Sites in Portugal

[HugoBNB]

I stopped at the Orbitur on the South side of Porto, the bus terminate, and left, from the site entrance but, be warned, if it's the same driver, it's not for the faint hearted, the bus passing within inches of front doors etc. at speed.

Many thanks for the tip. I worked in Porugal and made many taxi journeys from airports that Alton Towers would have been proud to market as rides! Third place though to Beirut and Nigeria for the scariest taxi rides in my life.

 

[Twogirls]

Hi it looks like what we call the pines.
It's at the side of the old Aire that Carlos had.
You used to be able to park there but definitely no chairs or tables or steps or ramps. Not been since COVID

Yes I think that's the one, had palm trees all around it.

 

[GeeCee]

I would recommend the Orbitur campsite at Costa Caparica just south of Lisbon. Right next door there's a huge park which is really nice and can be accessed via the back gate of the campsite. The beach is also close by and it stretches for miles. Fab beach with a shared wide walking/cycling/skating promenade running alongside it. There are bars and restaurants at the side of the prom. Also you can walk into the main town along the promendade or down the main road outside the campsite. Also there's a pizza place (eat-in or takeout) and supermarket close to the campsite. I don't know though if all the above are open at this time of year, but the campsite is.

 

[Timetraveller]

I stopped at Turiscampo near Luz a few winters ago, it was excellent. Not far from Lagos, nice cafes, fish market etc.

There two weeks ago. Too big, too busy and too many unsupervised children.
Not for us, but I can see why families like it.

 

[busby]

After Porto camping Quinta Chevez Grande, if spelled right, was wonderful. Very rural & rustic but no pitches, pitch where you want and electric lead will reach. Dry stone walling & grape vines wonderful family owned. We stopped for 2 nights on way to Porto and stayed for 13, until the rain came and headed south instead. You’ll find it on ACSI right in the middle of the country

Is that Dutch owned? BUSBY.

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[Tea Bag]

Hi.
" Orbitur Praia de Mira is OPEN."... Had reason to phone them today and they are OPEN,only closed for a short while over Christmas. Sorry i posted they were closed in a previous post.
Tea Bag.

 

[Dennisad]

Don't know where you are currently.

This is all from 2018, we travelled from Porto to Lugo, then Leon and on to the Costa Bravo.

Porto we stayed at Parque Biologico de Gaia (a small nature reserve) - N41.09696-W8.55473. Secure parking barrier controlled by keypad. For visiting Porto we think this was a great site, bus into Porto from just over the road from site. Can’t remember how long it was 30mins at a guess, its 9 miles and we visited the nature reserve on one of the days took two to three hours to walk it not in a rush.

We did two walking tours of Porto the afternoon one included a visit to a Port producer (Port Houses 25 Euro each March 2018) great. The morning walk was all about the history of Porto. Free but obviously you make a voluntary donation for the guide’s hard work.

On our way home from Porto visited Bom Jesus do Mount (Good Jesus of the Mount) Sanctuary. N41.68399 - W8.83339 your choice but in our view well worth it for what it represents and the views, thankfully a restaurant bar at the top when we visited.

From there onto Parque De Marina @ Viana do Castelo visited . N41.695361 - W8.818700. Stayed overnight at Parque de Campismo Sereia Da Gelfa. N41.47'46" - W8.51'38".

Then to Pontevedra Area de Service Camping Car - N42.43302 - W8.6365 easy walk into the town from here.

Then to Camping As Cancelas, Santiago de Compostela N42.889440 - W8.524720. It’s known as the culmination of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route. Probably 20 to 30 mins walk into the town. The site bar and restaurant were good and MH parking okay.

Lugo - Parking Pabellon de Deportes N43.004650 - W7.562130. We also had it from searchforsites as Ronda Republica N43.00452 - W7.56144

Before that we were in Leon.

Have a good trip and I hope some of this may be useful and not out of date.

 

[royandsharont]

Is that Dutch owned? BUSBY.

It was busby but the Portuguese family managed it in their absence and were in the process of buying I understood when we were there

 

[dpsuk999]

There two weeks ago. Too big, too busy and too many unsupervised children.
Not for us, but I can see why families like it.

I’m here now and have been coming for the last 5 years (apart from 2021) and can honestly say I’ve never experienced the problems you’ve had, yes there seems to be more children that previous years but certainly not a problem.

 

[laurieash]

We will keep an eye out for Funster stickers en-route. Safe travels.

We should be there end February or march

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[LARRY99]

Beware anyone thinking of using the Aire at the marina at Santander
big price increase , last November I paid 6€ a night includes electric,

there last week and they charged me 20€ , the guy collecting said there’s a new boss at the marina , everybody there ( all brits waiting to catch the ferry home the next Day) was complaining ,
their charging by the square meter

 

[Garry - June]

Beware anyone thinking of using the Aire at the marina at Santander
big price increase , last November I paid 6€ a night includes electric,

there last week and they charged me 20€ , the guy collecting said there’s a new boss at the marina , everybody there ( all brits waiting to catch the ferry home the next Day) was complaining ,
their charging by the square meter
View attachment 581877

wow....personally i would have turned straight around and gone elsewhere...there are plenty of other options... we never use this place and certainly wont be now...thanks for the info.. incidentally as you point out this is a marina.... a lot of marinas charge boats that moor up like this...ie by square meter.. hopefully it will now be empty and they may reconsider..

