Some 18 per cent of the practically three million motorhome homeowners in Europe will journey to Portugal this summer season, in accordance with Tenting-Automotive Park, the European community of Motorhome Service Areas (ASA).
The nation, with 13,000 registered motorhomes, is attracting an increasing number of European vacationers who wish to journey on this manner. They spend a mean of €52 per night time.
They’re primarily Spaniards, French, Italians and Germans who spend at the least three weeks touring the nation from June to September.
We spent 20 days travelling round Portugal in a motorhome, beginning in Lisbon after which alongside the southwest coast, together with the Costa Caparica and Costa Vicentina, and the Algarve, within the south of the nation, to indicate you what it is like.
The start line in Lisbon
After greater than six hours of journey from Madrid, we arrive in Lisbon to start out the route. The doorway to town is kind of chaotic, with loads of site visitors and little persistence on the a part of the drivers.
If driving a motorhome in large cities is already difficult, right here it looks as if mission unattainable. Parking comparatively near the centre and safely can also be an odyssey. Within the park4night parking app, an app that each self-respecting motorhomer has, there are numerous factors, however few of them are convincing.
Ultimately, we choose a pay-and-display website close to the imposing and noisy two-kilometre-long 25 de Abril Bridge, an icon of town that rises above the Tagus River estuary beneath the watchful eye of Cristo Rei, the 28-metre-high (110 with the 82-metre-high pedestal) statue of the Redeemer with open arms.
The easiest way to see the encompassing space is by bike: the Monument to the Discoveries, the Belém Tower (beneath building), the Jerónimos Monastery, the historic quarter and the Belem Bakery the place you may style these heat cream pancakes with somewhat sugar and cinnamon powder.
The centre of Lisbon can also be straightforward to achieve by metro or prepare. It’s an open and welcoming metropolis and a melting pot of cultures. Much more so in summer season, and the sweltering warmth does not cease you from having fun with the place. Many individuals take a dip within the river to absorb the warmth. There’s a lot to see and go to.
The panoramic view of town from St. George’s Citadel is spectacular and strolling by the outdated city is a delight. You will be carried away by the tradition and music of Chiado, probably the most bohemian district with the historic Café a Brasileira, which homes the statue of Fernando Pessoa on its terrace. It’s intoxicating.
Its squares, similar to Praça do Comercio, the outdated essential port for maritime commerce with stunning views of the Tagus, its cathedral or viewpoints similar to Graça or San Pedro de Alcántara are additionally effectively value a go to.
A must-see for a lot of the nearly 19 million vacationers who go to town yearly is Tram 28, which crosses a number of neighbourhoods, winding its manner by slender streets and slopes, or the Elevador de Santa Justa, which connects Baixa with the higher district.
Costa Caparica, Lisbon’s seaside
Again on the street once more, the thought is to journey alongside your complete southwest coast of Portugal, beginning on the Costa Caparica, 20 minutes from the capital, south of the Tagus estuary.
There are 15 kilometres of golden sandy seashores and funky Atlantic waters, the place you may see households, surfers, naturists, locals and overseas vacationers.
Praia de São João or Praia Nova are Lisbon’s seashores par excellence, with seaside bars, dwell music and sundown terraces. The additional south you go, the extra pure and wild it’s, as you attain some very massive and exquisite stretches of sand.
After a few days, the following cease is Setúbal, 50 kilometres from Lisbon. It’s surrounded by the Arrábida Pure Park, a protected space with probably the most spectacular shoreline within the nation.
All through this space, motorhomes should not allowed to remain on the shoreline, though through the day, you may park your campervan and benefit from the breathtaking views. This may change into a typical theme all through your complete journey alongside the coast of Vicenza.
One of the vital stunning seashores in Europe, Praia de Galapinhos, with its pure magnificence and turquoise waters, is positioned on this space. The Setúbal area is right for itinerant travellers because it combines sea, mountains and authenticity, though parking could be a bit difficult.
From Setubal, you may attain the Troia peninsula by ferry, a stretch of wonderful white sand, clear, calm waters and loads of wind. It is a good place to begin to start the route alongside the Alentejo or Vicentina coast, as it’s linked to Comporta, our subsequent cease. It is a standard vacation vacation spot for artists, designers and worldwide celebrities.
