# Portugal good places



## jedi (Nov 22, 2007)

Finish work next week  (for 6 months anyway  )

Fancy starting this year's tour in Portugal. Never been there before and would appreciate some ideas on good spots to stop - wild and camp sites.

Probably set off mid-March and meander down. So similarly any recommendations on stopovers on route from Calais.

Thanks,

Jed


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## CandA (May 1, 2005)

Hi Jed,

very envious of your 6 months but mustn't grumble too much. We spent 6 weeks in Portugal last year (Feb - March) and can't recommend it enough. To be going in the springtime will be fantastic. Take a look at http://candakubicki.blogspot.com/search/label/Portugal for our thoughts and at the end of it you'll find a list of campsites we used.


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## rayrecrok (Nov 21, 2008)

Hi.

A lovely place to go but! have you read this thread http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftopict-99822-.html ..


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## kc10 (Jan 28, 2010)

Off the top of my head 

Santa Clara & Baragem. The village is beautiful but it's tiny. The public toilets with showers there for 50c. 

Clerigo - Take your pick of places to park along the stunning coastline. Watch the sun set too. My favourite views in Portugal. 
Go slow bumpy coastline track. 

Serpa - Lovely little walled town. Cheap municipal camp site there. 

Monsanto - You have to see this to believe it. Top of a rock houses made from the rock. Steep road up with hairpin bends. 

Silves - Great town, enjoyed our time there a lot and made some new friends there. Not sure the wild camping/parking is still allowed as heard conflicting reports. 

Cape St Vincent - Views are a must see. 

Evora - Beautiful town and friendly locals and free parking in the large town centre car park. 

Monsaraz - Another town on another hill but you'll get some great snaps. 

We love Portugal mainly because of the beautiful small villages and the brilliant people who are always keen to help you. A warm welcome awaits those who dare to leave the Algarve which we didn't enjoy much. Lisbon was a disappointment though. You've made a great choice. You will enjoy it. We do a day's drive through Spain to get there. Our advice is sprint through Spain but pace it in Portugal. If I think of anymore Ill add them but haven't checked out the links so much of this may be in them. 

Good luck

Keith


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## suedew (May 10, 2005)

We spent 3 weeks at the campsite at Armacao de Pera (Sp) good walking, cycling,great fish restaurants, beautiful beach, friendly site. 
Reasonable bus service. 
Free WIFI around the tourist information centre.
Visited other areas, but this was my favourite.
Sue


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## mickananna (Dec 2, 2009)

Here's a few you could make note of, most recently visited in Nov. 2010, all in the Algarve region.

Altura 37*10'16.97"N 7*29'57.89"W Not far from the border this well known official/unofficial aire is listed in the vicarious book. A scruffy rectangle of waste ground with dubious access to fresh water and drainage! Situated on the edge of a soulless resort which has little to offer outside of the tourist season. (I'm not really selling it to you very well am I!) Expect to see at least a handful of mixed nationality vans here at any time of year, there is something to be said for safety in numbers, tables & chairs are not a problem, there's plenty of room, we also cooked outside on a bbq without any complaints. A bread van and a fruit & veg van sometimes visit. But the main attraction is the beach, a very short walk through the dunes on the raised wooden walkway brings you to an amazing panorama of wide, seemingly endless, sandy beach sloping into the invigorating surf of the Atlantic and topped with a big big sky, virtually deserted in the low season. The perfect place to lose yourself or find yourself, if indeed you are seeking to do either!

Quarteira 37*03'42.14"N 8*05'16.94"W At the eastern end of this busy resort town, where the town beach finishes and the glorious wild beach begins there is a small area where motorhomes are tolerated, or they were at the time of our visit. With space for about 6/8 vans and separated from the beach by a small low dune it's a great spot if you like a sea view. Walk for miles along the sandy unspoilt beach, or turn right and go into town, the western end of town has a few pockets of authenticity, some traditional restaurants, a small fishing port, and two covered markets, the produce market is so so but the fish market is a real treat, just walk in and absorb the atmosphere, literally! there is also a fabulous sprawling street market (cant remember which day!) a hap hazard affair with some stalls consisting of just a small table displaying a meager offering of home grown potatoes and a few feathery eggs. Also at this end of town, just beyond the port, is the other motorhome area, much bigger, and in my opinion not as nice as the one previously mentioned, but worth knowing about in case there's no room anywhere else. Lastly in Quarteira there is an Orbitur campsite at 37*04'02.00"N 8*05'14.00"W Its ACSI and has good facilities, decent clean toilets, nice pool area, and a reasonably priced bar. 

Last one..

O Camilo (Lagos) 37*05'12.06"N 8*40'08.97"W This is a car park adjacent to an excellent fish restaurant on a clifftop to the west of Lagos town. We (two vans) stayed for 3 days with the consent of the restaurant owner, but it was November. Some good walking along the cliff top paths to be had here. Behind the restaurant a wooden stairway built into the sandy cliffs takes you down to a secluded sandy cove, from here go through a tunnel in the rocks to an even more secluded sandy cove, perfect for skinny dipping. Bloody cold in November though! Lagos town is a good walk away, if you make it try "Forja" restaurant, locals eat there! On our last day at this location, whilst having an al-fresco breakfast we saw whales in the bay, awesome.

I apologize for turning a few snippets of advice into a travelogue, I got a bit carried away!
Hope you have a great trip, wherever you decide to stay.
Regards.........................Mick


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## jedi (Nov 22, 2007)

rayrecrok said:


> Hi.
> 
> A lovely place to go but! have you read this thread http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftopict-99822-.html ..


Had a look at this thread, Ray. Hoping if I stay off autoroutes I will be able to avoid tolls. Usually set satnav to avoid motorways anyway.

Jed


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