More Experiences on Driving in a Foreign Country

First off, the condition of the roads and highways, along with signage, lighting, width of lanes, visibility and services in Portugal are near the conditions in the United States. There are some historic old town areas with streets that are cobblestone and barely wide enough for a compact car to navigate, but that’s expected and part of the charm of Europe in general. Those areas are not places we try to drive through as a norm anyway.

The only Con really in these categories is the lack of speed limit signs in some areas. It’s not very common, but it does happen slightly more frequently than I notice in the U.S. Here in the Algarve, the A22 (Autostrada) or their equivalent to an Interstate is the main artery and was once a Toll Highway. That ended Jan. 1st, 2025. The signs are still present all along where collection booths/machines used to be and confused us the first day here. We also thought we were going to have to pay a fine for accidentally crossing over into Spain, (that is another story) because the toll signs were still in place at the bridge.

Last June I wrote an article about our observations and experiences while driving in other countries. The list was Mexico, Ireland, Italy and Albania. We can now add Portugal to that list.

Portugal has been a refreshing change. They officially surpass Ireland as the leader in the handful we can evaluate. It literally comes down to, it is easier driving on the same side of the road as we are already accustomed to, (Portugal), as it is driving on the opposite side (Ireland). They are completely even in all other areas in my humble opinion.

This has been our experience in the Algarve region of Portugal. I acknowledge that this area has a huge expat community and many of the drivers are going to be originally from other nations, but we have put in several hours of driving time so far. We have been to the furthest Western edge, and to the furthest Eastern border, as well as over an hour North of this Southernmost coastal beach region.

So bottom line is, don’t worry about driving in Portugal, and if you come off season, rental car rates are ridiculously low. We rented the smallest car for the two of us and had us both on as drivers (Extra driver charges apply). We did not opt for the rental car insurance coverage and relied on the coverage offered through our credit card. Check yours and read the fine print carefully; some limitations and restrictions apply as always. We found many rental companies that offer coverage or extra coverage plans do so through a third party and the driver would have to submit evidence and claims through them after paying out of pocket initially for any damages. Our total cost for the entire month (Oct-Nov) was $210 USD, give or take a few. Again. This is off-season pricing, so it has the lowest rates. We used Discovercars.com for our search. Also be aware that fuel prices are much higher than in the U.S. Right now, it is €1.79 /liter. That comes out to almost $7 a gallon in American standards.

Second, fellow drivers in Portugal are top notch here in the Algarve region. Left lane is almost exclusively used for passing only, as is supposed to be done back home, but we all know that is not the case. They use their turn signals at least as often as we do back home. They are mostly courteous and give way/yield properly when navigating round abouts and uncontrolled intersections.

Rarely will you see parking, stopping whenever and wherever the mood strikes, loading and unloading on the sidewalks, or stopping wintin intersections randomly. People appear to follow the laws, rules of the road, and basic courtesy.