 

[L' Hobo]

wow....personally i would have turned straight around and gone elsewhere...there are plenty of other options... we never use this place and certainly wont be now...thanks for the info.. incidentally as you point out this is a marina.... a lot of marinas charge boats that moor up like this...ie by square meter.. hopefully it will now be empty and they may reconsider..

Sounds sensible to me, why should a VW pay the same as a RV?

When I toured in a VW, it used to pee me off that on most foreign unbordered pitches, I finished up being put on the smallest (often scruffiest) single pitch, while, caravans with awnings and big RV couples got the bigger ones for the same price!

 

[Garry - June]

Sounds sensible to me, why should a VW pay the same as a RV?

When I toured in a VW, it used to pee me off that on most foreign unbordered pitches, I finished up being put on the smallest (often scruffiest) single pitch, while, caravans with awnings and big RV couples got the bigger ones for the same price!

Because it will result in everyone paying more..... not you paying less.. large RV's tend to need larger pitches anyway so generally will pay more to start with.... believe me being an ex boat owner this is one route you don't want to go down.. a pitch is a pitch..

 

[L' Hobo]

Because it will result in everyone paying more..... not you paying less.. large RV's tend to need larger pitches anyway so generally will pay more to start with.... believe me being an ex boat owner this is one route you don't want to go down.. a pitch is a pitch..

The RV's did not pay extra at Camping Albufeira with the CCC Rally, first come, put yer elbows out and pitch up!

and this applies to other non club rallies also!

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[nicholsong]

I have posted similar to this before: now that Portugal has banned wildcamping entirely has anyone worked out how man pitches are available on the total of all campsites in the country? How does that compare with the number of MHs who visit Portugal in a normal summer peak season? I suspect there will be a shortfall of pitches.

If so, what will people do? Drive back to Spain? Park outside a campsite and tell GNR that you are queuing for an available pitch?

What will the GNR do if they know all pitches in the area are occupied - fine you, as a good money-maker for the Christmas party?

I would not be planning to go there this summer, even if we liked campsites which we don't, until the consequences of this new law pan out.

Geoff

 

[Lenny HB]

now that Portugal has banned wildcamping entirely

They haven't, only in certain coastal areas and national parks.

 

[busby]

It was busby but the Portuguese family managed it in their absence and were in the process of buying I understood when we were there

Think we stayed there in 2007, BUSBY.

 

[nicholsong]

They haven't, only in certain coastal areas and national parks.

Lenny

Sorry if I have been misled on this.

Can you give the definitive law, in English preferably, and also with maps, because I would not have a clue as to what is defined as a coastal area.

Geoff

 

[Twogirls]

Lenny

Sorry if I have been misled on this.

Can you give the definitive law, in English preferably, and also with maps, because I would not have a clue as to what is defined as a coastal area.

Geoff

They certainly don't seem to have banned it in and around our locality over the winter. For example, there have been motorhomes parked up overnight at the local fishing port (in Cabanas de Tavira), and certainly at Altura on the big area of waste ground near the beach. We walk/visit there regularly, and often seen the same ones there. Mostly French, Dutch and the odd Swedish plate, not seen many British. It's probably just during the winter that it's not a problem?

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[bigtree]

I won't be using the aire at the marina ever again, not just the price but it's just rough hardcore with nothing much near it. We only used it as it was near enough the port and the lab for the covid tests.

 

[Tea Bag]

Just been into Vaguiera.Aire moved along a bit. And a barrier. Looks like Hourly rates. No more Free places on the pitch. Plenty of Mo /hos parked around the town..Tea Bag.

 

[nicholsong]

Just been into Vaguiera.Aire moved along a bit. And a barrier. Looks like Hourly rates. No more Free places on the pitch. Plenty of Mo /hos parked around the town..Tea Bag.

Is that the Portuguese way to improve your sex life?

 

[Tea Bag]

Is that the Portuguese way to improve your sex life?

Hi
You dont have to go to Vagueires to improve your sex life. Portuguese " Woodland Nymphs ? " Did you know,some sit along the forest edges of the road between Santa Comba Dao and Mortaqua. ( 6.2 miles ) ? . So a friend tells me,i often go so far along that road for a walk,as i can see our house from the bridge over the river and see if the windows want cleaning............................................ .
Tea Bag

 

[L' Hobo]

Hi
You dont have to go to Vagueires to improve your sex life. Portuguese " Woodland Nymphs ? " Did you know,some sit along the forest edges of the road between Santa Comba Dao and Mortaqua. ( 6.2 miles ) ? . So a friend tells me,i often go so far along that road for a walk,as i can see our house from the bridge over the river and see if the windows want cleaning............................................ .
Tea Bag

What I found pleasing when I was last down on the Algarve was all these lovely lady mechanics situated every few miles along the road.

A car would stop, obviously broken down, and the man and mechanic would disappear to read the workshop manual or something, and a few minutes later, the remote fix obviously worked because the car would started straight away and drive off.

I don't know why the AA/RAC do not use more female mechanics in the UK, they seem to know a lot more than the male ones!

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[Tea Bag]

A car would stop, obviously broken down, and the man and mechanic would disappear to read the workshop manual or something, and a few minutes later, the remote fix obviously worked because the car would started straight away and drive off.

Hi.
NOW YOU B*****Y TELL ME........................... and me just....PAYING for a repair/Iservice........
Tea Bag