam or accident. On toll roads, the lanes that are marked green are reserved for drivers who use an automatic payment system.

A warning triangle and safety jacket are only compulsory in cars with a Portuguese licence plate. It is recommended that you have a high-visibility vest for all passengers.

A motorhome or car-caravan combination may not be more than 4 metres high, 2.55 metres wide and 18.75 metres long (the caravan itself may not be more than 12 metres long).
You are required to fit reflective yellow ECE 70 marking plates with a red border at the back of a car-caravan combination that is longer than 12 metres.

A bicycle helmet is only compulsory on electric bicycles. You are not allowed to talk or communicate by app/SMS on the phone while cycling. The use of earphones or headphones is also prohibited. Children up to 7 years of age may only be transported in a bicycle seat and must wear a bicycle helmet. Cycling side by side is only allowed on the designated cycle paths.

Toll is payable on many motorways in Portugal. You can pay either in cash or by credit card. Please note! On some stretches you can only pay electronically. There are no toll booths on these sections but your licence plate is registered when entering or merging onto the road. You will recognise these sections by the message “Electronic toll only”. There are several payment methods:
You can buy a toll card at a post office, most petrol stations or online. Prepaid cards of €5, €10, €20 or €40 are available. The card's maximum validity is one year. More information: tollcard.pt.
Another option is ‘Easytoll’. This card lets you link your credit card (Mastercard or Visa) to your licence plate. You can register at any EasyToll Welcome Point when crossing the border. The ticket you receive is valid for 30 days and all tolls are then automatically charged to your credit card.
Tip! If you already have a toll badge for the French Télépéage, check whether you can also use it to pay on Portuguese toll roads. More information: bipandgo.com

Lisbon is currently still the only city with green zones, which are in two areas. The green zones are in effect from Monday to Saturday, 07:00 am to 9:00 pm, and are intended to keep older, more polluting out of those areas. More information: green-zones.eu/nl/milieuzone/portugal/lissabon.

Set up your warning triangle at least 30 metres behind the vehicle if your car breaks down on the driving lane and is not visible from at least 100 metres away. All passengers must wear a high-visibility safety vest. In the event of a breakdown, call the emergency number of your breakdown assistance provider. You can also call Portuguese roadside assistance ACP on +351 21 942 91 13 (mobile). Another option is to call roadside assistance at a talking post. It is prohibited to repair or tow your vehicle yourself.

Portugal is a real camping country and has many camping sites. The types of campsites vary from simple municipal campgrounds and nature campsites to large sites with wide-ranging facilities such as (covered) swimming pools and restaurants. Camping for free outside official campsites is prohibited. Portugal has many campsites that are open to winter visitors. Most camping grounds have dedicated pitches for campervans and motorhomes. You are not allowed to spend the night in a caravan, campervan or vehicle outside the camping grounds.

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