To not be confused with Sines, 55 kilometres additional down the coast, an industrial city recognized for being the birthplace of the explorer Vasco da Gama, the navigator who found the ocean path to India. Its medieval fort and adjoining museum inform the story of this key determine within the Age of Discovery.
Wild nature and small villages
From Sines, the panorama adjustments fully, with rugged cliffs, wild seashores and picturesque villages. The primary one which grabs you is Porto Covo, a small village of white homes with blue stripes and a quiet environment. It has a powerful native flavour, superb for disconnecting from the city rhythm.
Its nice jewels are its coves nestled between cliffs. Praia da Samoqueira is probably the most spectacular, with rock formations, cliffs and hidden corners. It is a very fashionable spot with travellers on the street and is right for having fun with the ocean and the breathtaking surroundings. The bigger Praia Grande can also be value a go to.
Off the coast you may go to Ilha do Pessegueiro, a historic island with an historic fortress, by boat.
With the sense that it would surpass every thing we have seen to this point, we attain Praia do Malhão, between Porto Covo and Vila Nova de Milfontes within the municipality of Odemira. Framed by pure dunes, the panorama is unspoilt and breathtaking, with the fixed sound of the waves and the ocean wind. It is a surfer’s paradise. It is like a forgotten nook of the world. Though the sight of two mounted gendarmes reminding guests to not park close to the seaside shortly brings you again to actuality.
After a lot wilderness, Vila Nova de Milfontes presents itself as a extra touristy spot. It’s a standard vacation spot for the Portuguese who take pleasure in its quiet river seashores, similar to Praia da Franquia, superb for households, water sports activities and secure bathing.
From wild cliffs to crowded shores
After some leisure, it’s time for extra pleasure at Cabo Sardão, the place dramatic cliffs towering 40 to 50 metres excessive evoke scenes straight out of The Lord of the Rings or Recreation of Thrones. That is an important cease on the Vicentine coast the place you may see white storks, peregrine falcons, sea deer and different outstanding wildlife.
One other unmissable cease is Zambujeira do Mar, a fishing village that has retained its genuine allure. Its small white homes with blue accents, a standard cliffside port, and welcoming eating places serving contemporary fish all add to its enchantment. The city’s vast city seaside presents sweeping views of the Atlantic.
Persevering with our descent by southwest Portugal, we come throughout Praia de Odeceixe, some of the distinctive seashores within the nation, proper on the border with the Algarve. It’s located on the mouth of the Seixe River, which separates the Alentejo from the Algarve.
Right here, the assembly of river and sea creates a placing horseshoe-shaped sandbar. One aspect is washed by ocean waves, the opposite by calm river waters. At their junction, a playful present varieties, delighting kids and adults alike as they float downstream. Throughout, inexperienced cliffs rise excessive above, providing breathtaking views of the place the place river and sea change into one.
Within the western Algarve, within the municipality of Aljezur, we spend a morning at Praia de Monte Clérigo, a really accessible seaside on the foot of a small assortment of white and pink homes with a seaside really feel. Within the afternoon, one other of the jewels of the Algarve and the Vincentian coast, the seaside of Carrapateira or Praia da Bordeira.
Greater than three kilometres lengthy, it is without doubt one of the largest seashores within the Algarve and a favorite vacation spot for surfers as a consequence of its fixed waves. The truth is, the shore warns that it’s harmful for bathers. Earlier than reaching the seaside, there’s a lagoon of calm water the place kids play. Behind the sandy space, there are massive pure dunes the place tons of of seagulls flutter about.
On this space, there’s an abundance of motorhomes and the automobile parks should be booked prematurely in any other case you will not be capable of discover a parking house.
“All around the Algarve, there are issues in terms of parking and spending the night time due to the massive variety of individuals,” a motorhome camper from Seville warned me, saying that this yr, there are extra restrictions on spending the night time than previously.
We are going to witness the vacationer overcrowding that, presently of yr, all the time happens within the Algarve and we are going to see that the pure and wild surroundings, with spacious and uncrowded seashores of the Vicentine coast, has been left behind to offer solution to mass tourism.
