Portugal, from the Algarve to the Douro.
Portugal is a market we know personally. Three airports, an Algarve that runs on golf and a north that runs on wine, and one toll system that catches out almost every visiting driver.
Where we collect
Faro serves the whole Algarve, and almost nothing in it is more than an hour away: Vilamoura, Albufeira, Vale do Lobo, Quinta do Lago, Lagos and Sagres. Lisbon covers the capital, Cascais, Estoril, Sintra and the Comporta coast. Porto is the north and the gateway to the Douro.
We also collect from the Lisbon cruise terminal at Santa Apolónia and from Leixões at Porto, both of which turn around a serious number of passengers in the season.
The routes we run most
- Faro airport to Vilamoura, Vale do Lobo, Quinta do Lago and Albufeira
- Faro to Lagos, Praia da Luz and Sagres, at the western end
- Lisbon airport to the city, Cascais, Estoril and Sintra
- Lisbon to Comporta and the Alentejo coast
- Porto to the Douro Valley quintas, and the wine lodges at Vila Nova de Gaia
- Lisbon to Porto, or the reverse, as a road day with stops
The toll road nobody warns you about, and a golf-shaped luggage problem
The A22 along the Algarve has no toll booths at all. It is electronic only: the gantry reads the plate and the charge has to be settled against a registered transponder or account. Visitors regularly drive it in a hire car without realising, and the bill arrives weeks later with administration fees attached. In one of our vehicles it is simply inside the price, which is one of the quieter reasons a transfer beats a hire car for a short Algarve trip.
Golf is the Algarve's real cargo problem. Four players with clubs, shoes and cases do not fit a four-seat car, and a group of eight is a Sprinter rather than two saloons. Tell us the number of golf bags separately from the suitcases and we will send something that swallows it without anyone repacking on the pavement.
The Douro is further and slower than the map suggests. The valley roads are narrow, winding and genuinely beautiful, and a quinta visit is a full day rather than a morning. It is also the country's best argument for keeping the vehicle and driver with you: tasting is rather the point, and nobody should be driving back down that valley afterwards.
Questions
What people ask us.
How long is Faro airport to Vilamoura?
About 35 minutes. Vale do Lobo and Quinta do Lago are around 25, Albufeira about 40, and Lagos closer to an hour.
Are the Algarve motorway tolls included?
Yes. The A22 is electronic only with no booths, which catches out a lot of visiting drivers. In our vehicles the charge is inside the quoted price.
Can you carry golf bags?
Yes, and tell us how many separately from the suitcases. Four players with clubs need the vehicle size above four seats, and it is the most common Algarve booking mistake.
Can you do a Douro Valley day from Porto?
Yes, and we would suggest a full day rather than a half. The valley roads are slow and the point of the trip is the tasting, which is a good reason to keep the driver.
Do you cover Sintra and Cascais from Lisbon?
Yes, both, and Sintra in particular benefits from a driver. Its palaces sit on narrow one-way hill roads where parking is genuinely difficult.
Do you do cruise transfers in Portugal?
Yes, at Lisbon and at Leixões for Porto. Give us the ship and the timings and we will plan backwards from the sailing.
Travelling in Portugal?
Golf bags, a quinta day or a cruise morning. Tell us which and see the price.