A two-week loop from Lisbon that heads up the Atlantic coast to Porto and the Douro Valley, comes back down through the hilltop villages and plains of the Alentejo, then ends on the cliffs of the Algarve. Roads are in good condition and motorways are fast, but there are two toll systems, including gantries with no booths that you need to know how to pay.
| Days | Stop | Drive |
|---|---|---|
| Days 1 to 2 | Lisbon | Start |
| Day 3 | Sintra | 29 km · 30 min |
| Day 4 | Nazaré | 127 km · 1h35 |
| Day 5 | Coimbra | 110 km · 1h20 |
| Days 6 to 7 | Porto | 118 km · 1h25 |
| Days 8 to 9 | Pinhão | 125 km · 1h35 |
| Day 10 | Marvão | 292 km · 3h55 |
| Day 11 | Évora | 124 km · 1h40 |
| Day 12 | Vila Nova de Milfontes | 157 km · 2h25 |
| Day 13 | Lagos | 89 km · 1h25 |
| Day 14 | Back to Lisbon | 296 km · 3h20 |
Road route calculated from the stops (OpenStreetMap). Driving times assume no stops and no traffic: add time for photo breaks.
April to June and September to October: highs of 19 to 26°C in Lisbon, well below the 31 to 32°C of the Algarve in July and August. In winter the roads stay open but the rain returns (about 75 mm a month in Lisbon from October to December); from 1 June to 30 September, all fires are banned in forests.
🚗 29 km · 30 min of driving from Lisbon
Pick up the car as you leave Lisbon. The toll-free IC19, or a detour via Cascais (tolled A5) and the N247 past Cabo da Roca.
🚗 127 km · 1h35 of driving from Sintra
Coastal N247 via Ericeira, then the tolled A8 to Óbidos and Caldas da Rainha. In Óbidos, park below the walls.
🚗 110 km · 1h20 of driving from Nazaré
Via Alcobaça and Batalha, then the tolled A1 from Leiria. The free IC2 runs alongside the A1, more slowly.
🚗 118 km · 1h25 of driving from Coimbra
Tolled A1. Detour via Aveiro: the free A25, then the A29 towards Porto, with electronic gantries and no booths.
🚗 125 km · 1h35 of driving from Porto
A4 (tolled as far as Amarante, free through the Marão Tunnel), the free A24 to Peso da Régua, then the N222 along the Douro.
🚗 292 km · 3h55 of driving from Pinhão
Small plateau roads to the A25, then the A23 via Guarda and Castelo Branco: former SCUT roads, toll-free since 2025.
🚗 124 km · 1h40 of driving from Marvão
IP2 via Portalegre and Estremoz, then the tolled A6 or the free N18. Expressway and easy-going national roads.
🚗 157 km · 2h25 of driving from Évora
Toll-free national roads across the Alentejo plain, via Ferreira do Alentejo and Cercal.
🚗 89 km · 1h25 of driving from Vila Nova de Milfontes
N393 and N120 via Odeceixe and Aljezur, two-lane and winding. Detour recommended via Sagres and Cape St Vincent.
🚗 296 km · 3h20 of driving from Lagos
In one week, keep one half: in the north, Lisbon (2 nights), Sintra, Nazaré, Coimbra and Porto, then back on the A1; in the south, Lisbon, Évora, Vila Nova de Milfontes and Lagos. The Douro and Marvão need the long version.
| Car hire only, July | ≈ €29 a day |
|---|---|
| Car hire only, January | ≈ €10 a day |
| Average over the year | ≈ €20 a day (Kayak Lisbon, Sept. 2026) |
| SUV, average | ≈ €49 a day |
| Via Verde tag, extra | €2.21 a day, €22.14 at most |
| Vehicle | A city car or compact: everything is tarmac. A small car helps in the hilltop villages and their tight car parks. |
|---|---|
| Where to pick it up | At Lisbon Airport, on the day you set off. A loop, so no one-way fee, which can double the price. |
| Via Verde | Electronic toll tag compulsory on hire cars since January 2023; tolls are billed after the rental. |
| Deposit | €200 to €1,000 blocked on a credit card in the driver's name; debit cards often refused. |
| Age | Usually 21, 19 at Sixt with a licence held for one year; young driver surcharge under 25. |
| Insurance | The rental company's own cover costs three to four times more than a broker's; Visa Premier or Gold Mastercard sometimes cover the excess. |
⚠️ Turn down the "full prepaid tank, return empty" fuel option: any fuel you don't use is lost, often around a hundred euros.
