I have picked up a car at Faro airport and it used during my stay on my 5 visits to the Algarve - driving is easy and the roads are quiet - even in high season in my experience. Parking at the popular out of town beaches can be busy in August when the Portugese holiday on the Algarve, besides this no problems at all. There is a motorway that runs parallel to the coast (at least as far as Alvor can't remember how much further) which means fast access to the resorts from Faro
We always hire a car when we go to the Algarve and have never had any problems. Roads are fairly quiet compared to here. We've also driven in Menorca and I'd say the main roads are about the same.
People I know would agree with the above. The motorway now extends all the way between Lagos and the Spanish border.
The two things my driving friends say is, first, that once off the main roads the roads tend not to be as well maintained as , say, in the UK and the odd pothole has to avoided and also that road signs are often somewhat sparse, so navigational issues may arise.
Maps are not very good for rural parts in the main, as a lot of them are now generated by satellite imagery and show 'roads' where you would need a tank to pass by!
The two things my driving friends say is, first, that once off the main roads the roads tend not to be as well maintained as , say, in the UK and the odd pothole has to avoided and also that road signs are often somewhat sparse, so navigational issues may arise.
Maps are not very good for rural parts in the main, as a lot of them are now generated by satellite imagery and show 'roads' where you would need a tank to pass by!
i recommend you use the Motorway, as cubsur said "extends all the way between Lagos and the Spanish border" .
If you like to know more about the small villages in algarve you can use the others roads...but be prepared to get lost sometimes. Even me, that live here, i get lost sometimes because the Signs of transit are very
If you like to know more about the small villages in algarve you can use the others roads...but be prepared to get lost sometimes. Even me, that live here, i get lost sometimes because the Signs of transit are very
Re road signs off main roads they are indeed sparse many's the time we've been really please with our navigation skills then suddenly come to a T junction (with only a left or right turn possible) to be met with no sign 
eeny meeny miny mo
eeny meeny miny mo
Drove around a lot last October and it wasn't busy, easy to get to places and most road surfaces were good. Motorway is fine, just watch out for the crazy 100 mph+ drivers (bit like here really!).
One thing to watch is the traffic calming system - no cameras, but random sets of traffic lights which turn red if you approach then going above the speed limit!
One thing to watch is the traffic calming system - no cameras, but random sets of traffic lights which turn red if you approach then going above the speed limit!
A lot of Portuguese drivers are not very observant, so best advice is to concentrate and don't get too close to the car in front, as they have a habit of braking for no apparent reason, or pulling up to park wherever they feel like.
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Edited by
Algarveaddick
2008-01-23 16:07:44
When driving off the motorways and passing through small towns and villages, you may see traffic lights where there is no junction.These are speed-activated lights to stop speeding through populated areas.
Sagres wrote:When driving off the motorways and passing through small towns and villages, you may see traffic lights where there is no junction.These are speed-activated lights to stop speeding through populated areas.
Yes we hit a couple of those as well Sagres
thanks for the advice guys
There is a set of those speed-activated lights a couple of hundred metres up the road from me and I can report that Portuguese drivers almost always ignore them! They are coupled with a visual display which shows your speed in km/h.
Just confirming drivings is straight forward, but 'off the beaten track' roads not always signed very well.
A Portuguese friend of ours does exactley the same , he never slows down when approaching the speed sensors then wonders why the lights always go on red, its stupid really because hes always in a hurry but doesn't acheive anything because he has to stop and sit there till the lights go on green again. Cheers Jayjan
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