Planning a trip to Portugal next year, and was setting my sights on renting a Nissan 350z for an unforgettable adventure. I read this article about driving in Portugal, specifically in The Algarve: https://lynmillerlachmann.com/should...r-in-portugal/ wherein the article states, “Driving is on the right side of the road, as in the U.S. In the Algarve, watch out for folks driving on the left”. Has anyone encountered accidents in Portugal and can provide tips on how to avoid them?

I also read most recommendations in Portugal to rent a small vehicle especially when driving in Lisbon with narrow roads, My concern about driving a lighter and smaller vehicle is that they have higher rates of serious injuries in frontal collisions compared to normal-sized cars.

 

While it's been 16 years since I drove in Lisbon and down to the Algarve, I can offer some insights. First, good luck on renting a 350Z- you're more likely going to settle on a smaller European rental model. I drove a Nissan Micra and loved it! While there are some narrow roads in both urban and rural areas, Portugal has some nice roadways and highways to drive on. I didn't see anyone driving on the "wrong side" of the road (or any accidents) in our ten day trip and would simply advise you to keep your vision up to spot any problems ahead on the road. Most people drive small cars, so it shouldn't be too difficult to adapt.

BTW- the Algarve was a tremendous trip. Gorgeous beaches and forests! Be sure to visit the modern Algarve racetrack if you are at all interested in motorsports. Also, the older Estoril F1 racetrack is worth visiting near Caicais, near to Lisbon. Have fun planning for it all!

 

Thanks for sharing your driving experience in Portugal from 16 years ago. It's good to hear you didn't encounter any issues with people driving on the wrong side of the road. Your tip about keeping my vision up to spot potential hazards is very much appreciated.

Renting a smaller European car sounds like the most realistic option for my trip. I should probably start looking for my ideal small car soon.

As a car enthusiast, your recommendations for the Algarve racetrack and Estoril sound like an absolute treat! It sounds like you had a fantastic time exploring all that Portugal has to offer.

Your insights are incredibly helpful as I plan my own Portuguese adventure next year. Planning can be so exciting, especially for a country with so many enticing destinations like Portugal.

Did you drive from Lisbon to the Algarve by yourself or with a local guide, in your rented Nissan Micra, @dkmura? While I hope to explore Portugal independently with a rental car, I might not be able to visit all my planned locations in the time I have. In that case, I can get the services of local guides like https://gowithguide.com/portugal/guides

 

Full disclosure: as an automotive journalist, I was invited by Nissan to attend the Nissan 360 media event back in '08. We were sent to Estoril to test drive the then-new R35 one day, and afforded the chance to sample every car Nissan makes around Lisbon and Caiscais. That was the day I drove the Micra CC (turbo convertible) that impressed me so much! For the trip down to the Algarve my wife and I drove a turbo diesel Renault Espace minivan. I found the trip down to a small town named Salema (Rick Steves recommendation) was fine without a guide, as I usually found someone who spoke english. Coming back to Lisbon was a bit more tricky, but I used a map to take a coastline route that took us through sights like the sailing and navigation academy that Chistopher Columbus attended before he went to the New World. The only problem came when the Renault nav system took us up through a small village instead of the correct route! But this was part of the adventure and we made it back without doing any damage.

In any case, I bet a guide would be helpful in some cases, but wouldn't be afraid of venturing out by myself in parts of the trip. Even getting lost was fun and tested my ability to smile and establish some communication with local Portuguese. They are a very friendly people, and younger folks seem to have a better grasp of english from school.

 

Thanks for sharing the colorful details of your Portugal trip! It's fascinating hearing about the experience as an automotive journalist able to sample different Nissan models. The Micra CC did seem like an impressively fun compact choice.

I can understand why exploring parts independently would be appealing for the sense of adventure. But having a guide as a backup does seem prudent, especially in rural areas where English may be less common. Getting lost and communicating with locals does sound like a memorable part of the cultural immersion too though.

Thanks again for the insightful perspective, @dkmura. It's really helpful for planning my own upcoming trip!

 

My trip to Europe was vastly different from dkmura's. We had "mid-tier" guides in France, Spain, Portugal - meaning they were OK and generally informative but honestly we were fine without them for the most part. HOWEVER, when my wife and I broke off from our family/friend's group to take our own <honeymoon> tour of Italy, we had one of the most well known personal guides in the country (and/or one of his hand picked guides from his network of people for other parts of Italy). This included five star accommodations, gourmet food everywhere, and.... Mercedes limo transportation from Rome to Venice (the entire length of the country essentially) with stops in between. Spoiled brats? Heck yeah and would do it again with no hesitation. Our "room" in Venice was right on the grand canal and had more space in it's one majestic room than our house in California, haha!

My point? None.

Observation (semi-related) - In every country we were in, the small (and micro) cars were the rule of the day. When one compares the roads in the big cities (Paris, Rome), it was easy to see why. Spain was a bit different with bigger roads and seemingly better public transit (at least in the big cities, Madrid, Barcelona) The micro cars are much easier to find places to park and maneuver through tiny side streets where cars parked on sidewalks was a common site. I saw precious few "sports cars" during the three weeks we were there in four countries (except at the tracks we were at - and even there, there were zero Japanese cars). My take is not trying to find a Japanese car for anything there. Use what the locals use.

 

Thanks for sharing your experiences traveling throughout Europe - it's really helpful to get insights from someone who has been there. Renting a small, nimble car does seem like the smart choice. I'd imagine maneuvering a larger sports car would be quite stressful! Your point about using what the locals use is a good one - a micro car is best suited for navigating those tiny parking spots and side streets. While a 350z would be a fun drive on open roads, taking your advice to go with a smaller, more practical rental makes a lot of sense for exploring places like Lisbon and the Algarve region. Appreciate you taking the time to provide your perspective, @MicVelo!