Any European Union licence is valid. Keep on board: ID, licence, insurance and registration document. Other licences: check whether an International Driving Permit is required.
Give way to the right at unmarked junctions; give way when entering a roundabout.
120 on motorways, 100 on motor roads, 90 on other roads, 50 in town. Minimum 50 on motorways.
0.2 g/l during the probationary period (first 3 years of a licence). Fines of €250 to €1,250 above 0.5.
On the A29, A41 and A42 around Porto: a camera reads the number plate. The rental company's Via Verde tag pays.
A22 in the Algarve, A23, A24, A25 and the A4 through the Marão Tunnel: nothing to pay since 1 January.
On the A1, A2 and A6, with the tag, use the Via Verde lane: the barrier lifts without stopping.
Historic centre for residents only, palace closed to cars: outlying car parks, then bus 434.
For all occupants. Phone at the wheel only with a hands-free kit.
≈ €2.12 per litre of unleaded 95, €2.22 for diesel
Price recorded in September 2026: it changes every week, sometimes by 10 to 20 cents in a month. Today's price: DGEG (Portuguese government) →
⛽ 1,467 km at 7 l per 100 km: about €220 at September 2026 prices, to share between passengers.
DGEG averages announced for the week of 21 September 2026, with diesel at its highest. Fill up in Évora before the Alentejo plain.
| Two systems | Ticket barrier (A1, A2, A6) or gantries with no booths (around Porto) |
|---|---|
| Former SCUT roads, free since 1 January 2025 | A22 (Algarve), A23, A24, A25, A4 at Marão, A13, part of the A28 |
| Gantries still charging | A29, A41 and A42 around Porto, part of the A28 |
| A1 Lisbon-Porto | €25.05 for the whole length (2026); you only drive part of it |
| A2 Algarve-Lisbon | €23.80 (2026) |
| 25 de Abril Bridge | €2.25, only in the direction of Lisbon (2026) |
| Rental company's Via Verde tag | €2.21 a day, €22.14 at most, plus the tolls |
| Foreign-registered car without a tag | EasyToll (bank card linked to the number plate, 30 days) or a CTT post office within 15 working days, €0.32 fee |
| Pena Palace | €45 palace and park, €12 park only, book a date |
| Pena Palace and the Moorish Castle | Closed to cars all year: bus 434 or on foot |
|---|---|
| Sintra historic centre | Residents only all year; outlying car parks |
| Forests, fire season | From 1 June to 30 September: no fires, follow the alerts |
Allow 10 to 14 days for this loop of 10 stages and 13 nights from Lisbon: Sintra, the Atlantic coast, Coimbra, Porto, the Douro, the Alentejo and the Algarve. In 7 days, pick one half: the north up to Porto, or the south via Évora and the Alentejo coast down to Lagos.
The car alone: about €380 of hire over 13 days in July (€29 a day, Kayak average), €130 in January. Add €22 for the Via Verde tag, the tolls (€23.80 for the A2, part of the €25.05 for the A1, €2.25 for the bridge) and about €200 of petrol at September 2026 prices for some 1,600 km at €2.12 a litre.
Since January 2023, the rental company must fit the car with a Via Verde tag: it bills you for the tolls after the rental, plus €2.21 a day and €22.14 at most at Hertz. Under the gantries there is nothing to do; at the barriers, use the lane marked with a green "V".
Not since 1 January 2025: the A22, the Via do Infante that crosses the Algarve from Lagos to the Spanish border, is free, as are the inland A23, A24 and A25. The A2 between the Algarve and Lisbon keeps its barriers: €23.80 in 2026, plus €2.25 at the 25 de Abril Bridge as you enter Lisbon.
Not with a European Union licence; keep your identity card with you too. Other licences: check whether an International Driving Permit is required. Rental companies usually require you to be 21 (19 at Sixt with a licence held for one year) and a credit card in the driver's name for a deposit of €200 to €1,000, and they charge a young driver surcharge.
No: access to the palace and the Moorish Castle is closed to cars, and Sintra's historic centre is for residents only. Park in an outlying car park or near the station, then take bus 434 or walk up. The palace and park ticket, €45, is booked online for a set date.
Driving rules, prices and closures checked in September 2026; hotels checked on OpenStreetMap and then on Booking. Rules change: read the official source before you leave, and check your own government's travel advice for the country. Stop photos: Wikimedia Commons, authors and licences under each image.
Off We Gooo road trip guide · offwegooo.com/en/road-trips/portugal · by Pierrick, updated 1 October 2026