The top of the world
Cape St. Vincent, some of the emblematic locations within the south of Portugal, is simply as touristy. This is without doubt one of the most westerly factors of continental Europe, thought of for hundreds of years as “the top of the world”.
It boasts imposing cliffs over 60 metres excessive, panoramic views of the open sea and some of the stunning sunsets in Europe. Right here, the wind blows strongly whereas dozens of vacationers immortalise the second.
Very near Cabo de San Vicente is without doubt one of the greatest seashores on this space, Praia do Beliche. It’s a secluded and steep cove, protected by excessive cliffs that give it a hotter microclimate. It’s a image postcard seaside. It’s accessible through stairs carved into the rock which are straightforward to descend however pricey to climb. Proper within the rocks is a picket seaside bar with grilled sardines and grilled rooster.
Mass tourism on the Algarve
Persevering with our route by the Algarve, we attain Lagos, a city standard with vacationers from throughout Europe. A go to to Ponta da Piedade, a rock formation well-known for its cliffs, grottoes and turquoise waters, is a should. It is without doubt one of the most photogenic coastal landscapes in Europe.
It’s, after all, additionally crowded with vacationers looking for shade among the many rocks of the crowded cove, whose waters are filled with seaweed on our go to.
Subsequent cease is Portimão, one of many Algarve’s largest cities with a harbour superb for boat journeys alongside the southern coast. We embark on one to go to the caves and grottoes on a two-hour tour that passes by Algar (Carvoeiro), Praia da Marina, Praia do Carvalho and on to the well-known Benagil cave. A skylight right here permits daylight to enter, making a magical impact inside, illuminating the golden sand and orange partitions.
After the go to, a well-deserved swim within the sea simply in entrance, with a dip from the boa,t is our reward. On the best way again, the vigorous Praia da Rocha awaits us.
After 45 minutes, we attain Albufeira, the mecca of tourism on this space. Tranquillity and calm give solution to hustle and bustle and mass tourism. The English have largely taken over this city, which has stunning seashores, together with the city Praia do Túnel, which is accessed from the outdated city by a tunnel carved into the rock.
After the storm comes calm within the type of Faro, the Algarve’s quieter, extra relaxed capital, with an outdated city centre surrounded by Moorish and Roman partitions. The city is adjoining to the Parque Pure da Rea Formosa, one in all Europe’s most necessary wetland areas with islets, marshes and canals to discover.
Tavira: The unknown jewel of the Algarve
Within the final two days, we found an actual gem of the Algarve: Tavira. Not as famend as different cities, the city is ideal for a soothing cease on our street journey. It’s historic and stylish with a powerful Roman, Islamic and Christian previous. Its white homes with gabled roofs, cobbled streets and squares with orange bushes give it a really distinctive air.
Considered one of its most iconic landmarks is the Roman Bridge, a stone footbridge that crosses the river Gilão. The fort and the greater than 20 church buildings scattered all through town are additionally excellent. Its seashores are paradisiacal and never overcrowded. A very pleasing exercise is taking the vacationer prepare to Praia do Barril.
The eight-minute trip, with 1000’s of crabs waving as they cross by the marshes, is a pleasure for the senses. As quickly as we attain the seaside on the left-hand aspect, the anchor cemetery, with greater than 200 outdated anchors, reminds us that this can be a seaside with historical past.
They function a reminder of the seaside’s storied previous: from 1841 to 1966, this was an energetic hub for tuna fishing. When the fishing operations had been dismantled, many sailors left their anchors behind, and the prepare that after transported items was repurposed for vacationers.
The opposite must-visit seaside, Ilha de Tavira, is accessible solely by ferry from town. It’s a real island escape, with miles of white sand and a peaceable environment that hardly ever feels crowded.
Tavira is, certainly, the perfect place to get to know probably the most genuine Algarve.
After 20 days on the street, we discovered that the southwest and south of Portugal are excellent for these looking for to mix freedom and nature, particularly on the Vincentian coast and the coastal Alentejo. The wild panorama and tranquillity distinction with the hustle and bustle of the Algarve.
This journey, from Lisbon down by distant, unspoiled seashores to the bustling shores of the Algarve, captures the total vary of Portugal’s coastal character. It’s the proper street journey for these trying to mix uncooked pure magnificence with the mobility and spontaneity of life on the street.