Heading to Portugal next year and looking to rent a car to explore! Given my familiarity with driving a Honda Civic, I thought it would be a suitable choice. However, I came across information online indicating that Honda Civics are no longer available in Europe. (Source: https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/honda-europe-sales-figures/). For those familiar with driving in Portugal, can you recommend a compact alternative that would be suitable on narrow streets? I'm primarily looking for good gas mileage, reliability and ease of parking in small spaces. Any advice would be much appreciated as I start researching rental options.
Portugal Road Trip Planning
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Janz3n
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Been to Portugal but didn't drive. Paid for a tour one day which drove us everywhere. Other than that we were only there for like 4 days before going to Spain so we walked everywhere. Stayed in Lisbon.
Quick search on Expedia looks like they rent fiat 500s. That would be the smallest you can get probably.
Quick search on Expedia looks like they rent fiat 500s. That would be the smallest you can get probably.
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I haven't been to Portugal but have driven in a few countries out in Europe. I would say just go with the compact version of the cars the rental company you are going with if you are really worries about tiny streets.
That's what I tend to do. Even got a small SUV thing they offer one time and drove through England on their back roads and highways. Also picked a compact car when in Ireland and drove through all their back roads from Dublin to Cliffs of Moher and to Galway(cross countries but only like 3 hours away, lol). Also many other drives through Dublin and surrounding towns.
One other thing....sometime the really small looking roads might not actually be for cars and are only pedestrian use only. I've seen that in Spain and Dublin. Sometimes its just better to park and explore by foot.
That's what I tend to do. Even got a small SUV thing they offer one time and drove through England on their back roads and highways. Also picked a compact car when in Ireland and drove through all their back roads from Dublin to Cliffs of Moher and to Galway(cross countries but only like 3 hours away, lol). Also many other drives through Dublin and surrounding towns.
One other thing....sometime the really small looking roads might not actually be for cars and are only pedestrian use only. I've seen that in Spain and Dublin. Sometimes its just better to park and explore by foot.
Janz3n
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Yeah. Spain has some tiny roads. We took a cab from the airport to Seville and the cab driver was flying on the roads in the city. It was scary.
I drove part way from Seville to Gibraltar. That's the extent of my European driving. Honestly I'd rather not drive at all while I'm there.
Drove a bunch in Costa Rica though. That wasn't too bad. Mostly rural area. Some city.
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Thanks for tagging Janz3n and Nomar06!
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Thanks for sharing your experience, @Janz3n! A Fiat 500 is a great suggestion for size and maneuverability, though I also think I will be walking a lot while in Lisbon. I’m also planning on a lot of side trips on the route from Lisbon to Porto. Do you happen to remember the tour company you used while you’re in Lisbon? I’m considering getting a local guide from https://gowithguide.com/portugal/lisbon but they don’t have much reviews.
Janz3n
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I don't remember the company we used. My wife did all that stuff. It was similar to your link though. Our guide was great though. It was literally an entire day morning till night of tour. I've been to Mexico roatan and Costa Rica. Portugal and Spain have been my favorite places so far.
This was not me andy wife. Just a couple with us. But we traveled in the back of this jalopy all over and up mountains. Took us to a tiny mountain town for lunch. I love food and trying new things so that was the highlight for me. Met an old woman from the US that moved to the town years ago with her husband but he passed away so she was by herself. Wife and I talked with her for a while.
This was the place we had lunch. That's me on the left. So many good memories and photos.
Also we left Spain March 10th 2019. The day before the wold closed down and we weren't sure if we would have toilet paper when we got back home.
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Great insights, @Nomar06! A compact car or small SUV sounds perfect for the narrow streets, and exploring Lisbon on foot will be a nice way to soak up the atmosphere and avoid parking hassles. Having a GPS with English navigation pre-set on the rental car might be a good idea too to avoid entering pedestrian-only alleys. Thanks again!
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What a memorable journey you had in Portugal and Spain! I've already been to Spain but this will be my first time in Portugal. Exploring the mountain towns and connecting with friends over delicious meals sounds like a truly enriching experience. Thank you for sharing these wonderful memories and photos! It's great that you were able to enjoy Portugal and Spain before the world went into lockdown.