Special Offers

SOLMAR - Gerona Airport, Spain.
We now have cheaper rates available at Gerona airport with SOLMAR for bookings between 01/07/2006 and 30/09/2006

DRIVE 4 FUN - Faro Airport, Portugal.
All Economy size vehicles on offer between 01/08/2006 and 31/08/2006.

AURIGA - Mainland Spain destination.
Special offer on Ford Focus Estate and Renault Megane Scenic for bookings between 01/07/2006 and 30/09/2006.

Guide to Driving in Portugal

The road safety record that Portugal has got is not the prettiest of reads, so you are probably wondering why you would want a hire car. Well since all the bad press Portugal received they have made great strides in improving roads and the safety record is not nearly as the press made out. We would still advise that you drive with caution though. When driving in the cities it can be a little bit stressful, especially during the morning and evening rush hours.

Hiring a car and driving around Portugal, namely the Algarve is simply the best way to discover it. There are lots of hidden beaches and beautifully set villages hidden in the Portuguese countryside that need discovering.

Most of the motorways in Portugal are toll roads and they generally do except all major credit cards, these are usually good roads and kept in good order with plent of service stations and places to stop on. The Mediterranean Coastal Motorway (A-7/E-15) toll road that runs from Libson all the way along the mediterranean coast to Monte Carlo, is a recently built 4 lane motorway that makes a very beautiful drive through Portugal along the coast allowing for plenty of beautiful stop offs.

Essential Information

• Seat Belts must be worn at all times, by everyone in the car.
  
• Children aged 12 and under or less than 1.5m (4 feet 9 inches) are not allowed to travel in a car, unless in a approved child seat or harness.
  
• A reflective vest must be kept in car at all times and worn when examing/repairing a vechicle while at the roadside.
  
• A warning triangle must be displayed to the rear of the car if you have stopped at the side of the road and experiencing problems.
  
• If you have held your license for less than 12 months then you must not exceed 90kph (55mph) and display a yellow "90" disc at the back of the car .

Fuel
Useful terms for when fueling your car.
Unleaded Regular - Gasolina Sem Chumbo
Diesel - Diesel

Mobile Phones
The use of a mobile phone in a car is only allowed if you either have a hands free kit or headset.

Parking
You must park in the same direction of traffic, parking facing on-coming traffic is illegal. If you are visiting Lisbon, its reccommended that you get a Blue Zone parking Disc, these are available from the local police, these are free.