Driving from Lisbon to Lagos, Portugal

BusinessStudent

Hi, In just over a weeks time I will be driving from Lisbon to Lagos. I am a 25 year old male and have driven for 7 years however this will be first time I will be driving abroad. I have booked a rental car in Lisbon with Hertz. I am aware of the A2 / A22 toll roads which I understand will cost approx €20+ each week (I need to drive back to Lisbon). I understand I could avoid the tolls by taking the none toll route driving along the west coast of Portugal. As I have said this is my first time driving abroad so I am slightly nervous and therefore wonder if it is best to take the toll roads? On the other hand however I would like to not waste money on the toll road options and could save this money by driving along the west cost of Portugal to head south to Lagos. I understand this option would add approx 1 hr onto my journey but that would be fine with me.

jackieblack

Depends on your definition of 'best'
Easiest?
Less busy?
Cheapest?
Quickest? (Probably not, from your post)

Blue264

It's more a matter of safety than cost to be honest.

We were driving in the Algarve 2 weeks ago and were advised by the hotel reception that the toll roads were little more than a tourist trap and rarely used by local people.

The thing is,as you drive along the toll roads, you see regular signs saying how much you will be charged for passing each point. This rarely totals €20. The cost to travel from Faro airport to the westernmost tip of the A2 is €12. I think Hertz might be charging a standard fee per week to cover their costs as so many people drop their cars back at the depot without having paid along the way, and maybe Hertz don't have transponders in their cars which work out the toll charges for them.

Now...the plus side of the toll roads is that they are relatively quiet compared to local roads because locals refuse to use them If you need a little time to adjust to driving in Portugal, I would take the toll road until you feel more confident. It's like driving round the M25 and only passing a dozen other cars. We were never held up in traffic at all!

I'd also do a dummy run on google street maps of any prospective routes so that you become visually familiar with the roads, how many lanes, how high are the barriers on cliff roads, etc... It's well worth taking an hour out to do this rather than be caught out on the day.

Hope you have a great time.:beer:

Voyager2002

It is a well-known fact that foreigners are dangerous when they get behind the wheel... For the sake of your safety, you should just get the train.

nearlyrich

We had a lovely holiday in Lisbon and beyond last year their trains are great if you can get a train to Lagos I would go for it.