Transport - Portugal - page 1041

Fuel
Fuel is expensive - about €1.65 (and rising) for a litre of sem chumbo (unleaded petrol) at the time of writing. There are
plenty of self-service stations, and credit cards are accepted at most. If you're near the border, you can save money by
filling up in Spain, where it's around 20% cheaper.

Highways & Toll Roads
Top of the range are auto-estradas (motorways), all of them portagens (toll roads); the longest of these are Lisbon-Porto
and Lisbon-Algarve. Toll roads charge cars and motorcycles a little over €0.06 per kilometre (around €20 from Lisbon
to Porto and €19 from Lisbon to Faro).
Nomenclature can be baffling. Motorway prefixes indicate the following:

A prefixes Indicate Portugal's toll roads.

E prefixes Europe-wide designations.
N prefixes Indicate main two-lane estradas nacionais (national roads); prefix letter used on some road maps only.
IC (itinerário complementar) Indicates subsidiary highways.
IP (itinerário principal) Indicates main highways.
Numbers for the main two-lane estradas nacionais have no prefix letter on some road maps, whereas on other maps
they're prefixed by N.

AUTOMATED TOLLS

Portugal's main toll roads now have automated toll booths, meaning you won't be able to simply drive through
and pay an attendant. You'll need to hire an electronic tag to pay for the tolls. Many car-rental agencies hire out
the small electronic devices (for around €6 per week, less on subsequent weeks), and it's worth inquiring if one is
available before renting a car. If you don't use the device, and go through a toll, you may receive a fine (via your
car-hire agency) after your trip. The other option is simply to avoid the auto-estradas , which isn't always easy to
do, especially when travelling across the Algarve. For more information, including locations where you can hire
electronic tag devices throughout the country (useful if your car hire doesn't have them or you're driving your
own vehicle), visit the government-run site Via Verde ( 707 503 503; www.viaverde.pt ) .

Hire
To rent a car in Portugal you should be at least 25 years old and have held your driving licence for more than a year
(some companies allow younger drivers at higher rates). The widest choice of car-hire companies is at Lisbon, Porto and
Faro airports. Competition has driven Algarve rates lower than elsewhere.
Some of the best advance-booking rates are offered by internet-based brokers such as Holiday Autos
( www.holidayautos.com ) . Other bargains come as part of 'fly/drive' packages. The worst deals tend to be those done
with international firms on arrival, though their prepaid promotional rates are competitive. Book at least a few days
ahead in high season. For on-the-spot rental, domestic firms such as Auto Jardim ( www.auto-jardim.com ) have some
of the best rates.
The average price for renting the smallest and cheapest available car for a week in high season is around €300 (with
tax, insurance and unlimited mileage) if booked from abroad, and a similar amount through a Portuguese firm.